Buyer Tips

This is why waiting out our market may not be the best strategy for you.

Why Was Your Offer Rejected? If you make an offer on a home on The Wasatch Front, there’s always a chance it will get rejected. To decrease the chances of getting your offer rejected, we are going to give you four different reasons why your offer could get rejected. Your offer price was too low. […]

Why Should You Get a Home Inspection? I find most folks are willing to take a used car to a mechanic to look it over before they purchase the car. They probably spend about $150 to do this, and the car may cost between $5,000 and $10,000. So, why wouldn’t you consider having your home […]

Three ideas to encourage buyers to act and help them win in today’s market. Are you wanting to buy a home but are thinking about waiting until the market shifts and/or interest rates go down? If so, you are not alone. We’ve been hearing from a lot of buyers lately that they’re a little reluctant […]

Who Pays Closing Costs in Salt Lake City? Today, we’re going to talk about closing costs. What are they, and who pays them? Closing costs are fees that are associated with the closing of the transaction. That’s when the title of the property is transferred from the seller to the buyer. Closing costs are incurred […]

Making the decision to purchase a home is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. There are many things to consider, and it can be overwhelming to think about what you should and shouldn’t do when buying a home. To help, here are four tips from our Salt Lake City realtors that every home […]

What to Expect When You’re Inspecting Today I am joined by Fred Larsen from Pillar to Post Home Inspection to answer some common questions about home inspections. So what should you expect when you’re inspecting? The most common issues found during home inspections are water related. Water can get into the house by grading and draining […]

What Should You Know About TRID? Today, we’ll talk about the TRID Mortgage Disclosure Form, which affects both buyers and sellers. This new integrated disclosure rule is the Federal Government’s attempt to clean up and simplify the mortgage closing process. It helps make things easier to understand for buyers. The rule has a good basis, […]

What Sets Realtors Apart From Normal Agents? Some people think that all real estate agents are Realtors. What makes a Realtor different than a real estate agent? A career in real estate is complicated enough, and many brokerages require their agents to become Realtors, but it’s not legally required. So, your Realtor is a real estate […]

What Is a Bridge Loan? What is a bridge loan? Bridge loans are popular when you are purchasing another home before selling your current one. In that scenario, there are two common ways to find the down payment for the new home. One way is financing through a bridge loan and the other is a […]

Buying a home is a monumental investment that requires a lot of time, effort, and money. If you’re considering purchasing a home in Salt Lake City, you want to make sure you’re making a wise investment. That’s where home inspections come in. Home inspections are an important part of the buying process that can help […]

What Does Reduced Home Affordability Mean for You? Home affordability is shrinking rapidly, according to research by Arch Mortgage Insurance.  In the first quarter, affordability (defined as the size of the monthly mortgage payment needed to buy a home) dropped by 5%. This was mainly due to the increase in mortgage rates. As a consequence, more people […]

As a prospective home buyer, understanding the factors that determine home values is imperative to ensure that you make a sound investment decision. Location, demand and supply, upgrades, and the economy are some of the crucial elements that influence the worth of a home. In this blog post, we will delve deeper into these factors […]

What Are the Biggest Issues Facing Buyers Today? Purchasing a home for the first time is no easy task. Today, I’d like to share a list of the six biggest obstacles facing first-time homebuyers: 1. Down payment. Unless you’ve won the lottery or are independently wealthy, you’re probably going to need a mortgage. If you happen […]

Buying a home can be a thrilling experience, but it can also be an expensive one. As Salt Lake City Real Estate Agents its our job to help you prepare to purchase your dream home or to refinance your current mortgage. Therefore, it’s important to note that there are costs that come with finalizing the […]

What All Homebuyers Must Know About New Construction Properties Have you thought about buying a new construction home? If so, there are five points you need to be aware of:  1. New construction homes aren’t always listed on the MLS. Quite often, home builders have agents working as on-site salespeople in order to increase their control […]

What a Roofing Certification Can Do for You Today I’m joined by a very special guest, Travis from VIP Roofing, to help me discuss roofing inspections and certifications.  So, what is a roofing certification? Ultimately, a roofing certification gives you a document verifying the condition of your roof. It will give you an idea of […]

As a home buyer, one of the top concerns on your mind should be how to protect your finances from the constant threat of inflation. And, with the current economic climate and varying inflation rates, now more than ever, it’s crucial to lock in strategies that will safeguard your savings from the waves of inflation. […]

