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Frequently Asked Questions

Providing Answers for Buyers

A great home in pristine condition may get scooped up hours after being listed. So when competition is fierce, you need to make your offer stand out from your competitors’ offers. To increase the likelihood that a seller accepts your offer, consider adopting one or more of these strategies:

Price. Obviously, price tends to be the primary consideration for sellers. In a hot market, when buyers outnumber inventory, offers often come in at full price or above. When you’re competing for a home, to get an edge, think about adding a clause stating that you will beat the highest offer by “x” dollars up to “x” amount. Cash offers can be more attractive to sellers as well. Although sellers will receive their money at closing whether buyers pay with cash or take out a loan, cash offers don’t require lender approval. And loan approval is never a certainty-it may delay closing.

Financing. It’s not enough to be pre-qualified. Pre-qualification only tells how much you can afford. Pre-approval goes a step further. Your lender will thoroughly evaluate your application-including verifying employment information and financial disposition-then clear you for a loan of a determined amount. Having your loan pre-approved gives you a sizeable advantage by putting you on equal footing with cash buyers.

Good Faith Deposit. Buyers offering a larger-than-customary amount of “earnest money,” a deposit that accompanies an offer, may get a seller’s attention. By committing more money up front, buyers demonstrate greater sincerity and motivation to close the transaction. Your real estate professional can guide you as to the appropriate sum for your specific transaction.

Contingencies. Consider minimizing contingencies, those clauses that allow buyers to back out of a contract if certain conditions are not met. For example, it’s common for buyers to make the purchase contingent upon their securing satisfactory financing. Obviously, offers with the fewest conditions tend to be more attractive to sellers.

From a contingency standpoint, first-time buyers are often better prospects for a seller’s home than move-up buyers. Here’s why: Very often, buyers’ offers are contingent upon the sale of their present home. Even if a move-up buyer has an offer in hand, that buyer’s offer may be contingent on another contingency, and so on down the line. If one transaction derails, they all might.

Relationship. Help the seller get to know and identify with you by looking for ways to connect. For instance, it may be through a shared appreciation of a certain style of architecture. Let’s say that you’re fortunate enough to find yourself competing for an original Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home. After hearing about your visit to Taliesin West, Wright’s desert home, and your collection of Wright-inspired furniture, the seller might be persuaded that you should be the next custodian of this national treasure. Of course, the connection could be something more conventional such as a shared love of gardening. You’ll want to persuade the seller that his prize roses will be well tended.

Naturally, sellers would like to receive top dollar for their home, but remember, they also want an easy, trouble-free transaction. Thus, as a rule, the fewer the contingencies and the greater the commitment, the more attractive your offer may look.

To obtain the most professional representation available, contact an agent at Starkville Properties today.

My Credit Is Less than Perfect. Can I Still Buy a Home?

Perhaps in recent years, you’ve had financial difficulties that caused you to make a few late payments to creditors or even possibly not pay some bills at all. You may have even had to file for bankruptcy. Now your difficulties are over and you want to buy a home. Will it be possible to get a home loan with a blemished credit history? Although it may be a little harder than if you had A+ credit, the answer is yes.

One of the first things you want to do is order a credit report. There are three main credit reporting agencies: Equifax (800-685-1111), Experian (888-397-3742), and Trans Union (800-888-4213). [Because not all creditors report information to the same agencies, you may want to request a report from all three.] Once you have the report in hand, study it to make sure that the information is accurate. If there are discrepancies, make sure you follow the steps provided by the credit reporting agency to dispute the information and get it changed. In addition, you may want to add a consumer statement on your credit report to explain any late or non-payment to creditors.

Depending on how damaged your credit is, you may want to put off buying a home for another year. Use that time to repair your credit by paying off creditors and create a history of paying your bills on time and consistently.

When you are ready to apply for a loan, realize that your previous credit history may limit your eligibility for prime loans and low interest rates. When lenders are deciding on whether to issue a potential borrower a loan, they use various criteria in addition to payment history to evaluate the borrower such as employment, income, assets and liabilities. Based on this evaluation, borrowers are offered loans rated on a scale from A to D. The more damaged your credit history, the higher of a risk you are to lenders.

Because of your blemished credit history, you will more than likely have to get a “sub-prime” loan. These types of loans come with higher interest rates and more points. Don’t assume that just because a lender offers sub-prime loans, that you will automatically be embraced. Be prepared to explain to the lender why you had credit problems and what you have done to prevent the situation from occurring in the future.

Remember your past financial problems don’t have to stop you from experiencing the joys of homeownership.

Contact Us

Starkville Properties
419 E Lampkin Street
Starkville, MS 39759

Local: 662-324-0037
Fax: 662-324-1774

Email: homes@starkvillepropertiesms.com