Greater Baton Rouge Real Estate Blog

Sometimes I Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me

… And I Have No Home Shopping Privacy

If you have ever felt this way when viewing homes with your agent, you probably were being watched by the sellers. Your audio may have been recorded as well.

With the popularity of doorbell cameras and whole-home security cameras, sellers are watching your every move. Some sellers will watch for you to walk up to the front door and then unlock the door remotely. They know exactly how long you were there and if your agent left before you did. Yes, we have had sellers call to let us know it was very unsettling that the agent left before the potential buyer because the buyer sat in the driveway for a while after the agent had already left.

Inside the home, the security devices are not as easy to spot as…

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Home Inspection 101 | Greater Baton Rouge

A licensed home inspector will give you detailed information about the overall health of the home. The home inspection will include an in-depth, unbiased look at your potential new home. Here are a few things you should know.

1. Every home should be inspected
   Otherwise, you are relying on the seller to inform you of any deficiencies the home may have. In many cases, the seller isn’t even aware of these deficiencies. This includes new construction. Remember, humans, are still building houses. Mistakes happen.
2. You hire the inspector
   Your real estate agent will have recommendations of inspectors they use consistently. It is still your right to choose and hire the inspector.
3. It takes more than 30 minutes
   A typical home inspection of a 2,000 sq ft…

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What Is A “DEAL” To You?

What does getting a "deal" on a home purchase mean to you?

Now that we have begun to enter into a buyer's market I have been hearing many prospective buyers talk about wanting to get a "deal" on their purchase. What exactly does that mean to you? Let's explore some of the "deal" options you may encounter.

Price

This is the first thing most people think of when they think of getting a deal in real estate. They want to know that they purchased a house for far less than not only the appraised value but less than fair market value. In reality, these types of deals just happen when there is a foreclosure that has occurred or possibly someone that has a lot of equity that needs to sell quickly to keep for losing the home or has had a drastic life…

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Tips For Buying And Selling A Home In The Summer

Summertime Real Estate

Ah! Summertime…backyard barbeques, pool parties, family vacations, beach trips and my favorite, the smell of sunscreen. (I was a Florida kid)

Summertime is a busy time of year. Most families take their big vacations during the summer since the kids are out of school and the weather is favorable almost everywhere.

All those things are wonderful but can wreak havoc when trying to buy or sell a house during the summer. You see, the seller’s best selling seasons are Spring and Fall. When the summer kicks into gear, sellers want to have their house sold already so they can use the summer to get settled into their new home. This is especially true if they have kids.
As a buyer, you may not have much to choose from if you didn’t…

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How Do You Decide What Home Is Right For You And Your Family?

If you are a first-time homebuyer, this is a scary time for you.  You are about to make the most significant purchase of your life, and you are probably scared to make a final decision. What home is right for you?

Let us help you here with three powerful points to start:

1. An ethical real estate agent will NEVER EVER pressure you into buying a house.
2. You will instinctively know that you have found the right house. Trust your gut.
3. You may want to “sleep on it” and make your decision the next day. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT do this if your agent advises you not to.

Let’s talk about these three points a little bit more.

Your agent may tell you that there is much activity on the house and you should act fast. This information is not to…

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How To Hire A Real Estate Agent To Help You Buy A House

You have decided to purchase a home. Congratulations!

The first thing you need to do is to hire a real estate agent.
How do you hire the right real estate agent?

1. Ask for referrals

Do you have friends or family that have recently purchased a home? They will have great recommendations for you.

2. Stalk them online!

Yes, you read that right! Look up the recommendations on all the social channels. Are they habitual negative posters? We all have bad days, so one or two venting posts are ok, but every other post is a clue about that person's personality. Purchasing a home is stressful enough, you don't need someone negative on your side.
What about the pictures? Do the images they post of themselves make you comfortable? Do you feel like this is…

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Who Gets The Window Treatments?

One item that we see buyers and sellers squabble over is window treatments.

Buyers expect the window treatments to be in the house after they close and get very upset when they aren't. Sellers are trying to save some money and take the window treatments to their new home. Yikes!

Who is right?

In the Prairieville / Baton Rouge area, the purchase agreement states "all window coverings, blinds and associated hardware" will remain. This is pretty clear language. Maybe we have agents that aren't reviewing the purchase agreement clearly with the seller. With the age of digital signatures, I think that some of the reviews get lost, and some agents are leaving it up to their clients to read the offer in its entirety.

But they match my comforter!

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How To Write A Strong Offer

You are pre-approved and ready to write an offer on the house. This is the exciting part and also the most critical part. Here are some tips to help you write a strong offer.

Listen to your Agent

Your agent will run the comps in the area and review them with you before writing the offer. They will advise you on where to start with the price. Everyone wants a deal, but sometimes you just have to settle for paying fair market value. If you are in a seller's market, making an offer that is too low will negatively impact you. Another offer written more strongly may come in and knock you out of contention.

Do you really need all of those closing costs?

Lots of buyers in the Prairieville / Baton Rouge area are asking for all of their closing…

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Preparing To Get A Mortgage To Buy Your Prairieville / Baton Rouge Home

Have you been thinking about buying a new home in the Prairieville / Baton Rouge area? Maybe it will be your first home!

This can and should be a really exciting time. Before starting to look for a home you will need to be pre-approved by a lender. This is important for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons is that a pre-approval will let you know what price range you need to be looking in.  Nothing is worse than falling in love with a property and then finding out you can't afford it.

Let's back up a minute... First of all, we need to make sure some things are in order in your financial house.

1. Check your credit report for errors. Did you know that just a few points could make a difference in your rate? A higher rate over 15 or 30…

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Should I Change The Locks On The Home I Just Purchased?

My answer to the question every time is, “YES”!

Many years ago, before I was an agent myself, my husband and I purchased a new home in Prairieville. We were very excited about our next move up in the housing market. The home was vacant when we started the negotiations. We closed within 30 days and everything we well. At the closing, the previous owners handed over the keys to our new home. They asked if we were going to move in right away. We told them that we were leaving the next morning for two weeks to visit my husband’s family up north. That afternoon, we picked up our kids and moved a couple of things in the house just so it would feel like it was really ours.

 Returning from our vacation we went straight to our new home. As we walked in…

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