Michael Finger Real Estate

Real Estate Finger-Tip #3 : "Pre-approvals" Firstly, let me define two important terms : A "Preapproval" is something that a bank or mortgage broker will issue a potential buyer after they have pulled their credit and verified their income/assets, which will show, in writing, that they are qualified to purchase a home. ... A "Prequalification" is also something that a lender will issue a buyer, but this is much less significant, as no credit or income/assets are verified, and really anyone can get one if they give incorrect information. If you are thinking about purchasing a home, one of the first things that you should do is reach out to a mortgage broker, so they can help you figure out what you are qualified to purchase. In the current market, about 50% of homes will not allow showings unless a pre-approval is sent over before hand. Either way though, it is still important to get one for two additional reasons : 1. You want to be sure that you can afford what you are looking for! When I first started, I would take people to see houses without requiring that they get a Preapproval. Being that I had just started, I was not upset that I was showing houses to unqualified people...I was just happy to be working with potential buyers at all! But then what would end up happening, was my client's would fall in love with a home, only to find out that they can't afford it! That is why it is important to speak with a mortgage broker, balance your estimated future monthly payments, and see what you are qualified to buy. 2. Sometimes, it takes a few days to gather the documents required for a mortgage broker to issue the final letter. An offer without a Preapproval is basically not an offer at all, and 99% of the time will be dismissed completely without a counter offer given. That being said, in this market, the few days that it takes to get the preapproval could literally cost you the house you want! So if you are serious about looking, reach out to a mortgage broker and start picking their brain.

Real Estate Finger-Tip #2 : The "Wants and Needs" List. While it sounds cliche, creating an actual list of your wants and needs can be a real time saver! On top of saving time, it can also save you a lot of stress and confusion. I have been in many situations where I have taken my clients to a house, and watched them argue about whether or not a master bathroom, or walk in closet, or something similar was a deal-breaker. ... The "Wants and Needs" list is so simple, straight forward, and HELPFUL, that I have started to suggest it to basically every single one of my clients. I am a realist (pun), and part of my job is to help you achieve your goal of purchasing your dream home, while keeping you realistic, and your feet planted firmly on the ground in reality. The harsh truth, is that it is almost impossible to check every single box, unless you have a basically unlimited budget. This is where the "Wants and Needs" list comes in handy! You sit down with everyone involved in the decision making process, and go through every desirable feature, and then place them on column 1 or column 2. For instance, if you commute to the city every day, and hate taking the bus, you might NEED to be within .5 miles of a metro north station. This is something that I have dealt with many times, and if I am told this, it is very simple for me to draw a radius around every station. But someone else might just WANT to be close to a train station, however, understanding that this will limit our search greatly, will ask me to create two different searches so we can still see houses in other locations, incase one of those checks even more boxes. Another example, is that you might have kids in one school district already, so you might NEED to only look for houses within that school district. That is very simple to do, and makes things very easy for me. Someone else might be interested in several school districts, and while they PREFER a certain one, there is no one school in particular that is needed. There are literally thousands of permutations here, and because buying a home is so subjective, every list will be unique. It is also important to note that these are WORKING lists, and along the way, you might decide that after seeing the inventory, a master bathroom is not a need, just a want, and you might move things around as you see fit. For me, I NEED my clients to be happy, but just WANT to get paid for my work!

New Zillow review from another happy customer! "Michael was recommended to me by a friend when I was beginning my new home search in Westchester. He was incredible easy to work with, and I enjoyed very much our interactions. He got me through what had been a long journey, and I couldn't be happier with the home I purchased and the price I paid. Michael was knowledgeable and personable, and if I ever look to make another home purchase in the area, I will absolutely work w...ith him again!" Message me today for a free, zero pressure consultation! See my other reviews here : https://www.zillow.com/profile/Michael-Finger-RE/#reviews

Real Estate Finger-Tip #1 : "Mental Work" When you are purchasing a home, it is important to do as much "mental work" as you can, prior to starting the "physical work" of actually seeing properties. When I first started, I worked with several people who were looking in locations that they later decided were not right for them. ... While this is perfectly fine, and sometimes unavoidable (things change and your search criteria will inevitably evolve at least slightly), it can often times be avoided, and end up saving you time, money, and energy by carefully analyzing your wants and needs. For example : One real life situation pertaining to this, involved a couple that I was working with. We were looking in a certain school district for 6 months. Then one day they called me and said "we looked into the school district further and decided we do not want to send our kids there". Simply doing the mental work of looking into this before rather than after or during the search, could have probably saved them around 150 hours of precious time! It is important to sit down with all people involved in this very large and important decision, and try to narrow things down as much as possible ahead of time. Things like : Area, Permissible School Districts, Maximum Property Tax Amount, Maximum Distance to Points of Interest, etc, are all things that can be figured out from the comfort of your home. Doing this can potentially save you literally hundreds of hours. And I'll just say it...IT CAN SAVE ME THAT SAME TIME TOO!

I have to be honest, I am a bit jealous of my client's who I helped to purchase this GORGEOUS home in Armonk, located in a private, serene setting! Congratulations!!