Salt Lake Real Estate Information Center
Call: 801-518-4599

The better your credit score is, the less obstacles you’ll have to cross When the mortgage companies in Salt Lake City Utah are discussing your creditworthiness They are generally referring to your FICO score,looking at your credit. This is a compilation of the three major credit bureaus and is the standard for determining credit worthiness in the industry.

An individual should aim for a FICO score above 710 because it allows individuals to obtain the best loans and have more bargaining leverage.

There are a wide variety of loan options available to the investor in Salt Lake City Utah. You can even find loans that will cover 100% of the purchase price.

There are still options available,if your credit is not excellent. You may be able to negotiate the seller carrying a second mortgage on the property in Salt Lake City Utah.

In one scenario, both you and the seller are both happy with the price negotiated. You get 80% through a bank or lender and the owner agree to finance to other 20% for you as a term of the contract.

You will find that the process of getting a loan is less complicated for eighty percent of the purchase price. If you have negotiated a price below market value,this is especially true. Perhaps you agreed upon a final price of $100,000 while the real market value is actually $120,000.

With this example the lender that supplies the loan only has $80,000 at risk on a $120,000 property. This is not as risky.

There is a lot of free information available about buying, selling or investing in Holladay and Salt Lake City, Utah real estate.  For complete information about the Salt Lake City real estate market including foreclosures, short sales and more, visit the website dedicated to everything Salt Lake City Utah real estate.

For a FREE Weekly List of Foreclosed Homes with 4-5 Bedrooms in Salt Lake City, UT under $150,000 fill in the form below and you will receive home listings as they hit the market.  You will get all the hot listings as they come up even before most agents see them!

Just fill in the form below with your correct name and e-mail address and we will set it up to have the list automatically e-mailed to you.  Just add it in the comments if you have an interest in Short Sales and HUD homes too!

If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Salt Lake City, Utah, I will be happy to help, just call me at 801-518-4599.


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Five Helpful Tips To Help Save First-time Home-buyers in Park City Utah Money… And Anxiety!

With interest rates hovering around their thirty year lows, a multitude of flexible and low cost loan programs are available, as well as a wide variety of assistance programs that can help virtually anybody experience the joy of home ownership.

In short, the economic environment simply couldn’t be better to buy your first home in Park City Utah. However, if you have always been a renter, then you probably aren’t as well informed of the intimate processes of obtaining a home mortgage as you’d like to be.

To guide you through this exciting but often confusing time, this report details five tips that will help make your purchase a much smoother experience, save you money and eliminate your anxieties.

Get Pre-qualified Before Starting Your Search. Before you begin your home search in the Park City Utah real estate market, before you make one single decision regarding a home purchase, get pre-qualified by a mortgage professional.

Pre-qualification is free and will give you a definite advantage in the buying process.

During the evaluation stage, it will clarify your financial situation, indicating how much home you can afford. This may influence your decision for location, narrowing your search.

You’ll also know exactly how much home you can afford, further clarifying your search. Pre-qualification will also give you a step up on your competition.

Home-buyers that are pre-qualified have increased leverage with Realtors and sellers, in the Park City Utah real estate world, over buyers who are not. Essentially, a pre-qualified buyer becomes a “cash” buyer.

Don’t Become Fixated On The Interest Rate Alone!  Be careful! The lowest interest rate does not always translate to the best deal. Look at the loan programs that are being offered, not just the rate.  Compare the programs APR as this rate includes the costs of the loan.

There are several factors that have to be taken into account when evaluating programs: the loan type (fixed or adjustable), the loan term (15 year or 30 year), the rate and the down payment requirement.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage’s (ARM’s) are typically very low at the beginning but can escalate quickly.

These are good for short-term purchases, but long-term mortgage holders are typically better off with a fixed rate. If you can afford it, you may consider a fifteen-year mortgage.

