If you’re lucky enough to get down-payment help under the tree this year (or generous enough to give it), be sure you know the rules around gift funds. It’s not as simple as handing over a wad of cash with a note that says “Happy Holidays! Here’s a little something for your new house.”
Down payment gift funds must meet certain requirements or the gift giver and recipient face trouble down the road. From writing a gift letter to rules around repaying gift money, here are basic facts homebuyers and donors should know.

We all know the drill... We are approaching the new year and everyone is busy making their list of what they will commit to in the new year. Will you get in shape? Try something new? Look for a new job? Renovate your house? The list goes on. But, what about considering some new year's resolutions for largest investment, your home? This article provides some food for thought in this area.

The journey of life is an exciting one that is part intention and planning and part accident. When you reach that chapter of your life that is most often planned where you are considering retirement, there are a number of things to account for... income/savings, family distribution, assets, etc. Jim Vogel has provided this guest blog to help you when thinking through one of your biggest assets, your home.

Understanding the difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval is particularly important as a home seller so that you are prepared to assess the strength of offers that come in while you are selling your home. When a mortgage will be used to purchase your home, there are conditions that need to be met for the mortgage company to approve the purchase for closing. Because final clear to close determination comes well down the road, it represents a certain amount of risk that the deal will close. This article shares a little more insight to help you better understand exactly how much value these bank letters provide.

As we go through the many seasons that comprise our lives, there can sometimes be implications on our home selection. This can take many shapes... needing a larger home, needing a one-story versus two-story home, needing to be closer to something or farther from another. If you are considering downsizing, here are some tips to help you plan.

I remember my mother saying, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. iBuyer companies are getting a good deal of attention and interest because of the perceived ease and financial value as an option for selling your home. This was a great article written by Eric Lapin with Old Republic National Title Insurance Company that provides some great insights into the iBuying experience.

As a seller you typically care about an appraisal and as a buyer you typically care about an appraisal. It can be one of those universal areas of interest that can create some anxiety from either party... but is also sometimes the hardest thing to decipher. 

Living in Naples, Florida (Southwest Florida) means we are headed into the rainy season, which also means a chance of Hurricanes. Although there was an eleven year period between the most recent Hurricane Irma and the one prior, it is always good to be prepared each year. Here is some helpful hurricane preparation guidance provided by a local insurance company, Responsive Insurance, that I work with closely.