Good bye Mortgage Insurance

If you’ve bought a house in the past 2-5 years and didn’t put 20% down we need to talk!

It’s time to kick that extra mortgage insurance payment you’ve been making to the curb!

Some lenders require you pay the insurance for a set amount of time and others will require a new appraisal to remove the insurance.

Here’s how I can help.

I have a formulated plan of attack that helps to rid you of that extra monthly cost.

I can also offer you a complimentary market analysis of your property so we know if you are in the ball park of saying good bye to mortgage insurance forever.

CLOSING COSTS!

CLOSING COSTS!

Might as well be a four letter word.

Every buyer and sellers worst nightmare, fees that rack up for days. Processing fees, appraisal fee, title fees, credit report fee, recording fee, commission fees, release fees and I could go on and on.

But here’s the deal.

These fees represent the cost of doing business when buying or selling real estate.

These are not made up fees, they are actual costs that you will incur when you buy and sell real estate.

Some fees are just buyer fees, such as those associated with getting a loan.

And some fees are most commonly paid by the seller such as real estate commissions and title insurance.

When you have a trusted advisor on you side, they will explain these to you so you don’t feel like someone is taking you to the cleaners.

Want to pay off your mortgage early?

5 ways to pay off your mortgage early (without turning your life upside down)

Want to kick your mortgage to the curb years ahead of schedule? It is possible—and no, it doesn’t require winning the lottery or moving into a van (unless you’re into that).

Try these 5 smart moves

1. Make biweekly payments instead of monthly. Split your monthly payment in half and pay every two weeks. You'll sneak in one full extra payment per year—ninja style.

2. Round up—even just a little. Pay $1,050 instead of $1,000. Small bumps now can shave years off your loan and save thousands in interest.

3. Apply windfalls like a boss. Got a tax refund? Work bonus? Side hustle payout? Resist the shopping spree and drop a chunk onto your principal instead. Future-you will send a thank-you note.

4. Refinance to a shorter term. Yes, your monthly payment goes up—but your interest plummets, and you own your home faster. Worth exploring if you’ve got a little wiggle room.

5. Make one extra payment a year. Simple. Powerful. And even if you just do it once a year, the compound impact is

Bottom line: You won’t get to live mortgage-free overnight, but with a little strategy and consistency, you can cross that finish line way sooner than 30 years from now. And that, friends, is equity empowerment.

"We don't want to list our house, we want to sell it"

This house, these sellers.

Okay a little back story here. When I first met with this lovely couple they said “we don’t want to list our house, we want to sell it”.

So we discussed the market analysis I had prepared for them and they decided to list their home below my suggested price with the intention of getting multiple offers.

And that’s exactly what happened. offers to be exact and showings!

We hit a couple bumps in the road along the way with inspection items but since they were under contract for WAY over their asking price, the sting of repairs wasn’t quite as bad.

And on the day of closing it was smiles, excitement and gratitude all around. As a professional in my field I can’t ask for anything more.

With gratitude.

A Black Hole

We orbit the gamut of emotions like the earth orbits the sun.

Sometimes we hardly notice our feelings, they are light hearted and fun or run of the mill and mundane.

But sometimes an emotion, like grief or anger, can grip us. And the orbit becomes tighter and faster, like a dying star being drawn to a black hole. Until we reach the event horizon and there’s no turning back.

A black hole is shaped like a funnel in the fabric of space and time. And the dying star gets sucked into the mouth of the funnel never to be seen again.

But scientists are still not sure what’s on the other side of the black hole. What if there’s peace and redemption on the other side? What if there is light and love?

Think of this - even if the caterpillar could comprehend the transition to butterfly, would she even dare to dream that she would go from belly crawler to flying beauty? And as a side note, the caterpillar turns to actual goo during its miraculous transformation.

So if you find yourself in a season of anger or grief that seems never-ending I urge you to remember the mystery and miracle that surrounds transformation. That hearts that are shattered or hardened can beat again with the life blood of rebirth and forgiveness.

Do you believe?

With gratitude.

Agent Skills

A few years ago the founder and leader of Keller Williams Realty, Gary Keller, gave a speech to agents from all over the country.

