2 Myths That Millennial Homebuyers Believe

Today I’m debunking two commonly held myths that millennials have about home buying.

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I had a situation that came up this weekend with a young couple who came along to a showing with their parents. I wanted to take some time to debunk two commonly held myths among millennial homebuyers.

1. You need to pay more than 20% down on your purchase. This couple was looking at a $500,000 condo last weekend. They were only 27 years old and believed they needed to put 20% down on the condo before they could buy it. The thing is, 20% of the purchase price is $100,000. That’s quite a bit of money, especially for this couple.

What I suggested was against the father’s advice, but that they should strive to put 10% down on the condo. Now, of course they’ll have to pay the mortgage insurance because they’re coming in with less money, but the payment would only be an additional $247 per month instead of waiting and coming up with the additional $50,000.

If you can’t make a 20% down payment, talk to a lender about other options.

Ideally, you’d want to come up with the 20% down payment, but if that isn’t immediately feasible, the best option is to talk to a lender and see if you can come to an agreement to pay less of a down payment so that you can get into the home quicker instead of waiting to save that additional money.

2. Many millennials are under the impression that you need to have a credit score of more than 780 to qualify for any home loans. While that is a great credit score, the reality is that 54% of people have a credit score that is less than that.

There are many different types of loan programs that allow you to qualify for financing with a credit score that is lower than 780. Granted, you probably won’t qualify with a 500, but if your credit is higher than 640, most lenders can work with you.

If you have any more questions about this topic or you’re looking to buy or sell a home, please feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help!

5 Things That Set Us Apart From Other Brokerages

Today I want to share five things I can do for you as a home seller that separate me from other brokerages.

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As a Realtor, there are many things I can do that separate me from other brokerages. Here are five examples to give you a glimpse of the full service I provide if you’re looking to list your house and get the highest price possible for it. First, having a larger brokerage means having more experience to draw from. There are old rules, and now there are new rules. Technology has come a long way, and my brokerage has more than 1,700 agents that I can talk to on a daily basis. We also have 32 offices here in Southern California. Second, I can maximize the demand for your home and get the most money from a buyer. 84% of buyers search for their next home online nowadays. With that, I can put you in our own buyer pipeline and reach out to the other agents in my sphere before the home even goes on the market.

My brokerage has more than 1,700 agents I can talk to on a daily basis.

Third, I can market with more than just 10 pictures and use a professional to do so. I have a professional photographer that takes more than 40 pictures for each listing. Those pictures are taken with a tripod. Three pictures are taken of each room and then blended together to give a fantastic view of the home and give the buyer a real sense of what each room looks like. I can also provide night shots, a videographer with a drone, and a voiceover video. Fourth, I can stage your home at a much higher quality. If the aesthetic of your home isn’t up to par with your competition, I can have a professional designer come to your house and give you recommendations on how your home can be staged, decluttered, cleaned up, and made to look like a model home for all of its open houses, broker previews, and any private showings. Lastly, I can utilize market trends to price your home. Getting the most money out of your home sale means knowing how and where your competition is pricing their homes and making sure our market trends for your specific city, neighborhood, and zip code will be priced right where the market is trending. Stay tuned for the next video of this series that will reveal more of what I can do that sets me apart from other brokerages. If you have any questions in the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m here to help.

What Will a Monthly Home Payment Look Like?

How much does a home truly cost? We’ll break it down for you today.

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One of my clients recently asked me how much of a home they could afford. I wanted to answer that question today by breaking down the cost of homeownership on a monthly basis.

To get a quick estimate of what your mortgage payments would be like when buying a certain home, you can visit my mortgage calculator here. Just put in the price of the home you’re thinking about buying, how much you’re putting down, the interest rates, and the length of the loan. Then you’ll get an estimate of your monthly payment.

Use our mortgage calculator to figure out your payment.

For example, let’s say you’re buying a home for $500,000 and only putting 10% down. Putting less than 20% down will result in you having to pay private mortgage insurance which would be an extra $250 on your payment each month.

There are also a few other costs that go into this monthly payment, including a tax rate of $55 for every $100,000 the home is worth. Property taxes will also cost you approximately $15 for every $1,000 of home. In the end, the monthly payment for a $500,000 home like this would be about $3,159.

If you have any other questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.