In this episode - the last of 2018 - we take a look at an article from Steven John at Business Insider that gives us the top 5 mistakes made by millennials when purchasing homes. Well, it's not just millennials. I believe the survey findings referenced in the article apply to most buyers regardless of age. Start the year on the right track and execute your real estate strategy to perfection by avoiding these 5 mistakes. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

After many years of expansion, 2018 saw the real estate market struggle with a slowdown. Interest rates went up and some people panicked. The question before us is the following: Is it time to party like it's 1994 or time to worry like it's 2007? In this episode we discuss the opinion of Conor Sen, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist, who compares previous slowdowns in the market in 1994 and 2007 and gives us an interesting point of view on what to expect this time around.

If you want to become a homeowner in 2019, it's time to go from planning to doing.  In this episode, I discuss an article written by Charlene Rhinehart for BlackEnterprise.com that gives us a very useful checklist with powerful ideas to step into action and make your homeownership dreams happen.

Realtor.com tells us that 2019 will bring more Millennials to the market, more inventory and slightly less sales. In this episode, we take a look at the growth outlook for the Top 100 real estate markets in the country, and discover that our Lakeland/Winter Haven market shows very a special forecast.

In this episode, we take a look at sales stats for October 2018. Leading up to the winter season, October 2018 showed great results for the Florida real estate market, continuing an 82-month run in which median sales prices for both single-family homes and condo-townhouse properties increased year-over-year. We also discuss the outlook for the winter sales season and discuss four mistakes that you should not make when listing your Florida home.

The road to a mortgage denial is filled with good intentions. We all have that know-it-all cousin or co-worker that gives us warm-hearted yet horrible advice. Even good advice in the wrong context can have lethal consequences and cause you to lose money and waste time.  Be careful who you listen to when purchasing a home. In order to execute your real estate strategy, your Realtor and your loan officer should the source of your advice.

The Financing Contingency protects you but it requires good faith and diligence when applying for a mortgage loan.  Carefully drafting a financing contingency on your purchase contract can protect your deposit money and give you the appropriate time to get to the closing table. 

One of the best strategies for retirement planning is owning a home. In this episode, we are having a conversation about how becoming a homeowner helps you when planning for retirement. We also compare the current you and the future you both as homeowners and renters. Hint: owning your home makes quite a difference in the quality of life of future you.

As interest rates continue to go up, patience becomes a much needed virtue for real estate buyers. Politicians, real estate and mortgage professionals, buyers and sellers have become impatient with the rising mortgage rates and their effect on the market. My advice in uncertain times: Be patient and timely execute your real estate strategy.