And he said this profound thing (I’m paraphrasing) - During pandemic and into 2021, we were in a service first, skills second market - a heart up and head down market. Now we are in a skills first, service second market - a head up heart down market.

So what does this mean?

• It means that the skill of your agent is paramount.

• It means their experience is the difference between you selling quickly for top dollar or languishing away on the market with little to no showings or offers.

• It means their marketing tools are helping you stand out in a landscape that is becoming more and more crowded.

• It means their relationship with other agents can make or break a deal.

Lets be honest - it didn’t take much skill to help buyers and sellers with their home purchase post pandemic. Now is a different story and the agent you pick to represent you could make all the difference.

Consider these in selling a house

Hold or Sell.

Should I stay or should I go?

Here are a couple of things to consider if you are thinking about selling your home.

1. If you’ve bought your home within the past 12 months you might not have enough equity in your home to end up ahead.

2. If you’ve not lived in your home for at least 2 years you might be subject to prorated capital gains even if it was your primary home.

3. If you’ve had a significant life change (divorce or death of a loved one) most experts would say not to make any changes to your living situation for at least 6 months if possible.

4. If the market is trending downward (not the case in today’s market) and you can stay put it might be a good idea to do so.

5. If none of the above apply to you and your home no longer fits your needs give me a call, I’d love to help.

Need an agent in another area? Let me know!

Being a “local” has become a somewhat territorial statement.

“I’m a local so I know better, have priority or get to complain about all the non-locals”.

This is kinda BS in my opinion, after all we are all “locals” of planet earth At least I think so

But there is a situation where being a local is super important.

Your real estate agent.

I often have clients ask me to help them buy or sell in other areas such as Denver or Grand Junction. And while my real estate license is good for the entire state of Colorado, I don’t feel I am providing the best service possible by helping buyers and sellers in areas I don’t know.

If you are not a local you might not know about the large employer that’s about to relocate, or the proposed airport expansion or areas notorious for bad water or shifting soils.

It is so flattering that my clients want to “take me with them” to their new area. And while I cannot be their boots on the ground agent, I’m more than happy to interview agents in other areas and find a great fit - a local who knows their community and can look out for your best interests.

My network of excellent agents is literally worldwide! So if you need any agent in another area, please let me know. It would be my pleasure to assist you.

Pick the right offer

How to pick the right offer when selling your home.

This might come as a shock, but the highest price is not always the right offer to accept when selling your home. There are other major factors to consider.

How is the buyer paying for your home?

Cash or loan?

When do they want to close?

Are they flexible if you need to stay in your home for a month after closing?

Do they have any major contingencies, such as having to sell another home before buying yours?

When evaluating offers, I present my sellers with a spreadsheet of the nuts and bolts of the offer and then we talk about the pros and cons of each offer.

Here’s a quick test, which offer would you pick?

Offer A: $20,000 over asking, buyers have a small downpayment and need possession the day of closing. Property will need to appraise for the over asking purchase price.

Offer B: $5000 under asking price but buyer is cash, can close in 15 days and will rent back to you for 30 days after closing.

The goal isn’t always to accept the highest offer, but to maximize your chances of getting to the day of closing.

Telling The Truth To Sellers

You’ve all seen it.

American Idol auditions gone bad.

They are cringe-worth at best. I find myself squirming in my seat, its perplexing, strangely fascinating and downright sad.

The worst part is when the families greet the crestfallen contestant with soothing words of comfort. “Oh, sweetie, those judges don’t know a thing. You are the best signer in the world!”

This is the part that drives me insane

Why lie to these poor people? They are terrible singers and NEVER should have auditioned for the show.

Telling someone the cold hard truth is sometimes very hard. You don’t want to hurt their feelings, crush their dreams or seem insensitive.

But your honesty is sometimes the most important thing they need to hear.

A couple of years ago I met with a very nice family who wanted to sell their home and move out of state. The winters were getting tough for them and they were having some health issues.

Selling was a must.

I met them at their house and noticed right away this was going to be a tough property. There was stuff everywhere, inside and out. The house was dirty, dark, and falling apart.

