Greater Louisville Real Estate Blog - Buyers

Things to Consider When Buying a Condo [2022]

[Estimated read time: 5 minutes]

What is Condominium?

A condominium is an individual unit that is within a larger building, similar to an apartment style building. As a condo owner, you are investing in a shared interest in a community with a group of other owners. An HOA governs and maintains the community and the common areas. Funded by a monthly maintenance fee that is collected from the residents living within the association.

Steps to Buying a Condo

Let's take a quick look at what to expect during the process of buying a condominium, a patio home, or even a townhome. These are all similar styles of properties and are usually categorized the same and present the same approach when analyzing a property.

1. Find an Agent (and Loan…

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Do you Need a REALTOR to Buy a House?

This is a common question that runs through the minds of many homebuyers. Some may have even heard from either a family member or friend that they have purchased a home in the past without a Buyer's agent.

How is that possible?

Well, that's because you don't actually have to use an agent to purchase a property. In fact, every day people decide to navigate the home search, contract negotiation, appraisal, inspection, and all the nitty gritty details on their own. Truth be told, you can actually forgo using a buyer's agent. But as a Buyer, do you feel comfortable enough to go about it all on your own?

The expertise that an experienced and professional Buyers agent can bring to the table can be the difference between signing the dotted line on the…

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16 Questions You Need to Ask Real Estate Agents

Buying and selling property and homes is a massive financial and often personal undertaking. Depending on which state you live in, the process can vary in how easy or difficult it may be. But what remains the same regardless of your zip code is how great of an asset working with a qualified real estate agent can be as opposed to navigating things all by yourself. Some real estate agents do a great job of marketing themselves through television, local ads, and the radio, but that does not mean that they are necessarily the most qualified or most skilled for the specific transaction you need them to assist you with. When looking for the best realtor for you, it is critical that you approach them very similar to how a prospective employer approaches a…

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Is Credit Karma Accurate (vs actual score)?

Credit Karma vs Actual Credit Score

When it comes to buying a home and getting pre-approved, one of the most important numbers is our credit score. This little three-digit number carries a world of importance and can have an impact on many things in our lives. Surprisingly, millions of adults do not actively monitor their credit scores and millions more don’t understand the importance of having a good score. If you are looking to develop solid financial habits and improve your financial health, learning where and how to monitor your credit score is an important first step in accomplishing these goals.

Credit Karma ranks towards the top of the list year after year when we discuss free services that allow users to monitor and help to understand…

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The Perfect House Hunting Checklist (Printable)

Purchasing a home is one of the largest decisions we can make in our lifetime. While it’s certainly an exciting experience, it can quickly feel a bit daunting if you haven’t done your homework before you set out on your house-hunting expedition. You’ve probably imagined your dream home numerous times before, size, rooms, the size of the room! Maybe you’re even so detailed that you’ve thought of what type of backsplash you’d like in your future kitchen. While all of those are important details to consider when beginning your home buying journey, we’ve compiled a list of the most important items that should go on anyone’s house hunting wishlist.

A helpful checklist to use when out viewing homes.

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Under Contract vs Contingent vs Pending: What does this mean?

With so many people searching for homes online it can be confusing when you see the same home listed on multiple sites but somehow they show a different status.

Leading to why one of the most common questions people searching for homes ask...

...is this home still available?

In real estate, some of the terminology can be used interchangeably which can just add to the confusion. One real estate website may have a home listed as Contingent and then another may have it listed as Pending. Leaving consumers questioning - What is going on with this home??

What does Active Status mean?

When a homeowner decides to sell their home and they list with a licensed real estate agent their home will be posted with the local MLS that the agent is…

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How Much House Can I Afford? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Determining how much house you can afford can be tricky!

Many different things factor into the equation. Some of the most obvious are things like your income, how much of a down payment you'll need, your debt to income ratio, and of course your credit score. Below we cover a long list that highlights some of the other factors that help determine how much home you may be able to purchase. This can especially be helpful to first-time homebuyers who might be unsure what their budget may be.

How much home can I qualify for?

Looking further into the most important factors when it comes to how much house can you afford. Some people begin there search online maybe months, if not years in advance. So these numbers, of course, will fluctuate…

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Important Home Buying Myths to Avoid

Sometimes the thought of buying a home can be intimidating and may also feel out of reach and unattainable. For whatever the reason, homeownership can actually be easier than expected. Below we highlight some home buyer myths you may want to ignore.

You have to put 20% down

Yes, some loans require you to put 20% down but depending on the qualifications...you may actually be able to purchase a home by putting down a lot less! Some loans will even allow you to put down as little as 3.5% down. Also, depending on the location, some rural housing loans even allow buyers to obtain 100% financing.

These can be great opportunities for first time home buyers that can not afford a large down payment, closing cost, and inspections. If you are unsure, it's…

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What are the Best Neighborhoods in Spencer County KY

We have gathered a list of the top 10 most popular neighborhoods for newcomers looking for homes for sale in Spencer County KY. These communities have either been statistically proven over the years to be in high demand or are newer developments that have been growing in popularity for new homebuyers that are wanting to live in Spencer County.

List of the Best Neighborhoods in Spencer County

Allen Place North

Median Sale Price: $245,000

Allen Place North is located in Taylorsville, KY just off of HWY 155 (Taylorsville Rd). This popular subdivision is only minutes away from the Gene Snyder Freeway and less than 30 minutes from Downtown Louisville.

The average median sale price for homes for sale in Allen Place North is $245,000.…

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How to Close on a Home Quickly and On-time

Typically when buying a home you are excited to close right away and may even have plans to be in the home by a certain date. However, there are times when closing dates are delayed or even pushed back. Buying a home consist of many different contractual deadlines, starting from the very beginning, all the way up to the very end.

Most first-time homebuyers have one question in common - how long does it take to buy a home? Once you find the perfect home, it can take anywhere from 30 to 45 days to close. However, that is if everyone is diligently working together.

Below we will touch on each step and look at how you can successfully close on your home in a reasonable time frame.

1. Get the pre-approval

The very first step, and…

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