Month: March 2016

Home Buying Fears

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Fear-has-two-meaning-forget-everything-and-run-or-face-everything-and-rise-the-choice-is-yours

As I work with clients, many of whom are first time home buyers, my absolute favorite part of the process is seeing my clients face glowing with joy after signing closing papers because they have finally bought the home they dreamed of. Not rent; bought. Now I understand that renting has a time and place in everyone’s life and I am not against renting at all. But there is a certain point where we need to take a closer look at our life (and wallet) and start investing in the things that will return a margin for us.

If you’ve been following my Youtube channel (if not, Click here), we just got done discussing how much money you need to purchase a home. So if you have the amount needed to purchase a home and you still haven’t made the plunge, I am hoping you can relate to one of the following few reasons and I can help ease your fear.

Fear of the Unknown– When I hear this statement I think of a horror movie. Not knowing the future and what it holds can be terrifying, unless you have faith. When you were a kid, did you not go to the first day of high school because you were afraid of what would happen? Did you not go to that job interview because your fear held you back? Will you never get married because your afraid of what the future of the relationship might hold? Buying a house is certainly not as big as marriage, so if you plan to get married, buying a house is easy! Bottom line is, we never know what the future holds. But we do know that we are in God’s hands and with prayer and petition, buying a house is a great idea!

Affordability– This is a valid argument but 100% curable. Speaking with a lender will help you tremendously if you’re struggling to determine what you can afford. Kim Kurak with Highlands Mortgage is a great person to speak with. She will be able to place you in either a down payment assistance program (to help you keep more cash in your pocket) or lower your monthly mortgage payment to suit your financial comfort zone. Keep in mind that if you are single, having a few roommates who pay you rent will decrease or completely eliminate you from paying anything out of your own pocket towards your monthly mortgage payment.

Lack of Knowledge– This is why there are real estate agents (aka Kristin Perry), mortgage lenders, Title companies, etc. to help you with the process. It is impossible to know everything about the home buying process and owning a home before you actually do it yourself. But having a good real estate agent will help you learn what you need to know about owning a home and how to go about the home buying process. Trust in your realtor is key.

The list could go on but I hope to have covered at least a few of the fears involved in purchasing a home. At the end of the day, you’ve just got to take the leap. And quite honestly, it’s only a leap if you see it as one. For those who don’t, it’s just another smart investment.

If you are interested in speaking with a lender, contact Kim Kurak at 972-965-9098 or kkurak@highlandsmortgage.com

 

 

Reason for Easter Season

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For those of you who know me well, you know my life has changed dramatically within the past two years and it’s all credited to the man upstairs. This blog is focused on real estate and supplying my people (aka the millennials) with the information they need when buying/selling/leasing/investing real estate. BUT due to the significance of today and what happened on this day 2016 years ago, we’re going to discuss the reason for Easter season.

I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and played every sport imaginable. My parents raised and taught me to be independent, fight for what was right and, as my dad used to say, “the sky is the limit”. Needless to say, I am a little rough around the edges. A rebel at heart, I never listened to anything that anyone told me and if you told me not to do something, I did  it just to piss you off. Impulsiveness added spice to life and rules were mean’t to be bent (or broken). I knew about God and His Son and all the popular bible stories, but my heart didn’t understand the true meaning of Him or what he did for me.

Living life this way led to a lot of turmoil, trouble and down right pain. And it wasn’t until life hit rock bottom and wasn’t worth living anymore that I realized something needed to change.

It’s a darn good thing we have a good God because he was way ahead of me on this one. My brother began to push me to go to church and kept wanting to talk about God. Nearly every church service I felt like the pastor was talking directly to me. People who I thought were “friends” suddenly weren’t there for me anymore. Before I knew it, I was all alone in a California church with a chick from work I barely knew, surrendering my life to Christ because it had finally hit me that I was a sinner in need of a Savior.

And that sweet surrender changed my life.

You see, it’s because of Christ surrendering 2016 years ago that I was able to surrender. He didn’t want to be mocked, spit on, beaten, and killed. But because he loved the Father, he surrendered his life and gave it up, for us. And because the Father loves us, he accepted Jesus’ death as full payment for our sins. And because of the Lord’s power and love, he raised Jesus from the dead three days later. And because he raised Jesus from the dead, he has also raised me from the dead and given me life; new life. (2 Corinthians 5:17).

As we celebrate this beautiful Friday off from work and school, consider what He did for you. It was significant enough for the calendar to reset so it is surely significant enough for you to think about. God loves you. He’s calling you. Go to Him.

What’s the Reason for your Easter Season?easter-day-prayers