BUYERS
Over the last 22 years, Katerina has been a homeowner, a tenant, and a landlord. Katerina has concluded that nothing beats homeownership (unless you are in a transitional phase of life).
Whether it is your first home or your tenth home, a retirement home, or investment property, Katerina makes your home-buying experience a memorable one filled with fun and excitement. She can help you find the ideal home with the least amount of hassle and she is committed to using her expertise and the full resources of her office to accomplish these results.
Purchasing a home is an important decision and a big undertaking in your life. In fact, most people only choose a few homes in their lifetime. Katerina makes sure that you are well equipped with up-to-date information for your big decision. She is prepared to guide you through every phase of the home-buying process. Katerina wants to educate and advocate for all her clients - and she does!
Why Buy
Appreciation potential; you are making an investment instead of throwing away rent money and essentially paying off somebody else’s mortgage
Typically, your mortgage will be fixed, but rental rates will go up over time, and often rental rates are more than your mortgage payment
Leverage; where else can you make such a big investment with only a small percent down and incredibly low-interest rates
Tax benefits
Over time, you can use your equity to make more investments or pay off debt (money that you would not have accumulated paying rent)
You can customize the home to you and your style, with the colors and finishes that make you happy and give you peace
You can stay (or leave) when you want instead of your landlord announcing that he/she is selling in 2 months and you have to move out
You can fully unpack and settle in, instead of having that uneasy feeling that this is not permanent
You don’t have to answer to your landlord for every little thing
You look like a responsible adult on paper 😊
You can do yard work and enjoy the fruits of your labor over time instead of thinking about how you’re going to uproot that beautiful rosebush you so lovingly planted and cared for
Shall I mention the sense of security, pride, and quality of life?
Which Neighborhood?
There are many factors to think about when choosing a neighborhood that is right for you. You may think of others that are important to you as well, make sure to jot them down and share with me. Neighborhoods have special characteristics designed to best suit single people, families, couples, or retirees.
Drive through the entire area at different times of the day, during the week and weekend.
Make sure the homes are maintained the way you like and would see yourself living in. Are the yards well cared for, do you want sidewalks, where are people parking their vehicles, underground utilities, etc.
Get friendly, talk to people who are outside that live in the neighborhood you’re interested in.
New Construction
Why use a real estate agent to purchase a new home?
For the same reason, you would not use the same attorney for both sides of any transaction. You want somebody exclusively looking after your best interest. The sales agent, along with the builder, represents their best interests, as it should be. At first glance, everybody gets excited when it comes to new construction, but there are so many details conveniently buried in that long builder contract. If you do not know what you are looking for, you may be in for some irremediable surprises halfway through construction. After years of selling new construction (and personally designing and developing homes), I hope to offer my experience, knowledge, and know-how to my buyers. In anything real estate, being proactive is far less risky than being reactive.
