The real estate appraisal business has been under increased scrutiny in the wake of the national housing bust. An article in today’s Wall Street Journal highlights the current challenges in securing an independent, yet accurate, property valuation. Appraisals are an important part of a real estate purchase, helping to make sure that the negotiated purchase price is in line with recent comparable sales. Mortgage underwriters require an appraisal so that they can feel comfortable that
Kyle and I are proud to announce the release of our brand new Home Buyer’s Guide. We are dedicated to sharing as much information as possible about the real estate markets and the process of buying and selling homes. This website is one way in which we communicate, telling stories, analyzing data, and reporting on real estate related events. We try to make it interesting, and we try to be timely. The Home Buyer’s Guide
A good real estate attorney is an important and necessary person to have on your team when you’re thinking about buying or selling property. Closing attorneys work with lenders and the buyers and sellers to account for all of the funds involved, manage the title insurance and title search process, and provide general guidance throughout the transaction. Sellers typically understand the importance of closing attorneys because they’ve worked with real estate attorneys in the past
Real estate activity in West Hartford feels like it has really picked up over the past few weeks. Agents are buzzing around like busy bees, and houses are going under contract. We’re seeing some homes sell very quickly after they are offered for sale, and we’re seeing multiple buyers compete for properties. There is clearly still broad interest in living in West Hartford. I was curious to see if the data supported our “feel” for
I don’t know what’s going on lately, but in the past few months I’ve gotten several calls from real estate agents that have clients interested in my listings and they’d like me to present verbal offers to my sellers. Verbal offers are not standard practice when selling real estate in Hartford County. The Greater Hartford Association of Realtors has a standard purchase and sale contract that is used to write and present offers on properties.