Eric Bramlett's Blog: All Categories

Purchasing a home is a big step, and a big decision.  The average person spends around 1/3 of their income on their home.  The home that you choose has a big impact on your life, and can have a big impact on your finances, as well.  It always surprises me when Buyers attempt to “go at it alone” because of the possibility of mistakes.  A good Buyer’s Agent is invaluable to a Buyer, and can be the difference between a wonderful transaction, and a nightmare.

1) Full Access to the MLS

The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is a powerful tool that only Realtors have access to.  When listing agents market a home for sale, they typically allow any Realtor to present the home to potential buyers, and to present contracts for purchase.  The MLS is a database of all…

People with great credit scores have earned them for a reason – they have always borrowed money, and paid it back on time. There’s really no trick to what they’ve done, and there is no one action that will help you get a great credit score. When someone asks me how to earn a good credit score, I tell them to look at the spending habits of those with great scores, and to develop the same habits. Here are the 7 habits of people with great credit scores.

1) Never Pay Cash

People with great credit scores want every purchase to count. And a purchase doesn’t count unless the 3 bureaus know about it! The only way to make sure that the bureaus know how much money you’re spending is to put everything on your card(s.) Rather than deposit your paycheck and spend,…

Purchasing your first home is a big step, that comes with some very serious decisions. Many homebuyers are intimidated by the process, and continue renting much longer than they should, or need to. However, if you break the homebuying process down into these simple steps, and follow these important tips, you will find the process less intimidating, and much more manageable.

1) Before You Begin, Ask Yourself One Question

Will you live in your next home for at least 3 years? If the answer is “Yes,” you should probably purchase, rather than continue renting. With average appreciation, you’ll break even on your closing costs after 2 years, and start making money at year 3. Every year after that will put more money in your pocket! The most expensive aspect of…

Your home loan is almost as important as the home you choose.  Small changes on paper – ½% here, ½% there – can mean BIG changes to your monthly payment, and thousands of dollars over the lifetime of your loan.  Today, it seems as though there are thousands of mortgage brokers & lenders in every market – and there are!  Unless your brother, sister, Dad, or best friend are a mortgage broker (and sometimes even when they are) your lender might not always be the most competent, or have your best interests in mind.  Here are 7 easy steps to take when looking for a home loan.

1) It Pays to Shop!

There are thousands of mortgage brokers in any market, and hundreds of loan programs that each broker will usually have access to.  Each loan program fills a niche…

Everyone loves to update their homes, and if you live in an older home in an appreciating neighborhood, it can be a fantastic investment.  There are some pitfalls to avoid, which can cost a homeowner quite a bit of money because of no return on investment.  However, it’s better to focus on what TO do and stay the course.

1)      Raise the Roof!!!

Not literally, but gut the attic, and raise the ceiling in, at least, the living room.  Older homes typically have 8 foot ceilings, and it’s one of the first characteristics that buyers notice.  It’s relatively inexpensive, when you compare your return on investment, to demolish the ceilings of your older home and sheetrock over your new, vaulted ceiling.  It’s amazing how much larger and lighter your home…

Everywhere you look, there are advertisements for Real Estate, and for Real Estate Agents.  We’re everywhere!  The reason is pretty simple:  It’s not extremely difficult to get your real estate license, a college degree is not required, and the income potential is pretty high.  Unfortunately, this means that there are a lot of BAD Real Estate Agents out there.  The BEST way to find a good professional – in any industry – is to ask for a referral from a trusted friend or colleague.  This does not, however, mean that any person referred to you is a quality professional – everyone has a brother, sister, aunt, uncle, or cousin who is in the business, after all – but it will increase your odds.  There are a few questions that you should ask ANY Real Agent…