Who Buys A Home Using Cash

Posted on by Arona A.


Individuals or entities that buy a home using cash are typically those who have the financial means to make the purchase without needing a mortgage or any other form of financing. Here are a few examples of who might buy a home using cash:

  1. High Net Worth Individuals: Wealthy individuals or families with substantial financial resources might choose to buy a home with cash to avoid the hassle of a mortgage application process and to secure the property quickly.
  2. Real Estate Investors: Experienced real estate investors often use cash to buy properties, as it can provide them with negotiating power, the ability to close deals quickly, and potentially better investment opportunities.
  3. Foreign Buyers: International buyers who are not eligible for local mortgages might use cash to purchase property in a different country.
  4. Retirees: Individuals who have saved up a significant amount for retirement might choose to purchase a home using cash to eliminate monthly mortgage payments and reduce financial obligations in their retirement years.
  5. Inheritance: Some individuals might inherit a property and decide to buy out other beneficiaries using cash.
  6. Sellers Downsizing: People who are selling their larger homes and downsizing might use the proceeds from the sale of their previous homes to purchase a smaller property outright.
  7. Trusts or Estates: Properties owned by trusts or estates might be purchased with available funds rather than going through the process of obtaining a mortgage.
  8. Company or Corporate Purchases: Businesses looking to provide housing for their employees, establish a corporate retreat, or for other purposes, might purchase homes using company funds.

Buying a home with cash has many advantages, such as avoiding interest payments and streamlining the buying process. However, it also ties up a significant amount of capital in the property, which could be used for other investments.

4 Upgrades that can help you lower your homeowner’s insurance cost

Posted on by Arona A.
reduce your insurance premium

Homeowners’ insurance premiums continue to rise each year. Here are some simple ways to not only lower your insurance premium, but they can also increase your property value.

  1. Do you have a bad roof that’s been leaking, has rotting wood, and is as old as you are? Did you know that insurers offer discounts for roof upgrades? Talk to your insurance agent and see what discounts are available with a new roof.
  2. Storm-Safe Windows and Doors can increase the value of your home, but it can also help you reduce your insurance premiums. Talk with your insurance agent to see what discounts are available to you.
  3. Install a Home Security System. This is an upgrade that’s relatively cheap and can reduce your insurance premium. Talk to your insurance agent.
  4. A Water shutoff device is another easy device that you can install which can help reduce your insurance premium. This device will alert you of moisture or leaks in places that shouldn’t have water. Talk with your insurance agent to see what discounts are available.

These are just a few of the things that can help you lower your insurance premiums. Don’t forget to contact your insurance agent when you get these upgrades to update your policy.

Your Home Buying Checklist

Posted on by Arona A.
Are you a home buyer in Pinellas County, Florida
  1. Separating your wants -vs- your needs.

Here are a few tips for home buyers that are shopping for houses. How to narrow down your search.

  • What do you need in a Home?
  • What do you want in a Home?

Before you even start shopping think about what you actually need in the home for you and your family. There is a huge difference in what you want compared to what you need. If you work from home all the time you may need a home office. If you work from home once a week you can also say I need a home office. Is a home office really necessary if you only work once a week from home? The bigger the home, the more expensive, so it helps to break down needs versus wants.

Arona McGinley Realtor in Tampa florida

2. Be realistic about your finances

Look at your finances, determine what you can afford to spend monthly for your mortgage. Do you have money for a down payment? Do you have money for escrow? This will determine what price range of homes you can afford.

3. Talk to Lenders, get pre-approved.

This is a letter from a lender that you give to the sellers to show that you are serious about buying their home. It says that the lender is committed to lending you this much to purchase their home.

Once you determine that you are ready to be a homeowner talk with a Realtor about market conditions. This is one of the biggest investments don’t just wing it.


Why is the Appraisal so critical to your real estate transaction?

Posted on by Arona A.
Arona McGinley Realtor in Tampa florida

Did you know that the appraisal can make or break your real estate sale? The appraiser works for the bank, not the seller or the buyer.

In real estate transactions, we have 3 significant players – the buyer, the seller, and the lender. The Appraiser is the eyes of the lender in the field. An Appraiser plays a vital role in every real estate transaction.

For example, we have a real estate transaction of a sale price of $300,000. The buyer is putting 10% down which is $30,000. He is getting a loan in the amount of $270,000. Everyone so far thinks this home is worth $300,000, obviously, the buyer thinks this because he made an offer for the sale price of $300,000.

The lender now sends the Appraiser out to the home to get an appraisal of what the home is worth. Here is where it can become pretty tricky. When the appraiser goes out here are a few things that can happen:

  1. The appraiser determines that the value of the home is higher than the sales price, maybe its $305,000 instead of $300,000. This is great news because we can go ahead with our transaction.
  2. The appraiser, appraisers the value of the home at $300,000 which is the sales price. Excellent! We move ahead with the transaction.
  3. The appraiser values that home lower than the sales price for example $290,000. This becomes a problem for all parties involved. A couple of things can happen here which is not so great for the parties involved.
  • The Lender can still lend the buyer the money to purchase the home but only for $290,000, not the $300,000 sale price.
  • The seller can either eat the $10,000 and sell the home for $290,000 instead of $300,000. This can sometimes happen, where the seller comes down to the new appraisal price.
  • The buyer can buy the home at $300,000 but would have to bring additional money to the table. You can see this happening in a seller’s market. The loan is now $290,000 with a down payment of $29,0000, the loan amount would be $261,000. The buyer has to bring an extra $10,000 to purchase the home at $300,000.
  • The last thing that can happen is that the whole transaction blows up because neither party is willing to negotiate.

