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Month: January 2017

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Closing Costs When Buying A Home

Closing costs are often the last thing a person thinks of when buying a home. While closing is the joyous moment the home becomes yours, the costs can be surprisingly aggravating. When you purchase a home, condo or other property, you will go through a period known as escrow. During escrow, various issues related to the property transfer are worked out. The last day of escrow is known as the closing day and you are going to be paying closing costs. Closing costs come in many forms. Some involve significant dollars while others are relatively painless. Here’s a list of typical costs: Continue reading

Maintenance on a Rental Property

Maintenance on a rental property can be a confusing issue. Renters may mistakenly assume all maintenance is the responsibility of the leasing agent and maintenance staff but this is usually not true. In many cases the leasing agent and maintenance staff are responsible for maintaining the common areas and performing major repairs on the apartments but the renters do typically have some responsibilities. These responsibilities are often defined in the rental agreement and the renter should familiarize himself with this document to verify his rights if a dispute arises. Continue reading

Read your contract carefully

Aubrey Nesbitt
Aubrey Nesbitt
Read Your Contract Carefully Many renters barely even skim their rental agreement before signing their name at the bottom. Most renters are primarily concerned with the monthly charges, one time only fees, required deposits and other financial matters. Once they verify this information is accurate according to their conversations with the leasing agent, they often sign the agreement with no questions asked. This is a mistake because a rental agreement is a legal contract which may have a host of important information which the renter should be aware of before signing the document. Continue reading

Considerations For A Landlord Before Proceeding To Evict A Tenant

There comes a time when every landlord finds himself / herself in a difficult position of having his rental property occupied by a tenant who is not paying rent, or is making a nuisance of himself and causing problems for other tenants, or is causing immense damage to the rental unit, or his / her conduct makes it impossible to continue with a landlord / tenant relationship. Though, state laws governing eviction vary significantly, the following are a few tips to help landlords finding themselves in the unpleasantly messy situation of evicting a tenant. As the owner of a significant number of residential units, it will be to your benefit to engage a lawyer to advice you on eviction issues, as well as, for handling legal actions. An established relationship with a lawyer is useful as he will carry out various legal tasks charging a flat fee only, whereas, hiring a lawyer on a case to case basis can result in much higher legal fees.Continue reading

Consider the Amenities

Stuart takes a moment for a picture at the office
Stuart takes a moment for a picture at the office
The amenities on a rental property can often be the deciding factor for many renters. The available amenities may make a less affordable property seem more appealing. Conversely a property which is more expensive may be considered worthwhile if the amenities offered are considered valuable enough to compensate for the higher price. When making this decision, homeowners should consider their own personal preferences as well as their budgetary constraints to make an informed decision. Before making a decision to rent a property, the renter should carefully consider which amenities are necessary, which amenities are optional but highly desired and how much the renter is willing to pay for these amenities. Continue reading

Buying Unfinished Homes

Unfinished homes present a great way to save a lot of money and get yourself a new home in the process. If you buy an unfinished home, you can keep your monthly mortgage payment low and also lower your initial investment. You may also be able to buy a larger foundation size as well, which you can easily
Julie and Will
Julie and Will Nesbitt pause from property management to take a quick picture.
add on to and save money in the process. Continue reading

A New Approach to Real Estate Lead Management

Realtor Stuart Nesbitt chats with a handyman
Realtor Stuart Nesbitt chats with a handyman
The Internet helped many real estate agents change the way they market their services. Now the same agents are changing the way they approach other aspects of the business - in particular, the process of capturing, filtering, and contacting leads. Web marketing helps attract more leads, but it's becoming clear that agents might not be the right people to deal with them anymore. As the job shifts elsewhere, the role of agents is being redefined. Continue reading