Mike Carlier's blog

Buyers often wonder and frequently ask me if they will be able to sell their home in a few years for more than they paid.  The correct answer to this question is, "I don't know."  Home prises rise and fall with the market, and there is no way to accurately predict what will happen.  There are som...

Occasionally my buying clients see a home that is full of junk, cluttered to the extreme.  They sometimes express surprise that a seller would not get rid of their stuff before trying to sell.  That's when I have to remind them that we covered this issue in our orientation. Clutter is often the g...

Home buyers sometimes find that their wants in housing exceed the limits of their qualified resources.  Their preferred type of home in their neighborhood of choice is priced too high for them.  Some folks in this situation decide that maybe they should find something that needs work in order to ...

Home buyers have some great advantages today that were not available to them a dozen or so years ago.  With the advent of the internet and almost all active home listings visible to almost all house hunters, the search for the best home at the best advertised price is a snap.  It's possible to sp...

Home buyers begin their journey to a lifestyle upgrade filled with enthusiasm and a little apprehension, and that is as it should be.  Your home purchase is usually the greatest financial commitment in your life, and it's hard to not worry that you're doing everything right.  Today we'll address ...

Recently we went over the way buyer representatives get compensated.  We said that the agent's compensation was part of the seller's listing agreement, and that it is paid by the seller from the proceeds of the sale of their home, and that the listing broker compensates the buyer's broker with a ...

...and buyer agents are eggs, or at least similar to eggs.  What comes first???   The question has been asked so often for so long that it has long ago achieved cliche status.  Should a first time buyer first find a real estate finance specialist, or should they first find a buyer representative?...

When folks want to fire their landlord, there are a few early thoughts that usually come to mind.  First is the joy of just thinking about getting rid of Mr. Landlord and his draconian restrictions on their lives.  Next comes the realization that buying a first home is an unbelievably huge financ...

There is one observation about politics and political campaigns that I can't help but notice.  The primary premise of politics is that a successful elected windbag should always claim credit for all that is perceived by the voting public as good, and blame the opposition for all that is perceived...

Why are you thinking about buying a new home?  Perhaps you have been living with relatives and the welcome is wearing out.  maybe your landlord is a jerk and he's raising the rent again.  Maybe you have a four bedroom family in a two bedroom home.  Maybe your neighborhood stinks.  maybe your neig...