Typically the monthly payments are only 20% higher, and you cut off half the duration of your loan. Additionally, your credit will play a big part in what program will be offered to you. “A” paper, lender lingo for an applicant who has perfect credit, may find a 6.5% rate with only 10% down. But if you have some credit history problems, sometimes referred to as “B” or “C” paper, you may find that to receive the prime rate, you need 20% down. So shop around!

Clean Up Your Credit
By getting pre-qualified, you will be made aware of any potential credit problems in your credit history. Don’t despair if the credit report is not stellar.

Even if an incident cannot be taken off the report, by knowing the background of your financial history, your lender may be able to put your financial situation in a better light when submitting the actual loan application.

Review your credit report carefully. It is very common for non-payments to be listed that are not even yours. Your mortgage professional will help you address problems showing up on the credit report.

Many times, a simple letter to the creditor explaining the circumstances at the time of the incident will rectify the situation. However this may take a few months, so start early.

Get A Realtor®
As a first time home-buyer in Park City Utah, the biggest mistake you can make is believing that you can save money if you do not use a Realtor.

Although the seller pays the commissions, some listing agents will tell you they can represent both you and the seller fairly. While in some cases this may certainly be true, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Get a real estate agent that represents your interests solely. A buyer agent will make sure the home is inspected properly, do diligence on any hidden discovery and more times than not, the money they save you on negotiating the price of your new home will more than off-set any reduction in price due to the commissions not being paid by the seller.

What Do You Want In Your Park City Utah Home?
There will be many decisions as you start this process. Your Realtor will take you to several different homes on the Park City Utah real estate market. Some you will like; some you won’t, but most will land somewhere in between.

“You love this home except it doesn’t have…” or “That home would be perfect if it only had…” will be common phrases during this process.

Decide now what features you feel are “necessities” in a home and which features are items that would be “nice to have.” This list will no doubt change the farther along you go, but the list will be extremely useful as you begin to look at homes. It will also be useful to the Realtor so he can better qualify the homes that he shows you.

There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in Park City Utah real estate. For complete information about the Park City Utah real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything Park City Utah real estate. So please feel free to contact me with any of your mortgage questions and I will me more than glad to answer your questions. Call me on my cell at 801-518-4599 or email me at kathyo@kathyohomes.com.


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Mortgages Defined: Information from Salt Lake City Utah Real Estate Professional Kathy Opolski

 

Unless you are one of the approximately four percent of the nation’s home buyers that pay cash, chances are you are going to need some kind of a mortgage. But before you start pulling credit and signing papers there are a few things that you should know, according to real estate expert Kathy Opolski with RE/MAX Associates. Having a little info ahead of time can save you heartache- and money.

 

There are many different types of loans out there and the selection is changing all of the time. When you start the loan process you may want to consider sitting down with your bank and seeing what they can offer. If you have been a loyal customer they may give you special savings for giving them the opportunity.

 

Many people go online to shop for a mortgage. Although it is convenient to do so, it can be an aggravating situation. Online lenders typically work in another state which means you will be at the mercy of returned phone calls for answers. If they are in a different time zone then it creates a whole new set of problems. Plus, a broker in another state may not be completely familiar with the lending guidelines in UT.

 

In recent years, more than ever, your rating will be determined by your overall credit score. A high rating rewards you with better options from lenders. Make sure that you do not get in the habit of having your credit pulled repeatedly by different lenders while you shop. This could negatively affect your score.

 

Depending on how much you put down will determine which loans you qualify for. Financing more than 80 percent means you will have to pay for either mortgage insurance, the V.A., F.H.A. or another third party group. This is their way of insuring the loan against default. These are all good loans, but remember if you can afford to put more down you may be saving on that insurance each payment.

To get more tips on financing your home purchase, contact real estate expert Kathy Opolski at 801-518-4599 today.

There is a lot of free information available about buying, selling or investing in Holladay and Salt Lake City, Utah real estate.  For complete information about the Salt Lake City real estate market including foreclosures, short sales and more, visit the website dedicated to everything Salt Lake City Utah real estate.

