One of my buyers offered to buy a home in Valrico "as is with right to inspect".
The home was professionally inspected. The dishwasher didn't run thru the whole cycle. There were just a few other items, mostly cosmetic. My buyer was not excited about having to buy a new dishwasher. I called the listing agent to let them know what transpired. Thankfully, the seller had purchased a home warrantee that covered the seller through the listing period and then transfers to the new home buyer. A home warranty is terrific as it reduces both the seller's out of pocket expenses as well as the buyer and gives everyone peace of mind.
Warmly,
Stephanie LeFew
Solaris Realty of Tampa Bay
813-991-1355 home office
813-624-3332 cell phone
When contemplating a purchase of a home, you may wonder..."what are going to be some expenses I can expect to pay prior to closing on my new home?"
Once you find a home that you really feel called to, you will need to make an offer with your real estate professional and you will want it to be considered a "strong offer". I would suggest making an offer with at least a $1000 earnest money deposit. This money will be taken to the title company that the seller usually picks that will handle the closing. It will be held at the title company until the day of closing and goes towards the purchase price of the home.
Once the negotiations are complete and you have an "executed contract" you will want to order a home inspection. I really like The Home Team in the Tampa area. They are extremely thorough and quick in the fact that they send out a "specialist" for each major component of the house --- roof, air conditioner, termite inspection, electrical, plumbing. You can expect to spend approximately $350 for the home inspection plus and additional $75 for termite inspection. The fee is somewhat dependent on square footage. On the offer, 10 days is how long you have in order to do the home inspection; in order to present an even stronger offer, I write in 5 days instead so as to be able to remove that contingency as soon as possible which is appealing to both seller and buyer.
An appraisal is required by your mortgage company -- approximately $375. This will be ordered by your mortgage company or mortgage broker. Depending on the type of loan this may be able to be included in your closing costs. If not, you will need to pay it out of pocket at the time of the appraisal.
A survey is also required. If the seller had one done recently, it may just need to be updated for a smaller fee. Otherwise a good estimate is $400.
On the day of closing, your Realtor can also order a Home Warranty that will cover any major repairs that may need to be made in the first year with a small "co-pay" whenever you need to call a repairman out -- for air conditioning, plumbing, etc. You can also request a home warranty to cover the pool if applicable. In the negotiations, you can put that in the contract for the seller to pay that for you and with a note that your REOs order it so you can select the plan most beneficial to you with a maximum price of $375 or so.
Knowing what to expect brings peace of mind. I hope you find this information useful. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Please call me if there is anything at all that I can do for you.
Warmly,
Stephanie LeFew
Solaris Realty of Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Florida Realtors
813-624-3332
My kids are 8 & 10. They have a lot of questions about the birds and bees.
They got bunnies about 1 year ago. The salesman at the feed store said 2 male bunnies would be a good idea. They are usually more friendly than the girl bunnies. They like to snuggle --- until they become teenager bunnies -- mad the other bunny isn't a lady bunny. They had to be separated as one was trying to make a eunick of the other more docile bunny. We had to separate them. We ended up giving the more aggressive bunny to a bunny farm. They immediately put him in with a girl bunny. We pronounced them man & wife and they immediately got friendly. He seemed a lot happier.
We bought our son a girl bunny to replace the one we gave away. Accidentally they got together...a few weeks later... Baby bunnies.
The first litter, only 1 lived, very sad. From what we found out at the feed store the first litter the mother is learning and that often happens.
We are hoping for a better result this time. She is definitely pregnant again. She will not allow us to pick her up any more. She likes to be petted only on her head. She is also pulling out some of her fur. She is definitely nesting.
It's a wonderful experience for all of us. It's exciting and the baby bunnies are so cute when they are born. We can't wait.
Stephanie LeFew
813-624-3332
Tampa Real Estate Full Time
Loving life!!
My husband and I built an insulated concrete form home on a lot that we purchased 12 years ago in Wesley Chapel, Florida. What used to be out in the sticks is now in the middle of everything.
With the current housing market, contractors are excited for the work and are competing for it. What that means for you is a terrific price with all the extras at a fraction of what we would have been spending at the height of the market.
Right now, you could buy a beautiful piece of land for a terrific price and be able to build the house of your dreams. You could also have a pool put in, again at a terrific price, because the pool contractors want your business and will compete for it.
I have a list of great contractors for each phase if you have any interest.
If you have any questions about looking for acreage or about the building process, please feel free to call me. I know of some great South Tampa builders also, of those that are thinking about moving to the MacDill Air Force Base area.
Warmly,
Stephanie LeFew
Solaris Realty of Tampa Bay
813-624-3332
Are you interested in purchasing a brand new home? Ever thought about choosing everything you want in a home from the ground up? That is an exciting dream. Many people do it every day.
Purchasing a Builder Inventory home is also an exciting concept.
When a builder has homes in their inventory, that usually means that someone put a large deposit down to build their dream home, but something happened in their life, job transfer, family life change, and now they either can't or won't finalize their purchase. The builder keeps their deposit, but they would have much rather have completed the sale.
Now, the builder is motivated to sell that home asap, especially in today's real estate market.
That means a tremendous deal for you. Often times they will slash their price tens of thousands of dollars just so that they can move the house quickly and recoup their costs, pay their employees. I have negotiated tremendous deals for my buyers --- beautiful homes with all the bells and whistles, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, wine racks, cherry cabinets for tens of thousands less than what the original person had agreed to pay.
You can get a better deal on an inventory home than what you find on the market for a resale home a large percentage of the time.
Which would you rather? Brand new or used? Ask your realtor about inventory homes first. You will be pleasantly surprised!! Often times the builder will agree to pay all your closing costs if you use their preferred lender and title company. You are often given the option to get the best possible deal from another lender and asking the builder's preferred lender to meet or beat the deal. Now, add all of that up and you have a terrific deal.
Please let me know if you would like to know about Builder Inventory in your area.
Thank you for your time!
Stephanie LeFew
New Home Builder Inventory Specialist
Solaris Realty of Tampa Bay
813-624-3332
Stephanie LeFew & TampaHomeBuy.com here to serve 1st time home buyers,home buyers,investors,sellers,& sellers who need to sell quickly. I am here to offer my knowledge to you in this changing market.
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