Rita Quintero Real Estate Video Blog

3 Key Insurance Types in a Real Estate Deal

theregionalteam@gmail.com (Rita Quintero) — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 11:38:00 -0800

During almost any home sale, there are three types of insurance that you need to be aware of.

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When buying a home, there are three types of insurance you should be aware of:

Title insurance: Normally this is mandatory if you’re paying a mortgage, but if you pay cash, you have the option to skip it. Even as a cash buyer, I don’t recommend skipping out. Title insurance insures that both the owner’s and the lender’s interests in the home are protected against things like title defects or liens. Title insurance is especially important in short sales and foreclosures which often carry a higher risk of things like tax liens. You want to make sure the title is clear and that no one can claim your property or file a lawsuit against it down the road.
Homeowners insurance: Like title insurance, it’s not required if you own your home outright, but it’s required if you carry a mortgage, and I feel like it’s necessary either way. It covers you from a variety of things like fires and storms, and you want it even if you’re not legally required to have it.
Extra moving insurance: Bare bones, federally mandated moving companies are required to offer insurance of $0.60 per pound of items, which is known as a release coverage protection. If something breaks during a moving, you won’t get back the full amount you paid for it. There is also full value protection that you can purchase from the moving company, which we always recommend. This covers you for fair market value of what you’ve paid for your items. Check with the moving company, though, because rates change by company. If you move very expensive items, you can get extra third-party insurance that usually costs around $100 per $10,000 of coverage. Check with your mover to see if they have extra coverage options.

If you have any other questions about insurances during a home transaction or you’re looking to buy or sell a home, give me a call or send me an email soon. I’d be happy to help you!

Thank You and Happy Holidays!

theregionalteam@gmail.com (Rita Quintero) — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 06:38:00 -0800

Thanks for helping us make this year a spectacular one. Today, I wanted to send a message of appreciation for the holiday season.

Selling your Baltimore and Harford home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Baltimore and Harford home? Search all homes for sale

Today I just wanted to take a moment to wish you happy holidays and thank you. This year, I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us make 2016 such a spectacular year.

Thanks to all of our clients for trusting us with your real estate needs and your referrals. We hope our service went beyond your expectations!

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Thanks for trusting us with your business and your referrals.

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On behalf of our whole team, I hope you have a happy holiday season and a healthy, prosperous New Year as we head into 2017. Don't hesitate to give me a call if I can help you in any way.

Talk to you soon!

Announcing Our New Partnership With Keller Williams

theregionalteam@gmail.com (Rita Quintero) — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 15:54:00 -0700

We've made the switch and joined Keller Williams after running our own independent brokerage for 12 years.

Selling your Baltimore and Harford home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Baltimore and Harford home? Search all homes for sale

As many of you know, Dennis and I have owned our own successful independent brokerage since 2004. We're excited to announce that we're merging our office with Keller Williams American Premier Realty.

Why? For us, it was hands-down the best decision we've made. In this day in age, technology, tools, and systems are extremely important to help us help our team and clients at the highest level, and Keller Williams provides that.

We also wanted a company with a strong culture. As many of you know, that's very important to me: a strong culture with a caring support staff and passion. Keller Williams provides a culture in which we're all treated as business partners and success is mutual.

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The possibilities truly are endless.

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We care a lot about the regional team's growth, and Keller Williams provides Masterminds across the world to help grow our team. With [name] officially able to be part of the team now, we're poised to grow with these new tools and a supportive environment. The possibilities truly are endless.

If you have any questions about our team or about [area] real estate, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to hear from you!

Should Buyers Pursue a CMA in Baltimore?

theregionalteam@gmail.com (Rita Quintero) — Mon, 2 May 2016 12:25:00 -0700

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Buying a Baltimore and Harford home? Search all homes for sale

Choosing an offer on a home can be challenging. Because no two homes are the same, sellers traditionally use a Comparative Market Analysis, or a CMA. This is a useful tool to determine a home’s listing price and overall value, based on current market conditions and climate.

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Ask your listing agent to conduct a CMA for your prospective property.

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However, CMAs are equally valuable for buyers! When you’ve selected a home you’re interested in, ask your listing agent to conduct a CMA for your prospective property. This information will help you determine an accurate offer price based on square footage, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, age, and overall condition. It also provides detailed information, such as average days on the market, list-to-sales price, and any seller closing assistance.