For a FREE Weekly List of Foreclosed Homes with 4-5 Bedrooms in Salt Lake City, UT under $150,000 fill in the form below and you will receive home listings as they hit the market.  You will get all the hot listings as they come up even before most agents see them!

Just fill in the form below with your correct name and e-mail address and we will set it up to have the list automatically e-mailed to you.  Just add it in the comments if you have an interest in Short Sales and HUD homes too!

If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Salt Lake City, Utah, I will be happy to help, just call me at 801-518-4599.


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You want to get the perfect loan for your investment property in Salt Lake City Utah. If you want to finance a rental property in Salt Lake City Utah that you want to sell for quick cash or hold long term. This special report series will uncover the place to start on your journey for investment financing.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOLLOWS:

Kathy Opolski Discusses
How to Finance Your Investment Property in Salt Lake City Utah.

Searching for investment opportunities in Salt Lake City Utah can be very exciting It is exciting to walk into a run down property that you know with a little fixing up and paint could bring you quick profits. But before you start seriously looking for properties you need to have your financing plan lined up.

If you are planning on borrowing money to purchase an investment property in Salt Lake City Utah for the long term it is best to start by contacting a mortgage broker that works with many different lenders.

You are looking to find a lender in Salt Lake City Utah that understands the complicated process of getting loans for investors.

If you are working with a real estate agent you can ask them for a referral. You can also check out some of the investment clubs in Salt Lake City Utah With people that can more than likely help you find the financing that you need.

There is a lot of free information available about buying, selling or investing in Holladay and Salt Lake City, Utah real estate.  For complete information about the Salt Lake City real estate market including foreclosures, short sales and more, visit the website dedicated to everything Salt Lake City Utah real estate.

For a FREE Weekly List of Foreclosed Homes with 4-5 Bedrooms in Salt Lake City, UT under $150,000 fill in the form below and you will receive home listings as they hit the market.  You will get all the hot listings as they come up even before most agents see them!

Just fill in the form below with your correct name and e-mail address and we will set it up to have the list automatically e-mailed to you.  Just add it in the comments if you have an interest in Short Sales and HUD homes too!

If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Salt Lake City, Utah, I will be happy to help, just call me at 801-518-4599.


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You have decided that it time to look for a new home in Salt Lake City Utah.  With so many homes out there you want to be sure that you don’t miss any.  So where do you start?

It would be a good idea to employ the services of a UT real estate professional.  They can act as your buyer’s agent and since their commission is paid by the seller they will, in essence, be working on your behalf for free.  Some people will argue that not having an agent will mean you can reduce a home’s price by the amount of their commission, but this is not true.  

When a home is listed with an agent the listing agreement clearly states the total commission that the seller will pay.  This total is usually split between the two agents 50/50.  If there is no agent representing you the seller is still obligated to pay the entire commission per the agreement.  So the listing agent gets paid more and you have no one to negotiate on your behalf.

Using a real estate agent means that they have up to date access to all of the information available.  Unfortunately, if you try to rely on the internet you will come across homes that are no longer available.   You will also certainly miss homes that were not even placed on the internet at all.  Some Salt Lake City Utah agents only list homes in the listing services that agents have access to.  They totally rely on agents to find their listings in these services.

An agent can also do all of the legwork for you.  This includes setting appointments, gaining access to any home and knowing what to say and what not to say to sellers and agents.

Don’t try to find your home by driving around, either.  You are not only going to miss something, but you may see a home you like and it might already be under contract.  Then you have gotten excited for nothing.

Newspapers and magazines are even worse.  The information is outdated in magazines and newspapers may delay publishing an ad until a certain date.  By the time you see it in the paper it may already be gone.

To learn more about the process of buying a home in Salt Lake City Utah, you can contact Kathy Opolski with RE/MAX Associates at 801-518-4599.

