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How a Buyer Agent saves you from these 5 financial punches

June 15 by Marina Brito

Your Buyer Agent helps you avoid the punches

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The bell rings and you are suddenly thrown into the boxing ring to fight against an opponent.

Would you want to get boxing “tips” from your opponent’s coach, or would you rather have your own coach helping you avoid the punches?

When buying a house, the Listing Agent is the Seller’s coach

As a home buyer you have the option of making an offer through the Listing Agent – or you can get your own coach to help you avoid any financial punches during the transaction.

Your own coach is called a Buyer Agent

Let’s see some of the the differences between a Buyer Agent and a Listing Agent: Continue Reading…

The 3 Legs to Pre-qualify for a Mortgage Loan

June 8 by Marina Brito

Getting a mortgage loan needs three “legs”

A three-legged stool is a simple piece of furniture: it needs 3 legs for it to be stable. If one leg is missing, it doesn’t work well as a stool anymore.

Three-legged stools have been used often to describe situations where three parts make a successful whole.

When getting ready to pre-qualify for a mortgage loan, there are three important ‘legs’ of your finances that must be in place.

The first one is your income. Continue Reading…

3 Mistakes to Avoid when Choosing Mortgage Lenders

June 1 by Marina Brito

A house-full of packed boxes

It’s the day before settlement and the Settlement company calls you to let you know that they haven’t received the required documents from the lender. Your $10,000 deposit is on the line if you don’t close tomorrow (plus you are all packed and ready for the movers!), so you promptly get on the phone with the lender to see what’s going on.

Thankfully, your lender replies that all is well, that the documents are on their way and there is nothing to worry about (Phew!). All is well… but what if you hadn’t been able to get hold of your lender? Then what?

Getting a loan is the most important part of buying a home

When you are buying a home, the most critical piece of the entire transaction is your ability to obtain a mortgage loan. Which is why choosing the right lender is a very important matter. Continue Reading…

Best Fairfax County School Boundaries to Live in

May 25 by Marina Brito

Best Places to Live

Inspired by Washingtonian Magazine’s “Best Places to Live” on their May 2012 edition, here is a compilation of our “Best places to live in Fairfax County” – broken down by high school boundaries.

First, let’s look at boundaries serving the small towns (since the latest trend is for people to walk to quaint shops and leave the big SUV at home): Continue Reading…

How much is my house worth?

May 18 by Marina Brito

Creating a fancy cake requires the right tools

Creating a fancy cake requires having the right tools: a commercial-sized oven, a big mixer, lots of fancy decorating tools, and above all: lots of practice and experience.

Last month, when I tried making a fancy cake, I struggled trying to make it look right, because I didn’t have the right tools – and I didn’t know the tricks of the trade.