Who’s Responsible for Keeping Up a Property While It is Under Contract?

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Once a property goes under contract it is a unique state of limbo. But that doesn’t mean that the ownership has been transferred as of yet. One of the most frequently asked questions (and often a misconception) is “who is responsible for maintaining the property while it’s under contract?”

The answer is simple. Until it changes hands, the seller is required to keep everything in the same condition as when the buyer first viewed the property. This means that if a glass breaks the seller will need to fix it. If the furnace breaks down, the seller will need to have it repaired. If storm or other damage occurs, the seller will bear the responsibility to rectify the problem.

Through the closing date, it is the seller’s responsibility to maintain and upkeep all aspects of the property, including keeping utilities on and in working order. In fact, as a buyer it is important to arrange the transfer of utilities on or the day after closing to avoid any gaps in service.

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There are lots of questions that go unanswered unless you have a trusted real estate advisor to turn to. We invite your questions, concerns and comments plus of course interest in buying, selling or investing in a home. Call us today!

Website Offers Instant Access to Amenities Within Walking Distance of a Property or Location

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One of the things that a lot of buyers overlook when they are considering a home to purchase has to do with the amenities that extend beyond the home itself. Whether that means the area parks, nearby shops, access to highways, restaurants, trails or other things – you want to know what’s out there.

Consider this: if you had a way of knowing what all is within walking distance of a prospective home, wouldn’t you want to know before you bought the property?

Well, we found a great website to help you do just that. It’s called WalkScore.com and it’s very simple. Just put in an address or location and you’ll be given a list of amenities that are nearby, the average distances to each from your entered location and a score on a scale of 1-100. The score corresponds to a ranking ranging from “Car Dependent” to “Very Walkable”.

This little nugget is especially useful for high foot traffic areas where walking to a nearby place is part of the lifestyle and the site offers a guide into what you can find nearby. One of the ways we use the site is to market listings that have walkable features.
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Keep watching our blog for more tidbits, tips and tricks on all things real estate!

How To Navigate Your Home Search To Avoid Paying Too High Property Taxes

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Believe it or not, there are some neighborhoods that are right next to each other with completely different property tax rates. You might expect a slight change from one area to the next but the reality is that there can be as much disparity to cause a huge impact on your monthly payment.

Depending on the locale of choice, you may even have to pay for additional taxes such as for city-dwellers that have to pay city taxes. This typically is on top of the municipal taxes that are already a part of owning a property in the area. Factor in special assessments or other taxpayer expenses and it can get even more expensive.

To help avoid our clients getting into situations where the taxation puts a burden on their monthly payment and ultimately their affordability of a home, we like to help navigate through some of the more affordable areas. Sometimes that information is not as readily available as it should be and without some extra digging you may not even be aware of the vast difference in taxes between one local area versus the next.
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Please call us today! We’d be happy to help you in your home search and in the process, will make sure that you find the best home, with the least amount of hassle and of course with your affordability and convenience in mind. We look forward to hearing from you today.