There is a lot of free information available about buying, selling or investing in Holladay and Salt Lake City, Utah real estate.  For complete information about the Salt Lake City real estate market including foreclosures, short sales and more, visit the website dedicated to everything Salt Lake City Utah real estate.

For a FREE Weekly List of Foreclosed Homes with 4-5 Bedrooms in Salt Lake City, UT under $150,000 fill in the form below and you will receive home listings as they hit the market.  You will get all the hot listings as they come up even before most agents see them!

Just fill in the form below with your correct name and e-mail address and we will set it up to have the list automatically e-mailed to you.  Just add it in the comments if you have an interest in Short Sales and HUD homes too!

If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Salt Lake City, Utah, I will be happy to help, just call me at 801-518-4599.


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Salt Lake City Utah Real Estate Professional Kathy Opolski Discusses The Top 3 Tips For Negotiating With Home Sellers The Right Way

 

Many have succeeded at negotiating with Salt Lake City Utah home sellers the right way while many others have failed. The difference between great results and poor results is often in the way the person doing it approaches the problem. Listed here are 3 tips to help you be one of the winners, as one that succeeds. Follow these tips and you can be sure of good results!

First, you want to remember that many Salt Lake City Utah sellers are emotional about their home. It really is most important that you respect their emotional attachment to the home and do this adequately. In other words, you must remember that they have had many good memories in this home and expect that you will love it as much as they did. If you neglect to treat them with respect during negotiations you risk the seller shutting down and rejecting all offers you make. If you do it wrong by being hard headed and fighting with the seller then you might have a problem with buying a home and getting a decent deal

Second, you should be objective when you make your offers. This is critical and is going to be crucial in determining whether you succeed or fail. It is crucial for these reasons: You need to keep a clear head. Failing to accomplish this will likely mean you overpay for the home or you lose out on a home you really wanted. You may eventually fail at getting the deal you wanted on a home you loved.

Third, you have to remember to try and create a win-win situation for yourself and the seller. When you neglect this or get it wrong, you should only be ready to have a seller who is defensive about everything.

Follow these 3 suggestions for negotiating with Salt Lake City Utah home sellers the right way and you will in all probability succeed and enjoy all of the rewards and benefits that being fair and objective may bring you. Ignore them and the prediction is just not good.

For more tips on working with Salt Lake City Utah home sellers the right way, contact local real estate expert Kathy Opolski with RE/MAX Associates at 801-518-4599.

There is a lot of free information available about buying, selling or investing in Holladay and Salt Lake City, Utah real estate.  For complete information about the Salt Lake City real estate market including foreclosures, short sales and more, visit the website dedicated to everything Salt Lake City Utah real estate.

For a FREE Weekly List of Foreclosed Homes with 4-5 Bedrooms in Salt Lake City, UT under $150,000 fill in the form below and you will receive home listings as they hit the market.  You will get all the hot listings as they come up even before most agents see them!

Just fill in the form below with your correct name and e-mail address and we will set it up to have the list automatically e-mailed to you.  Just add it in the comments if you have an interest in Short Sales and HUD homes too!

If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Salt Lake City, Utah, I will be happy to help, just call me at 801-518-4599.


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Understanding A Salt Lake City Utah Sales Contract

Finding the right UT home is an exciting time so make sure that once you have decided this is the home for you that you protect yourself when writing the sales contract. This is where making the wrong entries can cost you money, or the home.

It may sound silly to say, but when you are writing a contract make sure that it is the current edition of the form. On the bottom is printed the date this form was last changed. Not having an up-to-date form will leave out new changes to the guidelines that you need to be aware of.

These contracts are long, complicated and full of legal talk so take time to read everything. Never let anyone rush you into signing something unless you have thoroughly gone over every word. If there is something that you want to address that isn’t listed the counteroffer is the time to address it. Once the contract is accepted, it will be too late to bring it up.

