Listen to Allicia Golden discuss how Student Loans can affect your credit.  ​

So you don’t want to inherit used carpets? The idea of another person’s taste in appliances, paint colors and light fixtures not your thing? Some kid’s height chart etched into your closet doesn’t sound appealing? You must have made the decision to build your very own dream home. Before jumping in head first, check out these tips to protect you and ensure a smooth process:​

• ​Hire your OWN real estate agent!
  • When you walk into one of those beautiful model homes the smiling face belonging to the agent at the desk works for the builder. As great as the intentions may be of that person, it is their fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of THEIR client, the builder. They are trained to use high pressure tactics to persuade you to sign contracts. 
  • Most of the time it will not cost you anything. The commission that is paid to your agent is built into the budget and will not change the price of the home whether you choose to use your own agent or not. So you gain a knowledgeable partner who is on YOUR side. 
• Research Your Builder 
  • In this information age obtaining knowledge on any subject is fairly easy. Look for trends in reviews on credible sites, walk the neighborhood and talk to neighbors about their personal experiences and research the history of the builder. Are they expanding in homes built or have numbers been decreasing? 
• Compare Mortgage Lenders
  • Make sure you are working with a mortgage lender who is EXPERIENCED in new construction. Someone who is informed and educated on the process will be able to answer questions faster and give you a more solid pre-approval resulting in fewer issues down the line. Companies often offer incentives for using their preferred lenders but always research and check rates with more than one.​
• Don’t skip negotiations 
  • While most builders may not be able to do much in the way of purchase price there is always room for negotiations in a new construction contract. Often they will offer design credits, closing incentives, appliance packages and more. This is another reason having your own agent who is skilled and experienced in negotiations is very beneficial. 
• Verify your options 
  • Those beautiful model homes that lure you into the neighborhood are often NOT what you will be receiving. Ask the representative to spell out what exactly is standard and included in the base pricing and roughly the cost of the upgrade if you wanted to receive what it is your seeing before signing a contract. 
  • Verify what you are able to select, change or upgrade. Depending on the stage of the home when contract is signed or builder standards there may be certain elements you are not able to change.
• Warranties! 
  • One of the perks of purchasing a new build is the home warranty. Before signing the contract and locking in a lot ask to view the contract and be clear on what exactly will be included. 
• Hire Your Own Inspector 
  • New homes have problems too. Building a home is a complex process with lots of room for error. The municipality that governs the land your purchasing will require permits and inspection before the sale can be completed but hiring your own qualified inspector is always money well spent.​

Have any other questions regarding the process of new construction? Let me know below!

If you are in the market for a home and need assistance, please contact Realtors who are certified as Workforce Housing Specialists. These real estate professionals have been trained to understand and address your housing needs in your specific geographic area. They have the expert knowledge about local and state resources and are uniquely qualified and highly motivated to help you find the house of your dreams. The program focuses on those critical neighborhood workers — such as teachers, firefighters and nurses – who don’t earn enough to afford the average-priced home in the community they serve.

The requirements are the following:
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• Applicants must be employed by local, state or federal government, in the healthcare or education fields, or by 501(c)3 charitable organizations.
• Household income limits apply (see income chart on application).
• Buyer must be purchasing a primary residence.
• One grant is allowed per household per transaction.
• Buyer must complete a pre-purchase Homebuyer Education Program.
• The grant is a gift and does not require repayment.
• Buyers must be clients of a certified Workforce Housing Specialist, a certification program for REALTORS® with expert knowledge on the federal, state and local housing programs and resources available to serve workforce housing buyers earning less than the area median income.​

Visit our "Events" page to learn more!  

Buying a house is the largest purchase most people will ever make so it is usually accompanied with some level of stress.

Reducing that stress is possible through approaching your home purchase in an organized and structured way.  What makes the market especially tough on buyers right now is the fact that it’s a sellers’ market. Houses (especially the good ones) do not stay on the market very long and often your decision to buy or not buy a property must be made pretty quickly…many times in a day or two, sometimes even hours. The average trip to the mall is 1.5 hours and average money spent during that trip is about $105. So, if it takes you 90 minutes to figure out how you want to spend $105 dollars, no wonder it’s so difficult to make a decision in a day or two on a 5, 6, or 7 figure purchase!

​Over the past 10 years of working with buyers (and sellers), I’ve found the following to be true: 3 tips on how you’ll know you’ve found the one:

Taurean Peaks
Taurean is the Team Leader at Taurean Peaks Real Estate Group of Fathom Realty
You can find Taurean on Facebook at www.facebook.com/therealtorean/ or email him at taureanpeaks@gmail.com 

Rent is now rising faster than any other time in the past six years, making home ownership the better deal. Owning a home was found to be 44% cheaper than renting, according to the latest study from Trulia that compared the cost of the two.

