Levada Spann Realty Group

What Closing Costs to Expect when Selling a Home Closing costs are like the forgotten stepchild in the real estate transaction. Buyers concentrate on the down payment and the purchase price while sellers envision that check they'll receive at the closing table. Lots of people, however, have their hands out, expecting to be paid for their services....

How to Attract an Affluent Buyer When considering selling a home, it's important to understand the buyer pool for your particular type of home. When the home is high-end, it's even more important, as this pool is significantly smaller and those swimming in it are much more specific in their wants and needs. While the list changes f...

Types of Listing Agreements Once you've decided on an agent to list your home for sale you'll be required to sign a listing agreement. This is a legally binding contract that gives the broker the right to offer your home for sale. The typical listing agreement will set forth the amount of real estate commission you'll be requi...

Selling the VA-Financed Home When you purchased your home with a VA-backed loan you used what is undeniably one of the best loan products on the market. With no money down and a government guarantee, few loans can match it. Another benefit of the VA loan is that it's assumable, an attractive feature if you are trying to sell yo...

Energy Efficient Windows can Help you Sell your Home One of the most cost-effective renovation jobs you can perform is window replacement. In fact, according to Remodeling Magazine, you'll realize a nearly 73 percent return on the money you invest installing vinyl windows. Replacing wood windows returns nearly 79 percent of your investment. Saving Mon...

What to do About your Mortgage if you Lose your Job Americans are getting back to work after a long, bleak recession. While unemployment rates have fallen in many cities across the nation, however, in a dozen or so states they have actually gone up. Despite an increasingly healthy economy, if you work for someone else there is no guarantee that you w...

The Many Fingers in the Mortgage Pie While it's easy to imagine that the mortgage process involves only yourself and the guy or gal behind the desk that takes your application, there are many people involved, each with his or her own duties. So, just who has their finger in your mortgage pie and why? The mortgage process typically has....

Shopping for a Lender The most important step in the home buying process, if you aren't paying cash, is securing a loan. You'll need to shop for a lender, compare loan products and get that all-important loan preapproval letter. Today we'll take a look at how to go about choosing a lender. Myth number 1 The...

Financing a Mobile Home Purchase Financing the Mobile Home Purchase Not too terribly long ago finding a loan for a manufactured home was a nightmare. Many lenders simply refused to lend on them. Today, however, with the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insuring loans for manufactured homes, financing has become a lot easier. .....

The Anatomy of a Mortgage Payment Mortgage: While the common English translation – a huge chunk of money going out the door every month –strikes fear in every American homeowner, just think how the French must feel. In French, mortgage translates to 'death contract.' That sounds even scarier until you understand that the 'death'...

Three Reasons your Mortgage Application was Denied When the only thing standing between you and that house you've fallen in love with is a 'yes' or 'no' from a lender, it's devastating when your application for a loan is rejected. There are various reasons for loan rejections and some can be remedied quickly while others may take...

You can Get a Loan for a Fixer Upper The disadvantages of buying fixer-uppers are obvious: they take time and money to make them livable. The advantages, while not as obvious, may just outweigh the disadvantages for certain buyers or in certain types of markets. With a fixer you may just be able to create the home of your dreams instea...

What is PMI and how do I get rid of it? PMI is one of those things in life that is both a curse and a blessing. Without it, cash-poor homebuyers can't get a loan. With it, your payments are higher, it takes a long time to get rid of (with some loans it never goes away) and it only protects the lender. PMI is short for 'private mortgage in...

No Down Payment? Now Worries! Are you shut out of the housing market if you don't have a huge chunk of cash to give the lender for a down payment? Believe it or not, zero to low down payment mortgages are still available and there are ways you can get into that home with little cash out of your pocket. No down payment: U.S. Depa...

How to Save Money when you buy a Home If you're considering buying a home, do yourself a favor and stop looking at homes for sale online and take some steps to ensure you save money on the purchase. Sure, it takes a little time and effort but the payoff may just be a lower monthly house payment. So, what's the First Step? You won't...

Dress up those Shady Garden Spots Shady spots in the garden don't have to be barren. There are so many plants that will thrive in the shade--probably a lot more than you think-- from perennials to annuals. Gardeners can choose ferns, woodland flowers and luxurious ground covers. Whether your shade garden will be an accent or a focal...

Do You Have a Mold Problem in Your Home? If your family seems to be sneezing and wheezing more than they should be, suspect a mold problem in the home. Physical symptoms of a mold infestation mimic those of allergies and the flu, with headaches and asthma as common complaints. What is Mold? Molds are micro-organisms that use enzymes to bre...

Back to School Organization: Create a Lunch Station Working parents with school-aged kids understand the utter chaos that a school-day morning can bring. Along with readying yourself for work and making sure everyone eats a decent breakfast, there is school lunch preparation to consider. Creating a lunch station is one way to deal with this, both for...

Spring Cleaning in the Container Garden You don't need a big yard to enjoy gardening; even a small patio can be transformed into a colorful oasis. Container gardening isn't quite the same (care of the plants is a bit more challenging for one thing), but a container garden or patio can be just as attractive as those grown in the dirt. You....

Prepare your Irrigation System for Winter Although the weather outside isn't frightful – yet – it soon will be. Are you ready for another winter? More important, is your home ready? Let's take a look at the important steps to take to winterize your outdoor water supply and irrigation systems to avoid breaks and leaks over the winter. .....

How is Your HVAC System? Checking the heating and cooling system is one of the most important parts of routine home maintenance and one that many homeowners pay little attention to. Once they learn, however, that the price of a new system could set them back between $5,000 and $7,000 their interest in maintaining it increas...

Get Your Home Ready for Spring It may not feel like it right now but before we know it, spring will be here. You remember spring, right? That time of year when the weather begins to warm and we're blessed with lots of sunlight – the better to see the toll a harsh winter takes on a house. Like Punxsutawney Phil emerging on Groun...

Is your Vegetable Garden ready for Winter Hey, we're pretty tuckered out when the summer and fall vegetable gardening season wraps up. Yet, if we want to have the same success next season, we still have work to do. Just a few gardening chores now can make all the difference when planting time rolls around next year. Out with the Old It's...

Update your Bathroom this Weekend Update Your Bathroom this Weekend It's a well-known fact that attractive, functional bathrooms help sell homes. If yours can use some updates but you don't have room in the budget to hire a professional, we have some tips for you. Not only are these fixes inexpensive but you can complete them over t...

The Modern Baby Nursery If you hope to begin your family in your new home, or even in your current home, you'll no doubt cast an eye toward which room will serve as a nursery. I thought it might be fun to take a look at how other couples are designing and decorating theirs. No More Pastels 'Gone are the pink-or-blue color....

Dealing with Wet Basements One of the top home inspection concerns, according to buyers, is evidence of water damage. Yet, more than 60 percent of homes with a basement have leaks. Evidence of a Leak The most common evidence of a moisture problem in your basement is the appearance or odor of mold. Sometimes mold is hidden and...

Alternatives to Granite Countertops Wouldn't it be nice to have a dollar for every real estate listing that touts 'granite countertops' as the end-all, be-all of kitchen work surfaces? The truth is, the popularity of granite kitchen countertops is ebbing, shifting toward materials that are sturdy yet stylish. While we...

Redecorate the Kitchen on a Shoestring Budget Redecorate the Kitchen on a Shoestring Even if you aren't planning on selling your home in the near future, updating your kitchen can make the whole house feel like new. Now, we aren't recommending a complete remodel (unless of course you have the budget for that), but freshening it up will not only...