The contract is going to have a lot of specific dates in it. For example, inspection cutoff and contingency cutoff, financing contingency cutoff, loan application, loan approval, etc. Sellers will want these dates to be as soon as possible. But as a buyer you want them to be as long as possible. All of these dates can be negotiated so give yourself plenty of time to get everything taken care of.

When looking over the UT contract make sure everything has been filled out. There should be no blanks anywhere. Some contracts spell out who will be doing certain repairs, the condition of certain components of the home or a clause concerning the inspection contingency. Read these areas carefully.

Once the contract has been accepted, write all of your specified dates down. These are very important! If you miss a cutoff it could be disastrous for you. Make sure you keep within the time limits to protect yourself. If something comes up that may interfere with a deadline contact your agent immediately.

You can do some of the preliminary work ahead of time to start the process. Having essential documentation to your lender means they can get started on your loan package and just wait for an address to plug everything into their system. Also, having already chosen an inspector will have them on standby.

For more information on the contents of the UT real estate contract, contact local real estate expert Kathy Opolski at 801-518-4599.

There is a lot of free information available about buying, selling or investing in Holladay and Salt Lake City, Utah real estate.  For complete information about the Salt Lake City real estate market including foreclosures, short sales and more, visit the website dedicated to everything Salt Lake City Utah real estate.

For a FREE Weekly List of Foreclosed Homes with 4-5 Bedrooms in Salt Lake City, UT under $150,000 fill in the form below and you will receive home listings as they hit the market.  You will get all the hot listings as they come up even before most agents see them!

Just fill in the form below with your correct name and e-mail address and we will set it up to have the list automatically e-mailed to you.  Just add it in the comments if you have an interest in Short Sales and HUD homes too!

If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Salt Lake City, Utah, I will be happy to help, just call me at 801-518-4599.

 


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Once you’ve found a home you’re interested in purchasing, the next step is putting an offer on the table. How do you determine that right price for a home in Salt Lake City Utah? In this article, I’ll show you exactly what you should consider when you’re picking a number for your offer.

Tip 1 – Understand the Salt Lake City Utah Real Estate Conditions

The first step is to consider what the market conditions are. Real estate conditions in Salt Lake City Utah have had both upswings and downswings in the last several years. Is it a buyer’s market right now, or a seller’s market? Is a house likely to sit on the market for weeks, or is it likely to receive multiple offers?

Look into what other similar houses in the area are selling for, both currently and in the last few months. This will give you a good baseline value to base your offer of.

Tip 2 – Understand Your Seller’s Mindset

The goal of making an offer isn’t to offer market price. The goal of your offer is to make an offer that’s as low as possible that will be accepted by the seller.

In order to achieve this, itís important to understand the mindset of the seller.

One thing to look into might be how long the house has been listed. If it’s been listed for several months already, they may be more likely to want to sell for a lower price.

Another thing to look into is how much the seller paid for the property. Although this doesn’t affect its current value, it has an impact on the seller’s mentality. If the seller is already making a profit no matter how much they sell it for, they’re likely to be more lenient. If they’re losing big money by selling right now, they may be more likely to pinch pennies.

Tip 3 – It’s Not Just the Numbers

Your offer must be considered in its entirety. The clauses and contingencies have a big impact on whether or not your offer will be accepted. Work with your real estate agent to craft the best offer possible.

There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in Salt Lake City Utah real estate. For complete information about the Salt Lake City Utah real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything [Profile.market2] real estate at www.KathyOHomes.com. Please feel free to contact me with any of your real estate or mortgage related questions and I will be more than glad to answer your questions. Call me on my cell at 801-518-4599 or email me at kathyo@kathyohomes.com.


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Choosing The Best Neighborhood: Advice from Salt Lake City Utah Real Estate Agent Kathy Opolski

 

Purchasing a new house is an important decision, but choosing its location is just as important. If you don’t properly research the area where a home you plan on buying is located, this could cause problems and cost you a lot of money. Kathy Opolski a real estate expert states that performing proper research on the area is a vital part of buying a new home.

