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Answering all those burning questions you didn’t know you had about home ownership.

Buying and Selling: Guest Post with Emily Campbell, Cross Country Mortgage

Picture of Jessica Dabkowski

Jessica Dabkowski

Helping you with all things homeownership!

This week we have a guest post from Emily Campbell with Cross Country Mortgage. Emily is one of my preferred lenders because her company offers great rates, products and services and her pre-approved clients generally sail through to closing on their property. Enjoy!

For this post Jessica asked me to approach the topic of buying and selling from a lender’s perspective. When to sell, when to buy, and what challenges occur when you want to sell and buy simultaneously. So, let’s start with the age-old question: is now a good time to buy? That’s a question that has a multitude of answers depending on your situation. Whether you’re currently on a house hunt or just getting your feet wet, I’m sure you’ve heard the term “seller’s market”. Is it true? Yes. Due to an inventory shortage, there are just more buyers out there than there are sellers, which can raise the stakes and create some competition. So, what does that mean for you? Well, if you’ve got a house to sell, it’s a fantastic time and you’ll likely make a pretty penny on it. If you’re looking to buy, you might have to be a little more patient in your search. Does that mean it’s not the right time to buy a house? Absolutely not!  

I’ll share with you some great advice I received when I first started in this industry: If you want or need to buy a house, then it’s a good time to buy a house. Seems too obvious, right? Investors beg to differ, but for most of us the best time to buy a home is simply when we need to buy a home. While a house is the largest financial asset in your portfolio- it’s also your home. Let’s use my family as an example. My husband commutes to work in Saline and I work from our home in Livonia. It makes no sense. I can work from anywhere, yet my husband spends two hours a day in the car driving to and from work. Based on the current market and recent sales in our neighborhood we could also get top dollar for our home. It’s a no brainer. We need to sell and purchase closer to Saline and would probably make quite the profit if we pulled the trigger. So, what gives? Well, I’ve got about 6 babysitters within a 5 miles radius, my main source of day care is just down the road, and we’ve got neighbors that will let our dog out in a pinch or run out for a quick favor on a dime. It takes a village, right? Our village is here. This is the part where Jessica is starting to wonder if I’m talking people out of selling their homes but stick with me. In a few years we won’t be so reliant on daycare. By that time my husband will have sprouted more than a few gray hairs during his daily commute, I’ll have a toddler instead of a newborn, and our three-bedroom ranch will have gone from cute and cozy to cluttered and chaotic. At that point, it will be our time to sell and buy a new home regardless of interest rates and whose got the upper hand in the market.

As a mortgage lender a large part of my job is to stay up to date with current events and market predictions. And while I could write about these until I’m blue in the face, there are a few realities. First, these things are just that… predictions. Second, there will always be pros and cons of a current situation.  While we would love to base our decision to make a move on the “perfect timing”, most of the time it’s based on marriage, job transfer, promotion, divorce, children, etc. It’s based on life. So, what’s one to do when it’s the right time to buy, but the market is in the seller’s favor? You find yourself a fantastic agent and a great lender and you swing for the fences with the best offer you can make. While you’re likely to be put in multiple offer situations, your lender and agent can help. What are the hot buttons for the seller? Maybe you’re renting and the seller wants occupancy. Can you rent month to month and offer what others cant? Are they looking for a buyer that can reduce their fees without jeopardizing the appraisal, causing future negotiations? A mortgage commitment or pre-underwriting can be a HUGE advantage! Doesn’t every seller want the assurance that their buyer has already had their income, credit and assets approved? We work hand in hand with your agent who is negotiating the best deal and with us the best financing options.

A common question I get asked is one that Jessica asked me to address in this post. How do I make the most competitive offer when I’m in the process of selling my current home? Unfortunately, that is a question with an answer that is very specific to each person who asks it, so there is no blanket statement. I can tell you though that we have programs and strategies that can help if you’re buying but haven’t quite reached the closing table on your sale that can be personalized to you.   Rest assured, that while all of this may seem cumbersome, we’ve watched clients land their dream homes all season.

 A common ad or tag I see on real estate agent’s social media posts is “the agent you work with matters” and it’s true. The lender does as well (shameless plug) and we assure you that if now is your time to buy we’ll get you into the perfect home. It takes a village, right?

About the Author: Emily Campbell is an Inside Loan Originator with Cross Country Mortgage in Plymouth, MI. You can learn more about Emily and the products and services she offers by visiting https://crosscountrymortgage.com/Emily-Campbell/.

Photo by Scott Webb from Pexels

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