You can see how the Appraiser is vital to a real estate transaction. It does not matter what the buyer or the seller thinks the home is worth. It matters what the Appraiser thinks…that’s what counts!

What is a 4 Point Inspection?

Posted on by Arona A.
4 POINT INSPECTION

Your offer has been accepted to purchase your dream home, and now you have to set up an inspection to make sure the home is in good condition.

When buying a home, you will have to get a home inspection if you’re getting a mortgage and even if you are purchasing with cash. You want to have a home inspection done no matter what the situation. By having a 4-point inspection done, it lets the bank or the homeowners know the quality of the home that they are purchasing.

A 4-point home inspection includes

  • Foundation
  • Roof
  • Electrical
  • Plumbing
  • HVAC systems
  • Damages caused by termites, flood, fire, and mold.

Any of the above can impact the value of your home. If a home inspection is not done, and later you find out that the foundation is cracked or the roof is rotted, this can be a costly fix for the buyer.

Once something is revealed in the home inspection you can negotiate with the seller for a lower asking price.

Who can do a 4-Point Home Inspection?

  • A Florida licensed general contractor
  • Architect
  • Building Inspector
  • Engineer
  • ASHI Home Inspectors
  • FABI Building Inspectors
  • NACHI Certified Home Inspectors

**A Home Owner cannot do a Home Inspection

Home Purchasing Costs & Fees

Posted on by Arona A.

Here are some of the costs that you will have when purchasing a home in Florida.

Are you Financially Prepared To Buy Your Home?

Posted on by Arona A.
are you financially prepared to buy your home

You’ve made the decision to purchase your home but are you financially prepared to buy your home.

Here are a list of things that you need to know now.

  • Evaluate your current Income versus your Expenses
  • Do you know your Credit Score?
  • Figure out what you can afford for your monthly payments
  • Do you have Savings?
  • Do you know your Debt to Income Ratio?

Are You Ready To Buy Your Home?

Posted on by Arona A.
Your guide to buying your first home -

Buying a home can be the most exciting time for you and your family. But don’t lose out on the home of your dreams by doing this alone. This is one of the biggest financial transactions of your life, and I want to help you by making this experience less stressful.

As you go through the process you may have questions on –

  1. Downpayment – How much is required as a downpayment of a home?
  2. How do I get a Mortgage for this home?
  3. How do I complete the Mortgage application?
  4. Do I have enough money saved up to buy this home?
  5. Do I have a good credit score?
  6. How do I write up an offer on my dream home?
  7. How do I negotiate to get the best price?
  8. How do I submit an offer on my dream home?
  9. What do I do when the Seller accepts my offer?
  10. How do I get the home inspected?
  11. How do I negotiate repairs?
  12. How do I get a title search?
  13. How do I get a survey?
  14. What are my closing costs?

There are so many things to think about when buying your home. Don’t go through this alone. Call/Text 727-422-9340 I can help you buy the dream home for you and your family.

5 Must-do Home Improvement Projects to sell your home in 2020

Posted on by Arona A.
5 home improvement projects to sell your home in 2020

You’re ready to sell your home, and although you’ve always kept your home in great condition you still need to do some extra maintenance. When selling your home your property has to be in tiptop shape if you’re going to get top dollar when you sell. If you’re selling your home you still want to have your home looking good on the inside as well as the outside. Even if your home is on the market for 3 months or more, you have to keep giving that home your love, even if you have already vacated the home. When your home looks like its well cared for, you get more people interested in looking at it and even get top dollar. Here are some tips that you may already be doing or neglecting.

  1. Landscaping – your lawn should be mowed, trees and shrubs trimmed, flower beds should look lush. Your driveway and walkways should be well lit without weeds and leaves on it.
  2. Gutters – people tend to forget that you get all sorts of debris in your gutters. Make sure that your gutters are cleaned out. By not doing this you can have all sorts of issues with your roof, walls of home and drainage issues. You don’t want to deal with overflowing drains if it rains, or damage walls or foundation issues or drainage issues when selling your home.
  3. Fix Broken things – Buyers tend to check to make sure the doorbell works. It’s one of the things that people tend to forget when getting their home ready for the sale. Lots of times it doesn’t work. This may be something small to you, but to buyers, this can be a big deal. Fix leaky faucets and running toilets.
  4. Critters – go around your home and make sure you don’t have squirrels or other critters living in your attic or other areas of your home.
  5. Clean Windows and Doors – If your home is on the market for more than a month you will have to get those windows and doors cleaned up. Get rid of cobwebs or spiderwebs that may have built up around them. Not doing this will make the home look neglected.

Get your punch list made up, and make sure you’ve got all of these little things taken care of. By doing these small things you can get more return on your investment.