Buying a house is an exciting time in your life regardless of if you’re a first-time home buyer or purchasing your fifth house. There are a lot of things to consider when buying a home like location, how many bedrooms you need, if are you looking for more storage space, if a yard is important, etc. While purchasing a home is a process, we feel that it is important to understand the upfront costs as you begin the process to help eliminate any surprises. 

To start, it is important to understand these costs are going to be separate from your downpayment. For example, if you’re preapproved for $350,000 and plan to put down 10%, the total amount that you are paying is $35,000 (10% of your loan) plus the following costs. It is also important to note…

In the recent months, the real estate market has begun to shift. What does that mean for you as a buyer? Should you wait for rates to go back down? Should you wait for house prices to drop? Here is what we are seeing in this market shift and why it is a good time to buy. 

1. Housing prices are starting to balance

You may have noticed some homes sitting on the market longer than 48 hours or sellers are dropping their prices in order to sell. This does not mean that the value of the home is decreasing. It means that we have reached the peak of this crazy, rapidly climbing market. Over the past few years, housing prices have increased faster than we've ever seen before. House values were increasing tens of thousands of dollars if not more in just a…

Investing in rental properties can make you a lot of money in the long run - but only if you do it right! Here are some of the biggest mistakes you can make when starting the journey into buying rental properties. 

1. Not getting a home inspection before you buy

A home might look perfectly ok to the untrained eye, but don’t forget that your investment isn’t just those four walls. It’s the plumbing, electrical, foundation and other important elements that you need to get a professional to assess before you commit. 

2. Not properly calculating to cost vs. revenue

A deal may seem incredible, and you feel like you need to jump on it. We get it. BUT don’t do yourself a disservice and sign on the dotted line without doing your homework. You need a…

There has never been a better time than now to list your home! The home inventory in Chattanooga and North Georgia is so low that homes are selling in just hours of being on the market. 

Choosing a Realtor is the most important step in the process, so if you’re thinking of listing your home, here are just a few questions to get you started: 

1. How many clients do you have right now? 

This question is worthwhile for two reasons. First of all, you want to know how much business your potential Realtor is doing. If they only have a couple couple of clients, you have to wonder why. But also if they are a mega agent with more clients than they can handle, will your home get the attention and effort that it needs? Make sure that there is a good balance…

Your twenties is the time when you’re still trying to figure it all out. You may or may not have found your dream job or even decided what that is. Even though some things may be up in the air, that doesn’t mean you can’t start investing in your future now! 

One mistake that a lot of twenty-somethings make is thinking that they can’t afford to buy a home. Surprise—oftentimes rent is more expensive than a mortgage payment!! Rather that throwing money away on rent, here are some tips to help you buy a home now! 

1. Start working on your credit 

Many twenty-somethings have low credit or no credit at all. If you have no credit, try opening up a credit card with a small limit and paying it off every month. If you already have credit, make sure to…

Buying or selling a home is one of the most important financial decisions you’ll ever make, and the real estate agent you choose to help you is going to make all the difference! But with a market flooded with Realtor and real estate agent options, how do you choose? Here are the most important boxes to check in the process: 

1. Make sure the agent is full-time, not one who does real estate part time on the side

You want to choose an agent that is fully invested in their business, and therefore, you! Someone who does real estate on the side is not going to be fully committed to working for you and will instead have other things—like their full-time gig—taking priority. 

2.  Avoid hiring a relative

It can get a little personal when you mix…

Movement Mortgage premieres new zero-down payment mortgage program

Want to buy your first home but are having a hard time coming up with that necessary down payment?

Movement Mortgage has just announced its new down payment assistance program for first-time homebuyers that allows borrowers to put nothing down on a home. 

Movement Mortgage, a top 10 retail home lender, has just introduced a financing option that provides eligible first-time buyers with a non-repayable grant of up to 3 percent. Not only that, but the program also allows for sellers to further assist the buyer by paying up to 4% of closing costs and pre paids on the home. 

For example, say you were to buy a $200,000 home. The necessary down payment costs would be about $6,000…

Whether you’re selling your home or looking to buy a home, it’s important to know the reasons why the deal may not work out in order to plan in advance. We’ve made a list of our top five reasons so you can do what you can to avoid them! 

1. The home didn't appraise for the contract price

In a market like ours where there are so few homes available, it’s very possible for a buyer to get into a multiple offer situation. In that case, if you really want the home, it’s important to offer your highest and best. But what happens if the home doesn’t appraise for the agreed-upon contract price? In this case, the buyer might have to bring additional funds to the table, which might not be an option, or get a second opinion. Or the seller has to be…

Buying a home can be an overwhelming thought—especially for first time buyers. We’ve compiled a list of our most frequently asked buyer questions to help you get started on the home search! 

Q. What is the first step in the home buying process?

The first step in buying a home is to get pre-approved for a mortgage loan. The pre-approval process includes talking with a mortgage broker and providing them with information like pay stubs, bank statements, credit report, etc. to help them determine exactly home much of a home you can afford. This is important to do BEFORE you start the home search. If you start looking at homes but can’t get approved for a loan, it’s a waste of both yours and your realtor’s time. Not to mention, if you are approved…

You’re building your dream home! Or at least buying one that is customizable to make your dreams a reality. You might think you know what to expect, but there are several common mistakes people make when looking to buy new construction. 

Mistake #1: Not using a realtor

There’s a sales agent on site at the new construction, so you don’t need a realtor of your own, right? Not so much. Consider whose side the sales agent is on. When you’re buying a home, you want someone to advocate for you and your needs. If the seller’s agent is working for the neighborhood, they have the developer’s best interests in mind—not yours. Choose a realtor who will work for you to negotiate the terms of the sale and advocate for you.

Mistake #2: Not asking what’s…