A sometimes overlooked-yet-important part of the purchase process is the closing. Buyers and Sellers feel beat-up after dealing with showings, offers, contracts, lender document requests, inspections, repairs and moving preparation. Sometimes, Buyers and Sellers are exhausted when closing time comes around and they don't understand (or appreciate) the importance of the closing agent. Here are three key roles of the title company or closing attorney in your residential real estate transaction.

When it comes to real estate transactions, the Seller has a duty of honesty to the Buyer. Even when the transaction is "as is," the Seller must disclose material facts that affect the value of the property when selling real estate. In this episode we discuss the Seller Disclosures form that your real estate agent will ask you to prepare and sign. We also look at a case from the Florida Supreme Court that established the basic rule for disclosures in residential real estate. Yes, the Johnsons and the Davises played real estate Hatfields and McCoys.

Imagine this nightmare scenario for a moment: you entered into a contract to sell your home, and come closing day, your Buyer refuses to show up at closing and sign on the dotted line. As a Seller, what can you do at that time? In this episode, we discuss your three main alternatives to face that challenge.

A recent National Association of Realtors survey found that a record 77% of Americans believe now is a good time to sell, while 63% believe that now is a good time buy. The survey says that most believe that home prices will continue to go up and that prospective buyers are concerned about qualifying for a mortgage. Yes, amigos. Most people agree. It's a good time to buy or sell real estate. For Floridians, this is a great opportunity fueled by strong economic indicators. However, renters remain uncertain about their possibilities in a changing market.

Going on vacation and renting a property through airbnb and VRBO - rather than staying at a traditional hotel - is becoming very popular. However, in a world full of scam artists, some folks are nervous about renting from independent owners rather than from a large hotel chain. Today we bring a special guest, Tammy Sorrento from FireballApproves, to discuss how to get peace of mind and ensure that you are dealing with legitimate entities when renting an airbnb.

Interest rates are up and pending sales are down. Internet, radio and TV talking heads bombard you 24/7 with conflicting information about where the real estate market is going. Will it go up? Will it go down? What does this mean for you and how does this affect your family? In this episode we bring the state of the market into proper context and discuss a philosophy of proceeding with caution... but still moving ahead with your homeownership plans.

Don't be afraid to look. The average FICO credit score is now 704. How is yours doing? Remember that a great credit score can get you the best interest rates when purchasing a home. In this episode we explore four reasons why credit scores have gone up and explore ways to make yours increase as well. 

Imagine this: You fell in love with a property and your real estate agent sent an offer to the seller. A day later, your agent calls and says: we are in a multiple offer situation. Ring the bell! In a hot market, a multiple offer situation feels like entering a Royal Rumble. Here are some valuable tips on how to deal with a multiple offer situation. Hint: It's the survival of the fittest!

The financial meltdown of 2008 had a profound effect on many sectors of the economy, particularly in real estate. In this episode we discuss an article written by Sanjiv Das, current CEO of Caliber Home Loans. Mr. Das gives us his advice on what it takes to avoid another meltdown of the real estate market and I add my own ideas as well. Hint: Responsible lending, leadership, and risk-control are key.

Ten years ago, the World economy almost came to a stop thanks to the financial meltdown. From the standpoint of real estate, loose lending standards, an overheated market and a frenzy of securitized mortgage instruments contributed to the 2008 meltdown. In this episode we take a look at how the meltdown started brewing from the perspective of lending and real estate... From lenders closing their doors in 2007 to the very difficult days of September 2008 when the "too big to fail" boys started failing. The chickens came home to roost ten years ago, but we survived!