Jen Giraud's Blog

The Ten Commandments When Applying for a Real Estate Loan   1.Thou shalt not change jobs, become self-employed or quit your job. 2. Thou shalt not buy a car, truck or van (or you may be living in it)! 3.Thou shalt not use charge cards excessively or let your accounts fall behind. 4. Thou shalt no...

  What a Home Inspection Should Cover Home inspections will vary depending on the type of property you are purchasing. A large historic home, for example, will require a more specialized inspection than a small condominium. However, the following are the basic elements that a home inspector will ...

Interesting read from RealtorMag! Most people would think a 43% discount is a steal of a deal, but when the home is $150 million... maybe not!   Daily Real Estate News | July 15, 2011 | Share Priciest U.S. Listing Sold at 43% Discount A Los Angeles County estate that once was the highest-priced h...

Tips for Finding the Perfect Neighborhood Your neighborhood has a big impact on your lifestyle. Follow these steps to find the perfect community to call home. • Is it close to your favorite spots? Make a list of the activities — movies, health club, church, etc. — you engage in regularly and stor...

  Thinking about putting your house on the market? Getting your home ready to sell can be overwhelming, especially if you have lived there for more than 5 years, but there are some things to make the process easier. Check out these 10 helpful steps.   1. Talk to a lender. It doesn’t make sense t...

8 Tips to Guide Your Home Search   1. Research before you look. Decide what features you most want to have in a home, what neighborhoods you prefer, and how much you’d be willing to spend each month for housing. 2. Be realistic. It’s OK to be picky, but don’t be unrealistic with your expectations...

A great blog from Stephanie Hansson of College Station, TX. Everyone knows in order to buy a home in this market, you must have some kind of down payment available. Not everyone is lucky enough to receive a gift from a family member, so if you fall into this category of "save-it-yourself"  please...

Great story by Melissa Dittmann Tracey with Realtor Magazine! We have all been there, you go to show or even list a home and *JACKPOT* there is a vacant forclosure or short sale next door with dead plants, overgrown grass and bushes, falling fence, etc... the bottom line is that is it UGLY! Melis...

We have all been there... you're either on your way to meet a client or you're with a client (whether in a home or in your car) and BAM something really embarrassing happens... Here's my story -  I was with out of town clients a few weeks ago. They drove in from West Texas (about a 10 hour drive)...

                                     Simple Tips for Better Home Showings 1. Remove clutter and clear off counters. Throw out stacks of newspapers and magazines and stow away most of your small decorative items. Put excess furniture in storage, and remove out-of-season clothing items that are cra...