Monday, August 27, 2012

GRM Welcomes Tom Rittenhouse, Associate Broker

Tom Rittenhouse
Golden Realty & Management is proud to welcome Tom Rittenhouse to its team of experts. With more than 30 years in the real estate industry, Tom has specialized in the listing and selling of bank-owned and foreclosed properties for the past 14 years.

Tom is a graduate of the Floyd Wickman Real Estate Listing Sweathogs Program, and has worked with Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Premiere Asset Services, and Regions Mortgage and Financial Asset Services. His track record includes marketing and selling an average of 15+ bank-owned/foreclosure properties a year, and he works with the banks/service companies to facilitate the repairs, the BPOs (Broker Price Opinions), and other local real estate agents to get them on the market and sold.

“Tom’s experience and expertise will help us better leverage the foreclosure market for our clients,” according to Mike Golden, owner of Golden Realty & Management. “We’re excited to have him with us.”

A local Triangle resident, Tom currently lives with his wife and daughter in Durham, North Carolina.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

10 Steps to Home Ownership for First-Time Buyers

Ready to take the leap into buying your first house, but not sure how to get started or what the process will involve? With Golden Realty & Management, the road to home ownership can be smooth and fun! We’ve compiled a list of what it takes to become a first-time home buyer, from start to finish.

1. Meet with your real estate agent. Ideally, that’s us! We will help you determine the general price range, desired locations, the amenities you want in your new home, and any other needs and wishes you may have.

2. Get prequalified with a lending company. This will give you more leverage as a potential home buyer—in today’s local market, many sellers won’t accept a bid from a potential buyer without prequalification. Furthermore, you will have an exact picture of what you can afford.

3. Look for homes. As your agent, we will be looking for homes for you, but feel free to browse on your own using our free listing service. From these sources, make a list of the top six to ten homes that you would like to see and let us know. We will make arrangements to tour them with you.

4. Narrow the selection. Let us know which homes most pique your interest. We will conduct research and present you with more information about the homes to help you make your final decision.

5. Pick a home and decide on an offer. We will help you determine the best method for submitting your offer and will provide advice regarding amounts and contingencies.

6. Wait while your offer is presented. We will present your offer to the seller through their real estate agent. If they agree to the offer, the closing process can commence. If they don’t agree, they may either refuse or counter the offer, in which case you may counter back. We will advise on the available courses of action during this process.

7.  Begin closing preparations. Once all parties have agreed upon a contract, we prepare all of the paperwork and schedule all of the necessary home inspections, appraisals, attorneys, and any other tasks or inventory necessary for the closing.

8. Do a final walk-through of the property. Close to closing, you can do a final walk-through to confirm that any requested repairs have been completed and the property is ready for transfer of ownership.

9. Flex your fingers, and sign, sign, sign! At the closing meeting, your signature will be requested on many documents in multiple copies, which we will have provided in advance for you to read. After all signatures have been obtained, you will receive the keys to your new home!

10. MOVE IN! And enjoy!