They gave me the grand tour and we sat down to talk. I asked them about their goals and timeline for selling their home. They needed to be out of here by September which only gave us 3 months to sell. They were short on time, money and resources to get their home ready for market.

They looked at me with hope in their eyes and asked what was next.

This was the moment for the cold hard truth.

When I first started in real estate I probably would have tried to gloss things over and ease the blow. “No, its not that bad, buyers can look past your stuff.”

Now I know better.

People hire me for my professional and honest advice. This family had a tight timeframe and a pressing need to leave the area.

So I told them the truth.

That no one would buy their home in its current condition. And because we were dealing with a very tight timeframe they were going to need to price their home much below market value to get it sold quickly.

I said all of these things with tenderness and grace, because I very much care about how my words make people feel.

At the end of our meeting they thanked me for my encouraging words.

What?

I didn’t think I sounded encouraging at all, but then I recognized it was the honesty and a thoughtful game plan that gave them feelings of encouragement.

Sometimes the truth hurts, but I believe if you really care for someone you owe them the truth and nothing but.

What's your "Zestimate"?

But Zillow says my house is worth a gazillion dollars.

Okay, I’m exaggerating, kind of.

Zillow uses sales data to come up with your “Zestimate” but what they can’t factor in are things like the view, traffic noise, intimate community knowledge, changes in the local work force like a company leaving town or coming to town.

In other words the “Zestimate” is a 50,000 foot view of your homes value.

Having your local agent help you price your home is like looking under a microscope at the value of your home.

Don’t leave these things to chance. Now is not the time to be inaccurate about pricing. Correct pricing is going to dictate whether your home sits on the market or gets multiple-over asking offers.

The Power of Yet

I used to hate not being good at something. If I couldn’t master it quickly, I’d tell myself I just wasn’t meant for it. Failure felt final, like a period instead of a comma.

But life keeps teaching me the magic of “yet”.

• I’m not strong enough… yet.

• I don’t understand it… yet.

• I haven’t healed… yet.

• I haven’t figured it out… yet.

Yet is permission.

It’s space to breathe between who you are and who you’re becoming. It’s what separates “I can’t” from “I’m learning.”

• We forget that growth is uncomfortable because it requires stretching.

• Faith is uncomfortable because it requires trusting.

But yet is where both begin.

So if you’re standing in the middle of something hard, something unfinished, don’t write the ending just yet.

The story’s still unfolding, and so are you.

With gratitude.

Free Estimates

That “free estimate” on your phone? It’s costing people thousands. Here’s what I see all the time:

Someone sees a number online. It feels good. They start telling friends, making plans, spending money in their head. Suddenly, it’s not just a number—it’s THEIR number.

But the market? It doesn’t care about your number.

It only cares about:

1. What your neighbor’s house sold for

2. How long competing homes are sitting

3. Where buyers stop shopping

4. What the appraiser will back up

When you ignore all that and chase the shiny online price, here’s what really happens:

Months drag by. Carrying costs pile up. Price reductions chip away at your negotiating power. And by the time you sell, you’ve actually lost far more than if you’d priced right in the first place.

Here’s the irony: pricing with the market often makes you more. Well-priced homes create competition AND competition drives offers up.

And instead of waiting 120 days, you’re packing boxes in 30.

So what’s that app on your phone good for?

Dreaming. Browsing. Kitchen-envy.

What it’s not good for? Setting the value of your largest asset.

The difference between an algorithm and an agent?

An algorithm feeds your screen time.

An agent gets you to the closing table.

Why I love my job

Staple in the finger, and why I love my job.

The other day I had the girls at the office with me. They love getting into all the drawers and cabinets and checking out all of my office supplies. I am not sure why this is so exciting, but I digress.

So I’m on the phone with a client and Elizabeth is playing with my stapler.

All of a sudden I hear a whimper from her. I look up and she’s got what appears to be a staple in her finger.

At first I thought she was just playing around and pretending to have been impaled by a small piece of metal and then I looked at her face.

White and scared.

I stammered into the phone, “I’ve got to go!”.