Watch Out For These Real Estate Scams It can be a scary world out there—though a majority of people are good and honest, some like to try taking advantage of others. The real estate market is no exception, so today we’ll be looking at the scams we want to make sure you’re aware of: 1. […]

Using Football to Explain Your Home’s Closing How does football relate to the closing of your property? The analogy we’ve come up with makes a lot of sense, and we hope it will help shine some new light on the process for you if you’ve been thinking about selling. For this analogy, let’s say we […]

This Is How Long a Pre-Approval Usually Lasts If you’re hoping to buy a home, it’s smart to ponder the question, “How long does a pre-approval last?” Even after you’ve received a lender’s stamp of approval for your financing, weeks or even months could pass before you actually buy a house. Will that pre-approval you […]

The Waiting Game: An $80,000 Mistake We saw housing prices gain north of 12% along the Wasatch Front and the state of Utah in 2020. That’s remarkable given the circumstances. We know that Utah currently has the lowest unemployment rate in the country. We’re #2 in terms of in-migration, or families relocating to work in […]

Buying a home is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make, and it’s a decision that should never be rushed. As a homebuyer, you must make an informed decision when purchasing a property to avoid costly problems down the line. This is where home inspections come in. They help identify potential issues with the […]

The National Association of Realtors has released their annual report of Home Buyers and Home Sellers.  There’s some interesting information here that we felt was pertinent and worthy of sharing. We’ll cover this in two parts.  First will be the Home Buyers. • So The first thing I noticed here was that 78% of non-home owners […]

Should You Buy a New Home or Sell Your Old Home First? Most home sellers are also homebuyers. Because of this, the inevitable dilemma of which transaction to complete first comes up. Buying first is ideal because it allows you to take your time and there are much fewer hoops to jump through. Most people […]

Should I Buy a Starter Home in Today’s Market? A question about the viability of purchasing a starter home in today’s market was recently posed to us, and it boils down to this: Should you invest now in a starter home or would it be more prudent to wait and save for your forever home? Let’s […]

Interest rates are the hottest topic in the real estate world right now. They’re rising fast; We’ve seen them climb well over 1% this year alone. What does this mean for you as a buyer? For every 1% that interest rates go up, your purchasing power is decreased by 10%. If you were looking at […]

Selling your home can be a daunting task, especially if you are unsure of how to find the right seller agent. You need someone who can represent you and your property effectively, fetch a fair value, and ensure a smooth and stress-free selling process. But with so many options out there, how do you know […]

Millennial Home Buyer Mistakes You Should Avoid Today I want to speak about some common mistakes that I see Millennial home buyers making when they set out to buy homes. This is going to be brief, because we’re in the busy summer market here in Salt Lake City, but here is what you need to […]

Today we want to introduce to you The Stern Team’s Love it or Leave program, the ultimate buyer protection plan for uncertain times.   Buying a home is a big decision, and one that you literally have to live with.  We strive to find you the perfect home, a home that you will love for years […]

Learn about our “Virtual Home Buyer Program” We realize that it’s a different sort of time, but the real estate market continues to be going strong! Serious buyers are out there and taking advantage of this opportunity to find their perfect home! We always strive to offer only the best in client experiences so we […]

Key Facts About Home Inspections To understand how a home inspection benefits you as a buyer, you need to first understand what a home inspector does and what’s all included in a home inspection.  First, although you can choose your own home inspector here in Utah, they aren’t actually required to be licensed in our […]

In Salt Lake County, Now is the Time to Upgrade to a Larger Home You’ve Always Wanted! Today, we’re going to talk about bigger homes and why now might be the time to make your move on the Wasatch Front. The other day, we saw a report on CNN that talked about average home size. […]

A home is more than just a place to rest your head at night. For most people, it’s the biggest investment they’ll ever make. And the home buying process is something they’ll likely repeat at least a few times. The National Association of Realtors reports that the median duration of homeownership in the U.S. is 13 years, […]

How to Invest in Real Estate With a Self-Directed IRA Did you know that you can use self-directed IRAs to purchase investment property? It’s true. The IRS permits retirement accounts like IRAs to invest in real estate, among other options. There are a lot of advantages to using a self-directed IRA, or a solo 401(k) […]

Buying a home can be a daunting task, and no matter how much research you do online, you still need the help of an experienced Salt Lake City real estate agent. But how do you choose the right one? Before you sign a contract, it’s important to sit down with potential agents and ask the […]