One of the most often asked questions from my buyers is  "Why didn't the seller counter my offer?" The answer depends not only on the offer itself, but also the sellers perspective.

Many buyers mistakenly assume the seller will always counter their offer and how much the seller will counter. In actuality, the opposite is more often the case.

While most offers do receive some kind of counter, I am careful to instruct my buyers not to assume how much the counter offer will be and that it is quite possible the seller may not counter at all.

Why?

There are a number of reasons the seller may not counter an offer: Here are just a few of the more common:

Seller may feel offer was so low and too far from their asking price to effectively negotiate.

Having moved many times over the course of my years as well as being a top producing real estate agent, I’ve gained some valuable tips and techniques that I pass on to my customers.

Here are my top 50 tips for moving into a new home or apartment:

1. Create an outline for listing moving tasks including purchases you need to make
2. Boxes – You can never have too many boxes. Plastic, cardboard whatever.
3. Obtain plenty of packing material – newspaper, bubble wrap etc.
4. Obtain plenty of tape for sealing boxes.
5. Obtain marking tape such as blue painters tape to mark items not in boxes
6. Get plenty of rope or twine for tying up boxes
7. Use rope to tie up small stacks of books for easy moving
8. Use towels inside boxes to cushion fragile items from

Touring houses or condos can be both exhilarating and exhausting. You know that one of these properties will become your new home, and you're eager to find it. Yet you may have to visit many condos before you're ready to make an offer.

As your Realtor, Jennifer Mackay will take you the homes or condos you want to view. Once you're inside, you can walk through all the rooms, peek into closets and cabinets, measure windows, and explore. Here's how to get the most out of each visit you make while shopping for your new home.

Preparing

Preparation is going to be key to a successful condo hunting tour. If you have everything in place before you set out to look at condos, you'll be able to focus on how well each condo meets your needs. So before you

Moving? Here is a helpful list

When moving it is important to have the necessary resources that help to assist in your move. Following are vital links that will help you before, during and after your move to your new area.

• US Postal Office
• Chamber of Commerce
• Weather Infomration

It is also important to have items handy that you will need when you first arrive to your new home. The following is a suggested list of items to have readily available when you move to your new home.

• First Aid Kit
• Toilet Paper
• Soap
• Cooking Utensils
• Can Opener
• Canned Goods
• Paper Towels
• Disposable Cups
• Bottled Water
• Snacks
• Plastic Silverware
• Paper Plates
• Pet Food / Dishes
• Fuses
• Keys to Both Old and New House

Considering Buying a Home? Here are 6 Things to Think About...

Before you buy a home you should do some research so that you have all the knowledge that you need.  You should learn about credit score requirements and the standards on the Federal Housing Administration loans. 

As your Panama City Beach Realtor I can help you become familiar with these things and more but doing your own research will help speed up the process.

1. Before you consider buying a home you should make sure your credit score is as strong as possible. If your credit score is below 680 you can expect to have to pay a higher down payment.  If your credit score is over 750 you can expect to get better rates.  Get your credit report and stop applying for any kind of credit

Don’t Make These Mistakes When You Buy Your First Home

Buying your first home can be very exciting but because of that many people make mistakes. Your goal is to find a home that you will love and that you can afford to pay for. But when the excitement surpasses your judgment mistakes can happen.

Here are 10 mistakes often made by new home buyers:

1. Not thinking about what is affordable: Sometimes what the bank says is affordable and what you know is affordable is different.  You need to consider your lifestyle and other monetary goals you may have in your life.  Figure out what you need to account for in your life (vacations, vehicles, school savings for children, etc.) and then with those things in mind, decide what you can really afford.

Jennifer's Tips for Hiring a Home Inspector

When it comes to buying a home, it is important to hire a home inspector to give you an unbiased opinion as to the state of the home.  But finding a good home inspector may be harder than you think.  If you do not know a home inspector, as your Panama City Beach realtor I can recommend a few to you but then it is up to you to do your due diligence in hiring.

1. Start by asking what their qualifications are and their experience.  Ideally they have had training in construction, maintenance standards as well as experience in home inspections.  But keep in mind that they likely will not be an expert in every area and may recommend bringing in specialists for things such as pool inspections if they have

Title Insurance - What it is and why you need it.

Title insurance is a contract between the title underwriter (Insurer) and the insured (home owner) whereby the title underwriter (Insurer) agrees to indemnify the insured for all loss (up to the amount of the policy) and expenses which the insured (home owner) may suffer by reason of the title to real property being other than as represented in the title policy.

The coverage of the policy, like all policies of insurance, is subject to the conditions, exception and exclusions provided in the policy.

A title insurance policy is a guarantee against the possibility of loss if the attorney/closing agent makes an honest mistake. An attorney’s liability is restricted by his or her ability to pay

Typical costs and expenses you incur when buying real estate

When buying real estate, not only do you need to consider the cost of the property but the other expenses that you are going to incur. By working with a Panama City Beach Realtor you will have someone who can give you an idea of what the costs will be to prepare you.

One of the highest costs is the cost to close which is related to applying for a loan and the property appraisal.  Another factor that is lumped into these costs is the loan origination fee which is paid to the lender.  These fees are paid by the buyer and can be up to three percent of the money being borrowed but can be negotiated with the seller.

Another item you may run into when making a purchase is a loan

All across the country buyers are attempting to "snatch" up foreclosures, short sales and REO properties as if these property types were going away.

What's most interesting is many who are new to these types of properties don't really understand what they may be getting into.

Example Foreclosure - Many foreclosures are due to the owner not being able to make their mortgage payments so the bank repossess the home and offers to allow a real estate agent to sell it for them.

Issue? - Thank about it - if the owner wasn't able to pay the mortgage, how up to date do yoiu think the maintenance on the house is?  Many foreclosure properties come with significant damage due to deferred repairs and maintenance.  If you really want to purchase a foreclosure,