We then proceeded to carefully remove the staple from her finger, clean it up and phone the doctor to make sure we were current on tetanus shots.

Once the dust had settled I called my client back and apologized for the disruption.

She said it was no problem, being a mother herself.

And that is why I love my job.

Because I have the flexibility and time to care for my family and clients and sometimes those events cross over quite quickly.

Strategically Price Your Home

The market is feeling a bit bananas lately And sellers are not sure where to price their home. Here’s a little insight.

You have choices when pricing your home:

1. Test the market. This strategy works in a rapidly rising market because you are pricing ahead of the market with the hopes that the market will meet or surpass your list price.

2. Price it right. This falls right into the range of what market comparables tell us the home is worth. Not too high, not too low.

Is this sounding a little like Goldilocks and the Three Bears?

3. Strategically aggressive price. This is the price range that attracts multiple offers and offers over asking price.

There is no right or wrong answer but as the market continues to evolve strategy is going to be more and more effective. Please leave any questions below.

Plan for these expenses

If you are thinking about buying a home these are some of the expenses you should plan for.

Some of these are fairly fixed and some vary based on purchase price and other factors.

Here’s a quick run down for you:

Home inspection $400 - $1000 (optional) Appraisal $600 - $1200 (mandatory)

Title fees $400 - $600 (mandatory)

Survey $500 - $700 (optional)

Reach out with questions.

Skills of an agent

A few years ago the founder and leader of Keller Williams Realty, Gary Keller, gave a speech to agents from all over the country.

And he said this profound thing (I’m paraphrasing) - During pandemic and into 2021, we were in a service first, skills second market - a heart up and head down market. Now we are in a skills first, service second market - a head up heart down market.

So what does this mean?

• It means that the skill of your agent is paramount.

• It means their experience is the difference between you selling quickly for top dollar or languishing away on the market with little to no showings or offers.

• It means their marketing tools are helping you stand out in a landscape that is becoming more and more crowded.

• It means their relationship with other agents can make or break a deal.

Lets be honest - it didn’t take much skill to help buyers and sellers with their home purchase post pandemic. Now is a different story and the agent you pick to represent you could make all the difference.

Septic Inspections

LET’S TALK ABOUT POOP!

Did I get your attention?

Many of the homes in our area are on septic systems. This means the waste from the drains and toilets in the home travel to a tank.

The septic system is a crucial element of the home and not one that people like to think about.

Let’s be real, if it's working you kinda forget it's there. When it's not working, you’re faced with a very crappy situation! If you catch my drift.

I could have fun with puns all day with this topic!

In this video I’ll discuss the importance of getting a septic inspection when purchasing a new home.

A Rewind

No use crying over spilled milk.

Easier said than done! Right?

Since the advent of “rewind” on live TV, sometimes I find my brain is tricked into thinking that all things can be rewound.

A word said in anger - rewind.

A moment of distracted driving - rewind.

A missed opportunity to have a hard or meaningful conversation - rewind.

A fleeting goodbye that was a last - rewind.

The mysteries of life are many. And we all have to live with the decisions we make, the ones that make no difference and the ones that do.

But I do know one thing - that living in the past and lamenting the mistakes we’ve made is no way to live.

At some point you have to choose to forgive. And it might be YOU that needs to forgive YOU.

“The greatest adventure is what lies ahead. Today and tomorrow are yet to be said. The chances, the changes are all yours to make. The mold of your life is in your hands to break.” J.R.R. Tolkien

With gratitude.

Home Inspection Preparations

Whaaaaa!!!

LENDER REQUIRED REPAIRS

These three words are NOT what you want to hear when you are buying or selling a home.

So what does this mean you might ask?

Lender required repairs are repairs that must be completed in order for the buyer to get approval for their loan.

It doesn’t matter if the buyer (or seller) care about or want these repairs, they are imposed by the lender.

Common lender required repairs are; peeling paint, broken windows, missing hand rails or anything that falls under health and safety.

As a homeowner what can you do to avoid this situation!

Ask your agent for a do-it-yourself checklist for home inspection preparation. While this is for preparing for a home inspection, it will cover most anything that a lender would be concerned about as well.