10Feb 2018 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog
Having a hard time finding enough homes for sale? Here are six reasons why that might be happening.

Having a hard time finding enough homes for sale? Here are six reasons why that might be happening.

ENVIRONMENT
6 Reasons There Aren’t Enough Homes for Sale Almost anyone who has searched for a house recently knows there are not enough houses for sale. One simple number defines the problem: In October 2017, the nation had a 3.9-month supply of existing homes for resale. That means, at the pace seen then, it would have taken 3.9 months to sell all the homes on the market. A supply under six months puts home buyers at a disadvantage. “Inventory is tighter than it appears. It’s much lower for entry-level buyers,” said Sam Khater, deputy chief economist for CoreLogic, a data provider for the real estate industry. He spoke at the Urban Institute’s annual housing finance symposium on Nov. 1. Why don’t millennial, first-time buyers and Generation X move-up buyers have more to choose…
Read More
22Jan 2018 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog
AT THIS RATE

AT THIS RATE

SOTHEBY'S NEWS
Published on January 22, 2018 Author steamboatsir Everything you need to know about today’s lending climate. In 2017, the news cycle felt more like a roller coaster ride with the daily barrage of ups and downs, but what about the real estate market? No one can deny the political climate has been unstable, but what’s on everyone’s mind (especially in the world of real estate) is: How is that going to affect mortgage interest rates? The good news is that low interest rates remained stable last year. And while no one can predict the future, we caught up with local mortgage banker Kathryn Pedersen to take a look at trends in 2017 and what to think about in the new year. The bad news first: interest rates are on the rise. “The…
Read More
29Dec 2017 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog
STOP SCAMMERS FROM STEALING YOUR DOWN PAYMENT

STOP SCAMMERS FROM STEALING YOUR DOWN PAYMENT

HOME BUYER HANDBOOK
A hot new scam targets home buyers: down payment wire fraud. Hackers send bogus emails, telling buyers where to wire the down payment money. The stolen money disappears. The home buyer ends up with an empty bank account and a broken heart. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been stolen this way. But you can avoid that fate by making one phone call. It’s that simple. How the mortgage scam happens Stacy Hennessey, a real estate agent in Falls Church, Virginia, was targeted with this scam, but she didn’t fall for it. If you follow her example, you won’t get defrauded, either. Hennessey was buying a house in Maryland. About a week before the scheduled closing, she received an email that appeared to be from her real estate agent. The email told…
Read More
15Dec 2017 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog
I’M EMBARRASSED BY MY CREDIT, I’M NOT SURE I CAN BUY A HOME.

I’M EMBARRASSED BY MY CREDIT, I’M NOT SURE I CAN BUY A HOME.

HOME BUYER HANDBOOK
Finances are personal. They often reflect life choices and decisions we may not be proud of such as divorce, debt, college loans, or even hospitalization. A surprising number of people continue to pay their landlord’s mortgage simply because they never took the first step towards home ownership out of embarrassment over their credit history, many would be surprised to learn that they have been throwing money down the drain needlessly. While your financial particulars are very personal, they are usually not unique to you. Lenders have seen so many variations of your situation that it is highly unlikely that you will shock them. A true professional will treat you with respect and give you an accurate picture of what you can realistically afford. Your business is valuable, regardless of the…
Read More
11Dec 2017 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog
HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR CREDIT HISTORY?

HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR CREDIT HISTORY?

HOME BUYER HANDBOOK
When you apply for a mortgage loan, you expect your lender to pull a credit  report and look at whether you've made your payments on time. What you may not expect is that they seem to be more interested in your "FICO" score. FICO actually stands for Fair Isaac and Company, which is the company used  by the Experian (formerly TRW) credit bureau to calculate credit scores.  Trans-Union and Equifax are two other credit bureaus who also provide credit  scores. Each time your credit report is pulled, it is run through a computer program with a built-in scorecard. Points are awarded or deducted based on certain  items such as how long you have had credit cards, whether you make your  payments on time, if your credit balances are near maximum,…
Read More
07Dec 2017 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog
SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY AND THE NEW YOUR TIMES

SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY AND THE NEW YOUR TIMES

SOTHEBY'S NEWS
  VIEW VIDEO – SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY AND THE NEW YORK TIMES   Every property listed by Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty benefits from the exclusive relationship between Sotheby’s International Realty and the New York Times. This collaboration provides unrivaled access to a global audience. NYTimes.com receives over 30 million unique visitors each month, and 1.27 million of those visitors worldwide go to the NYTimes.com Real Estate section every month. This provides unparalleled and unmatched exposure for the properties that Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty represents.  Sotheby’s International Realty secures exclusive partnership programs with NYTimes.com, such as the Real Estate Slideshow, designed to drive an estimated 12 million media impressions worldwide. This ad unit incorporates properties for sale at the beginning, the mid-point and the end of the slideshow. The placement of…
Read More