Tom Crimmins Realty Blog - Real Estate Tips

Renovating Your Home or Sell As Is

Should You Spend Time Renovating Your Home or Selling it As Is?

When it comes to selling your home, you will come across two types of prospective buyers. Type one is people who are ready to move in right after buying or type two is people who want to fix or flip the property. However, the answer to whether you should or should not renovate it has a tricky answer. Certain upgrades will never increase the value of your property enough to compensate yourself. When it comes to selling your property, you should plan your renovations depending on the sort of buyer you want to attract. Saving money is the most important consideration for home flippers. Many people who wish to fix up or flip a house appreciate the house and the area, and some even believe…

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Significance of Paint Colors in a Listed Home

Are Interior Paint Colors Significant When it Comes to Selling Your Home?

When it comes to selling your home, something as simple as the paint colors in a listed home make a huge difference. While selling your home, you are thinking about moving to a new location as well so you may not have the disposable income to redecorate the home you are selling or simply may not even have the time. Making your home seem more appealing can be done with a fresh coat of paint on the interior. To the blind eye you may not realize how much wear and tear is done on the walls of the home, interior designers suggest that even one fresh coat of paint can help revive the look of the room and as well as masking any odors. Stated below are a few ideas that can help even…

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Becoming a NYS Realtor

What you Should Know Before Becoming a NYS Realtor

Becoming a real estate agent may seem easy to most however, there are requirements and qualifications one must meet in order to become an agent. While most states have comparable procedures for becoming a real estate agent, each has its own set of requirements. The following are the five steps to become a New York real estate agent:

• First and foremost, you must be at least 18 years of age before proceeding with the following steps. You must be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and be a United States citizen or legally admitted alien.
• If you meet those requirements then you can move onto registering and completing the required 75-hour course. The course is…

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Can Your Dog Affect Your Ability to Obtain Home Insurance?

Did you know that there are certain breeds of dogs that homeowners’ insurance companies won’t cover?

It’s true! Although we’re big dog lovers here at Tom Crimmins Realty, some homeowners’ insurance companies frown upon larger breeds of dogs that they deem to be more ‘destructive.’ Homeowners’ insurance covers your expenses for damage to the property, or in the event that someone else is injured on the property. The personal liability coverage of homeowners’ insurance covers injuries and damage caused by dogs. Unfortunately, some insurance companies refuse to cover larger breeds that they deem to be more regularly high risk. Many large dog breeds come with expensive liability claims, on average of around $44,760! The most commonly excluded breeds…

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Why You Should Hire a Professional Photographer to Help Sell Your Home

Why Hire a Professional Photographer to Take Photos of Your Home? 

If you are looking to sell your home online, the first thing you have to do is take pictures of your home because you need to show people what your home looks like. First impressions are everything to a person. If potential buyers see low-quality and unappealing photos of the house that you are selling online, they will potentially skip, ignore, or hate it. However, if the buyers do decide to give the home a chance, the way they in which your home is presented could positively impact their first impressions. In fact, they could visualize something dramatically different then what your home looks like. That is why hiring a professional photographer is the best option for you to sell your…

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Closing Costs Made Simple!

Closing costs are fees paid at the home closing, which is when the title of a residence is transferred from the seller to the buyer. These costs typically include real estate commissions, escrow fees, document recording fees, lawyer fees, title insurance fees, survey fees, and taxes. These costs can also include the expenses the home has incurred by buyers and sellers during any negotiations. Closing costs vary widely based on where you live, the property you buy, and the type of loan you choose.

What "Costs" Are There?

 Here is a list of fees that may be included in closing: 

• Application Fee: This fee covers the cost for the lender to process your application. 
• Appraisal: This is paid to the appraisal company to confirm the fair…

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What You Need To Know About Home Inspections

Many home buyers have thought they found the perfect Staten Island house, signed the dotted line and believe they’ve watched enough home improvement shows to know if they’re getting a good deal. And then some make the mistake of skipping a home inspection in order to save a little cash. Do the right thing by you and your dream home and hire a home inspector!

The home inspection consists of a very detailed look throughout the home. The main goal of a home inspection is to make sure that the home is safe to live in.For example, the inspector will take a close look at the roof to make sure it is well intact. They will also check to see if there is any structural or mechanical damage such as broken heating systems, or a collapsing floor. The basement will…

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Is Private Mortgage Insurance The Right Choice For Me?

What is Private Mortgage Insurance?

Private Mortgage Insurance, or PMI, is an insurance policy that pays out to a lender in case a homeowner defaults on a mortgage.

The homeowner pays a monthly or one-time premium on their mortgage payments, but the lender is the one getting the protection.

PMI is usually requested for and arranged by the lender, and is offered by private insurance companies. Lenders usually request PMI if the homeowner wishes to put less than a 20% downpayment on the house, and usually require the policy to be in place until there is at least a 20% Loan-To-Value, or LTV ratio on the house. The LTV ratio is calculated simply by taking the value of a loan on a house and dividing it by the value of the house. For example, if a…

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What is RESPA?

What is RESPA?

RESPA, or the Federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, is a federal act passed by congress in 1974. After being controlled under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), responsibility for the act was assumed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in 2011.

The act regulates the real estate settlement process by requiring lenders, mortgage brokers or servicers of home loans to provide disclosures to borrowers that will inform them about real estate transactions, settlement services, relevant consumer protection laws and any other important and relevant information connected to the cost of the real estate settlement process. Any business relationships between closing service providers and other parties…

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Organize Your Move!

The homebuying process is filled with so many emotions. Excitement, anxiety, hope, concern. One thing task that can be a huge source of stress about when acquiring a new home is the move-in. You have shift your entire life from one space to another, arranging things to fit your new living area. Take the stress off your shoulders by keeping your move efficient and organized. How? Marked crates! Marking and organizing boxes of your household item can be a huge help in assuring that things end up where they belong when you need them.

Before you being, you need your supplies:

SUPPLIES

Markers: Buy quality marker to label boxes. It may be tempting to steer away from markers on the pricier side, but you want to make sure your writing is clear, dark,…

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