 

When looking up Salt Lake City Utah homes for sale, a lot of prospective buyers will look into how far these homes are from their workplace. This is an important concern for many buyers, however it should not be the only criteria for choosing a home’s location. There are some other things that should be carefully examined before making a big decision like buying a home.

 

Buyers should also consider the schools which are present in the area. This is an important consideration even if you don’t have any children. In the event that you would want to sell your home later on, other buyers may have some. Neighborhood schools are a big criteria for many buyers and can often influence their final decision on whether or not to buy a certain house.

 

In case you are not familiar with the local school district, you can easily do some research online on the schools in the area and find out facts about them such as average test scores, drop out rates, etc.

 

When you locate a home in a UT neighborhood that sparks your interest, be sure to examine the surrounding area, including the adjacent neighborhoods. See how close you are to services such as shopping malls, doctors, the post office, etc. Many people don’t like to have a long commute each time they need to run an errand.

 

Your Salt Lake City Utah real estate agent can look up statistics on the neighborhood for you. This will show you a lot of things, such as average asking prices, average sale prices and the difference between the two. It will also show you the amount of homes that are currently up for sale and how long it took for them to sell. Another thing to consider is average property values and whether they went up or down in recent years.

 

One last thing to do when deciding on a neighborhood is to take a drive through it and see what it looks like. If houses and yards look unkempt, it is probable that the value of your property will be lower than what it could be in an area that looks cleaner.

 

If you want more advice on selecting the right home to suit your needs, please contact [Profile.market2] real estate expert Kathy Opolski at 801-518-4599 today!


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Real Estate Agent Kathy Opolski Addresses Whether Home Staging Really Sells Salt Lake City Utah Homes

Most people these days have at least heard the term “home staging”. This is where you set up your home in such a way that maximizes the space and gives people a good feeling about the layout. It’s important when selling your Salt Lake City Utah home to put your best foot forward, and home staging is the way to accomplish this. However, if you don’t have the money to hire a professional UT home stager to assess your home, and then take some of these tips into consideration.

 

Clutter: The very first thing you should do is go around your home and get rid of any clutter. This includes taking all the things off of your refrigerator and countertops. By having a lot of things stuck to refrigerator or on your counter, it takes away from the space and makes everything seem smaller. Remember that you’re going for a streamlined look and cleanliness makes everything look larger.

Stand in the road: Take a look at your house from the perspective of potential buyers. Look your curb appeal and decide what needs to be trimmed, painted or even removed from your front yard to make the home look more inviting.

Clean: This might seem like the simplest of all tasks, but you need to work on cleaning your Salt Lake City Utah house like it’s brand-new. When people walk in, they need to feel like they’re getting a new house and not moving into someone else’s mess. No one wants to move in to a house and live with someone else’s dirt and dust.

Turn on the lights: Open your window shades and turn on all your lights when showing your home because more light means more space. People get the feeling of a bigger space when there’s more light.

For more information on getting your Salt Lake City Utah home ready to sell, visit my website at www.KathyOHomes.com or call me directly at 801-518-4599 for free tips on staging your home the right way to get it sold quickly.

There is a lot of free information available about buying, selling or investing in Holladay and Salt Lake City, Utah real estate.  For complete information about the Salt Lake City real estate market including foreclosures, short sales and more, visit the website dedicated to everything Salt Lake City Utah real estate.

For a FREE Weekly List of Foreclosed Homes with 4-5 Bedrooms in Salt Lake City, UT under $150,000 fill in the form below and you will receive home listings as they hit the market.  You will get all the hot listings as they come up even before most agents see them!

Just fill in the form below with your correct name and e-mail address and we will set it up to have the list automatically e-mailed to you.  Just add it in the comments if you have an interest in Short Sales and HUD homes too!

If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Salt Lake City, Utah, I will be happy to help, just call me at 801-518-4599.


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