John Watts's (zwatts1) Blog

Thinking about moving to a larger home, a more desirable location, or downsizing to a smaller home.  You may want to ask yourself a number of questions to determine if this is a smart thing to do.  Such questions may include:Equity in current home -  First, determine the amount of equity in your ...

Prior to shopping for a home, it is wise to shop several mortgage companies.  Different companies have different products, and may offer different interest rates.  During this phase, you should be asking the following general questions: find out what is the most popular mortgage each company offe...

In today’s world, one the primary goals for many people is to own their own home, and have it paid for by retirement age.  Achieving this goal will provide the homeowner additional flexibility during their retirement years to enjoy the fruits of their labor due to increased savings.  There are so...

When selling your home, it extremely important to have great photos of your property.  Photos are the first thing that usually attract potential buyers.  If there are few or poor-quality photos, this may be a reason why a potential buyer may not tour your home.  With the advent of websites, and p...

When applying for a home loan, a potential buyer may discover that they will be unable to get as large loan as they had originally desired.  This occurs when a person is getting pre-qualified or pre-approved.  Following are some reasons why this occurs:High monthly mortgage payment – Buyer may re...

When preparing yourself to purchase a home there are numerous things you need take into consideration.  Probably one of the most import things to do is to make an effort to plan for the future.  You probably have a good handle on your current needs and desires, but looking into a crystal ball to ...

When purchasing a new home or living in your current home there will be unexpected expenses that occur that may put stress on the family budget.  Planning, researching, and having financial reserves for unexpected occurrences are key elements that need to be practiced in order to prevent financia...

Seniors who are 62 years or older have the ability to use proceeds from their current regular home loan or reverse mortgage to purchase another home.  If a senior has a reverse mortgage they still maintain ownership providing they pay their property taxes and live in the home.  Having a reverse m...

You have already signed a contract to purchase your new home.  Now it is time to prepare yourself for the move.  This includes firming up final decisions how the physical move is to be accomplished.  In addition, plan on things that need to be accomplished before or immediately after you have clo...

Homeowners are desiring smart homes whether they are buying a new home, or living in their current home.  This trend appears to more evident with affluent homeowners, but the trend is spreading.  Some of these homeowners would prefer to have greater technology capability and less square footage. ...