The CMA can’t tell you everything you need to know, though. For that reason, it should be used as a guide. Ultimately, you need to see these homes for yourself to get a well-rounded idea. You need to understand the price, features, and location aside from the CMA. This is where your Realtor becomes invaluable. They can walk you through the process.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling a Baltimore home, reach out by phone or email at your earliest convenience! I’d be happy to answer any question you have.

5 Steps to Rehab a Baltimore Property

theregionalteam@gmail.com (Rita Quintero) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 15:12:00 -0700

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Buying a Baltimore and Harford home? Search all homes for sale

With several television shows about house flipping and investing, I want to share my personal experiences and tips on rehabbing Baltimore properties.

Inspect the property. Before you start to update a home, conduct a thorough inspection of the entire property. Hire a qualified home inspector to mediate this first step.
Create a checklist. Once you’re aware of the work needed on a home, compile a list of repairs and other changes.
Set a budget. Itemize each repair and research how much it will cost. Budget for unanticipated problems, since new issues might arise once you start. If the cost of repairs exceeds your budget, you may have to make some adjustments in other areas. If you’re planning to sell this property, consider how much you intend to sell it for and potentially profit from in the future.
Hire a qualified contractor. A local expert should be familiar with zoning, permits, and other regulations involved with rehabbing a home in the surrounding area. It will save you the headache later on. If you’re looking to hire a contractor, give me a call and I’ll provide a list of our preferred vendors.
Do a final walkthrough. Once the project is finished, take a final look around the property. You may have some minor touch-ups to do once the contractor is done. Once a property is updated, I’m happy to provide a CMA, or Competitive Market Analysis, for you.

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Hire a qualified contractor.

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If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in the surrounding area, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be delighted to answer any questions you might have!

What Do Recent Bel Air Market Trends Mean for You?

theregionalteam@gmail.com (Rita Quintero) — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 10:04:00 -0700

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Buying a Baltimore and Harford home? Search all homes for sale

Who does our market currently favor, buyers or sellers? Let’s take a look at a few recent market trends to find out!

Right now, inventory is incredibly low, which makes it a great time to be a seller. Buyers are out looking for homes because interest rates are so low and, as the spring season approaches, demand is only going to increase. In order to take advantage of this influx in buyers, it’s best to start getting your home ready for the market right now. Give us a call if you’re interested in a free market analysis and help with staging. We can help you sell your home quickly and for top dollar.

Although sellers have the upper hand, it’s not necessarily a bad time to buy. There is a lot of grant money available for first-time buyers, making it cheap to buy a great first home. Talk to your local lender, or one of our preferred lenders, to see what kind of lending program works best for you and your family. Even if you’re not a first-time buyer, borrowing money is pretty cheap right now, as interest rates are historically low. Experts believe that rates will rise this year, so now is an opportune time to lock in a low rate when buying a new home!

If you have any questions about where our market is heading, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

Our Four Best Staging Tips

theregionalteam@gmail.com (Rita Quintero) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 08:25:00 -0800

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Buying a Baltimore and Harford home? Search all homes for sale

Today we are going to discuss the four best staging tips for anybody thinking of selling a home in Baltimore and Harford. There are tons of professional stagers out there who can give you all sorts of different ways to appeal to buyers, but we want to give you the four things that work best for our clients. A properly staged home is warm, inviting, and perceived as a better value, which equals a higher sale price. Here’s how you can create that home:

1. Landscaping
Landscaping is huge. A lot of times, buyers make their initial judgement of a home before they hit the front door. I recommend putting down fresh mulch, flowers, and trimming your shrubs.

2. Declutter
If you have shoes, coats, or hats just lying around, get some bins and tuck them away. Getting a storage unit isn’t a bad idea if you have a lot of personal items in your home you’d like to keep.

3. Kitchen
Some buyers like to see granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances in kitchens. We have used professional service providers that give great advice as far as what the best repairs and improvements are for the value of your home.

4. Painting
Pay attention to both the exterior and interior of your home. Touch up the trim by painting the door, and use a magic eraser for any marks or scuffs. If a room has chipping paint in it, you may need to put a fresh coat down.

If you have any questions for us, we would be glad to help you out. Give us a call or send us an email, and we’ll get right back to you!