What's a Good Credit Score and Why Does it Matter?

 What's a Good Credit Score and Why Does it Matter?

Your credit score is so important throughout your life that it should be taught as part of a standard curriculum for financial literacy and adulthood. Unfortunately it isn't and in this instance, ignorance is anything but bliss. In this blog, we're going to take a deep dive to explain the importance of your credit score, how it's determined and steps you can take to improve it. My NC Homes would like to help our would be home buyers understand how your credit impacts not just your ability to purchase a home but also the terms you'll be given. Just because your credit is fair on one report, it still might not qualify for the lowest available mortgage rates. You may also be rejected depending on the…

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A Homeowner’s Net Worth Is 40x Greater Than a Renter’s

A Homeowners Net Worth Is 40x Greater Than a Renter's

One of the best ways to build your family's financial future is through homeownership. Recent data from the Federal Reserve indicates the net worth of a homeowner is actually over 40 times greater than that of a renter. Maybe it's time to start thinking about buying a home, especially when they are so affordable in today's market.

Every three years the Survey of Consumer Finances shows the breakdown of how owning a home helps build financial security. In the graph below, we see that the average net worth of homeowners continues to grow, while the net worth of renters tends to hold fairly steady and be significantly lower than that of homeowners. The gap between owning and renting just keeps…

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Pros and Cons of Contingencies

Pros and Cons of Contingencies

In a perfect home buying world, buyers would be pre approved from lenders or would submit cash offers. There would be no appraisal necessary, homes would be pre-inspected, repairs made in advance, property disclosures would be meaningful and we would close in 30-days without contingencies or any hiccups. But in the real world, and according to the NAR 2020 Realtor Confidence Index, roughly 76% of contracts have contingencies. In this blog we explore the most common contingencies and how they affect the sale of a home both from a buyers and a seller's perspective.

What are Contingencies?

Contingencies are conditions within a contract for real property that must be met for the contract to move forward and be…

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What You Should Expect From a Home Inspection

Getting Ready for Your Home Inspection 

You're under contract and you or your agent has set up the home inspection. It's time to get ready for a roller coaster ride of emotions.

There's the excitement that comes from really getting to take a good hard look at the home you're buying. It's typically the longest time you are in the house before you own it.

There's anxiety. What if the inspector finds something wrong? So wrong you can't buy the house?

Impatience. Where's my report? How bad is it? What's it going to cost to repair these things and how soon do I need to get them all done? Why hasn't the Seller responded to my request yet. Ugh, I hate this, when will it be over?

With countless hundreds of home inspections under our belts; you can…

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What You Should Know When Buying New Construction Homes

What You Should Know When Buying New Construction Homes

There's a lot of new construction here in the Research Triangle Area, from fully customized high-end single family homes, to mass produced production homes with few options for the buyer other than cosmetic, and everything in between. Each and every builder has their own jargon and terminology to describe their product and there's a very significant difference in the quality of what and how they build and what a homebuyer can expect throughout the process. It's very easy to become overwhelmed.

Here's what you should know about buying new construction.

New homes have a lot of advantages, but there are trade-offs. As with any major purchasing decision, consider your personal priorities…

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Best of Aging in Place Raleigh NC

Aging in Place Options for Raleigh NC

My NC Homes presents another in our series of Best Aging in Place communities, focusing this time on Raleigh NC. This is a resource both for those looking to scale back from domestic responsibilities while scaling up in quality of life as well as for adult caregivers. Continuum living in the Triangle has a wide varity of retirement communities and traditional full care nursing facilities that many do not even know exist. From the latest in compassionate full-time care to independent luxury living, Raleigh aging in place options are many. Raleigh and the Research Triangle area in general are consistently ranked among the top 10 places to live by numerous national publications. If you would like to learn more…

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Best Aging in Place Durham NC

Aging in Place Options for Durham NC

Best Durham Aging in Place for Farm and Nature Lovers

 Croasdaile Village

Located in part on a dairy farm, Croasdaile Village offers over 275 acres of space for passive or active recreation and is a tranquil respite from bustling Durham. Originally founded on Methodist principles of compassion, Croasdaile Village retains compassionate care values in its programming and assistance plans.

1. Location and Transportation: With a large campus and amenities, there does not require transportation, however transport is available to appointments and visits to Durham.

2. Residence Amenities: Living at Croasdaile is as close to home or better as a loved one could hope with apartments with high ceilings…

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Chapel Hill- Best Aging in Place

Aging in Place Options for Chapel Hill NC 

My NC Homes is pleased to offer this list of the most recent, top-ranked, aging in place, and care facilities in Chapel Hill. From retirement to full-time care, here are the choices ranked by reviews. Many of our clients make a move to the Triangle area to take advantage of the suburban/urban style of living, nationally-ranked academics, college town culture, sports, and one of the top medical facilities in the nation. When buying a new home or relocating, considering the aging family members may well be one of your criteria for choosing a home or city. My NC Homes offers the most up to date listings with guest quarters for family members, but when a loved one requires professional medical assistance or…

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Cary - Best Aging in Place

The Brokers at my NC Homes have had the pleasure of working clients ranging in age from 20 - 80+. Over the next several months we will be showcasing the best communities for aging in place. We do this as a service to our clients as well as a service to the community at large. In all instances you'll need to contact these communities directly as these aren't offered for sale in the traditional real estate manner, we're unable to work as your Buyer agent. We hope however that this information is helpful to our older clients as well as our younger clients who may have parents or grandparents in need.

We would like to begin our series on aging in place in North Carolina with Cary. Cary, North Carolina is part of what is known as the Research Triangle…

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Will Surging Unemployment Crush Home Sales?

Ten million Americans lost their jobs over the last two weeks.

The next unemployment rate will be announced on May 8th. It is expected to be in the double digits. Due to the health crisis; the economy has essentially come to a screeching halt; and many are feeling a personal financial crisis. James Bullard, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, explained that the government is trying to find ways to assist both those who have lost their jobs as well as  the companies which were forced to close (think: your neighborhood restaurant). In a recent interview he said:

"This is a planned, organized partial shutdown of the U.S. economy in the second quarter. The overall goal is to keep everyone, households and businesses, whole."

…

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