Quick Reference Guide to Environmental Questions For Home Buyer and Sellers

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Lead Based Paint

Here is your quick online reference guide for home buyers and sellers looking for answers to some of the more common environmental questions in home ownership.

Are you faced with environmental concerns when looking to buy or sell a home?  Do you have friends that are?  Just a little more information from the right sources will lay your environmental questions and concerns to rest.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does offer guidance and self help direction for the most common concerns facing home owners and potential buyers.  We have listed below some areas for home sellers and home buyers with some solutions to these environmental areas of concern.  Bookmark this page for further research regarding the following environmental topics.

Lead – Could you have lead in your home?  Learn some of the facts about lead.  Read the Pamphlet “Protect your Family From Lead In Your Home“.  Visit www.leadfreekids.org.

Asbestos – What is asbestos?  And how to handle asbestos. You might be surprised.

Radon – Learn about Radon and Radon Mitigation Solutions. Radon and how to get Radon out of your home.

Mold – Not all mold is Black Mold.  Look here for answers to your Mold Questions in the Mold Basics

Picture3Carbon Monoxide – Know when to get out of the house. Carbon Monoxide can be deadly.  What are the symptoms?  Prevention is the key to avoiding carbon monoxide poisoning.

Arsenic – What is arsenic? How does arsenic get into my drinking water?

Flood Cleanup – If you have ever had the problem of a flooded basement – Read about how to properly clean up after flooding to your home.

Green Homes – And just for fun – take a look at what you can do to  make your home even more Green.  Try out this interactive home and find ways to green up the interior of your home.

The topics above would also make for great science class discussions for your students at all grade levels.  We encourage you to bookmark this post as a quick reference source to home owner  environmental topics.

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Read about our successful buying tips to take you through the home buying process.
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Kathy Toth and Team, Keller Williams Realty, Ann Arbor Market Center, Ann Arbor, MI

 

Seven Important Buyer Tips – Work with a Buyer’s Rep When Purchasing a Home

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Interest rates at favorable levels and a good selection of homes provide an opportunity for Ann Arbor Area buyers. Here are a few things to for buyers to keep in mind:

1. Know what you can afford before you fall in love with your dream home.

2. Consider additional expenses that come with owning a home like property tax, insurance, and repairs.

3. Be flexible on the little things. It would be wonderful to find a home with everything you want, but those are hard to come by – distinguish nice-to-haves and must-haves early.

4. Have imagination and look beyond paint colors, wallpaper, or other easy and affordable things you can change.

5. Don’t compromise on the big things, such as enough bedrooms to accommodate additions to the family or space for an office if you work from home.

6. Always inspect even if the surface looks great; it’s important to know if anything major is wrong and what it will cost to fix.

7. Think about the future in regard to the neighborhoods, surroundings, schools, and developments. Be sure to check out our Ann Arbor Area neighborhoods with videos.

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Currently there are 375 Active Listings in just Ann Arbor alone.  They range in price from $55,900 to $2,500,000.  This is a perfect buyer’s market with low interest rates.  Don’t rent when you can buy!

Meet the Kathy Toth and Team Buyer Agents.  These professional REALTORS are available to help you find your  Area dream home. To purchase a home in Ann Arbor or the surrounding real estate market, contact one of the Kathy Toth and Team Accredited Buyer’s Representatives.  Marcia White, Linda Woodard or Michael Dailey will take you through the entire buying process from beginning to end providing expert assistance every step of the way. 

Marcia White  – Associate Broker — An Accredited Buyer’s representative in the business since 1984, Marcia has experience ranging from an escrow closing officer to a broker owner with an international franchise.  She excels at utilizing this wealth of knowledge helping people fulfill their dreams of home ownership.  Phone:  (734) 395-8983

Linda Woodard – Associate Broker – An Accredited Buyer’s Representative with 15 years in the business, Linda specializes in helping our buyers realize their real estate goals. Linda’s knowledge of the market and needs of the people she works with makes her your greatest advocate.  Phone:  (734) 216-6804

For further information on Buyer Representation contact the Kathy Toth and Team Members at  734-669-0337

Search for homes on the market in Ann Arbor and the surrounding area.

Selling Your Ann Arbor Home Can Be Daunting

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Selling an Ann Arbor Area home can be daunting. Selling a home in Washtenaw County can be simple or complicated.  I found this info-graphic that takes you through the steps of renting your home or selling it (with pros and cons) to turning over the keys to the new buyers.  Do you want to know what your home is worth, or what your neighbor’s house sold for?

Thinking of selling your home and not sure where to start? Call us 734-426-6669.

How to Obtain a Pre-Approval and Plan your New Home Purchase

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You should talk with a lender(s) (ideally in the market that you intend to purchase*) before starting the search for your new home.  A good lender will help guide you through the ever- changing mortgage application/approval process, let you know how much you can afford, check your credit (and help increase credit scores if needed).  Obtaining a pre-approval upfront will set you on a positive course in the home-buying process and give you and your realtor confidence that financing will be available once you’ve found your dream home!

Tip:*Talking directly with a local lender who lives and works in the community has advantages over trying to obtain financing via phone/internet.  A lender whom you have the ability to meet with face-to-face and who’ll attend the closing is more likely to be accountable throughout the process (and give you the best deal).  It’s always a good idea to talk to 2-3 lenders

Choosing your Lender (what to look for):

  1. Good communication upfront.  Communication will be critical throughout the approval process, if the lender is difficult to reach or doesn’t call back…not a good sign
  2. Questions? A good lender will ask you many questions from the start.  Loan approvals and the financing for which you’ll qualify have an increasing number of variables, it’s impossible to give a borrower good information without asking the questions.
  3. Details. Ask the lender to provide a detailed estimate of closing costs, interest rate, monthly payment, and cash-to-close.
  4. Competitive Financing. You should know if you’re qualifying for the best possible rate/terms or if there’s something you could do to get a better deal
  5. What’s the Plan? You should have a clear game plan for the approval process and know what to expect.  There are many “do’s” and “don’ts” during the process you should know about.

To take advantage of buying opportunity, look for all the real estate deals www.homesearchannarbor.com and investigate foreclosures here. http://www.homesearchannarbor.com/guide/Foreclosure_%7C_Bank-owned

We know about homes before they hit the market, just call or email what you need.

Positively Yours,

Kathy Toth, CDPE, Associate Broker: KW, CEO Kathy Toth and Team  734-426-6669

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