Home ownership comes with some impressive tax benefits. Depending on your situation, there may be thousands of dollars coming back you way. For renters, those benefits are off the table. If you are on the fence about buying a home, here are some tax advantages that might just tip the scales and put your dream home within reach.
Lets imagine you bought a home back in 2010 for $250,000 but got a job offer across the country, and now it is time to make a move. Maybe you have done some home improvements, and the market has improved. Now, a Realtor thinks you can reasonably list your home for $300,000. You follow their advice and you receive and accept an offer for the listing price. Basically you just put a great profit in your pocket. Those capital gains are entirely free from federal income tax, up to $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for joint filers.

​Everyone knows that being a home owner means paying taxes on your property to local government.  Whether that is the city or county, these taxes are entirely deductible from your federal income tax.
There also are incentives for greening a home, depreciation allowances for rental space or a home office, and more.
Also, mortgage interest deduction lets home owners deduct the interest on home mortgage loan valued at $1 million or less. Here is an example: Lets say you have a $250,000, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage with a 4.5% interest rate. You will pay roughly $11,000 in interest in the first year. Assuming you are in the 25% income tax bracket, deducting that interest will save about $2,750 in taxes.
Tax benefits reflect people's belief that home ownership builds and strengthens families, neighborhoods and communities.

Looking to buy a home? What questions do you have about potential tax breaks?  Let us know below!

Yanira Hernandez
Yanira Hernandez is the Broker in Charge & Realtor at Blue Endeavours Real Estate.
To contact Yanira, email her at herbest72@gmail.com or visit the Blue Endeavours Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/pages/category/Real-Estate/Blue-Endeavours-RE-619164098262243/

Buying a new home is an exciting time for a buyer.  It can, however, be a very stressful time as well.  To ensure a drama-free closing, remember to bring these  things with you:  
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1. Directions to your closing attorney's office - You want to make sure that you are on-time for the closing.  Be sure that you know how to get there.  Any delays can cause even later decoration and finalization of the closing process, which could cause a delay in getting your keys.  
2. Patience - A closing can take 45 to 90 minutes depending on the size of the closing package. 
3. Closing Costs - Bring certified funds made payable to the closing attorney's office.  Personal checks are not usually acceptable especially for $500 or more.  
4. Government issued picture identification - Examples are drivers license, passport military identification, etc.  The identification must be valid and not expired.   
5. Spouse - Even if your spouse is not a borrower on the loan, he or she still needs to sign certain documents unless the borrower has a prenuptial, separation or free trader agreement.  

Having these 5 things in order will help you minimize any potential drama on closing day.  

Any other things you can think of that are important to bring to closing?  If so, leave below for our other readers.  

Happy Closing!

Tara L. Nichols, Esq.
The Nichols Law Firm PLLC
Follow The Nichols Law Firm on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheNicholsLawFirmPLLC or visit her website www.nicholslawfirm.org/​

Due to labor shortages witnessed by Builders nationwide, a build that would typically take 90-120 days to complete, is taking 120-150 days to complete. Builder's aren't the only ones being affected by these shortages, Sub Contractors across various trades are griping about the difficulty in finding help. This shortage leads to increased time for Sub Contractors to be able to get started on jobs and once started, increased time completing the job.

A savvy Builder will wait on Subs they are familiar with and have history with rather than try to fill the gaps with Subs they haven't worked with in the past, nor are not familiar with their work practices. In doing so, time may have to be sacrificed, but the Builder knows they can still expect the same quality that they are used too.

Keep this in mind when dealing with a Builder/Contractor as we strive to get these builds turned over a soon as possible while dealing with the labor shortage we are currently experiencing.

Ironically, as the demand for new construction homes increases, labor shortages has had quite an effect on completions times and has caused a strain for Builders in sticking to more convenient building schedules.

To ensure a smooth building process, here are some things that can be done by Buyers:

• Determining upgrade/selections as early in the build cycle as possible
• Bringing in a Builder/Contractor as soon as possible in the Administrative process to help assist in budgeting, permit acquisition, etc
• Keeping changes to a minimum once house construction has begun

​
What questions do you have in preparation for building a home or a remodel?  Let us know below!

Good Luck and Happy Building!

Chris Pugh
Chris is the Licensed General Contractor for CB Pugh Enterprises, LLC
Email Chris at pughcustombuilders@gmail.com or visit the website www.pughbuilders.com

​As a consumer, you are stuck with making the difficult decision to choose an Independent Insurance Agent vs. a Captive Insurance Agent when it comes to your insurance needs. You may find yourself asking "What's the difference?"

As an independent agent, my clients typically see a 15-20% reduced rate vs captive agents. In addition, they usually save more in time because we save them hours of time spent shopping with multiple companies. 

Therefore, when making the important decision of who your agent will be, be sure to find the agent who has the best product, service, and price for your needs. In the end, you will be far less stressed knowing that you have suitable coverage if a loss does occur!

​For a side by side comparison of Independent vs Captive Insurance agents, check out the infographic below.  

Terry Mercer
Founder/Agent of Carolina Insurance Alliance
Follow Terry on Facebook at:  www.facebook.com/carolinainsuranceallliance or Email Terry at terry@carolinainsurancealliance.com