Robin Tidwell's Blog Posts

The San Angelo Association of Realtors has just announced their inaugural Scholarships offered to the Concho Valley. They will be offering TWO $1000 scholarships. One for general academics and the

Sellers can sometimes be anxious when they are putting their house on the market. Understandably so! There will be people walking in and out of their house and looking at it critically. You know all

A Conventional loan is a non-government loan that meets requirements set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and meets the funding criteria of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The upside of

There are typically 4 main components that make up your total monthly mortgage loan payment: Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance.The main part of the loan that everyone thinks about is

The VA loan program was originated and passed by the United States Congress in 1944. It is a mortgage loan created specifically for eligible military veterans, service members, and their spouses. It

An FHA loan is a loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration. The FHA program started in the 1930s during the Great Depression when the rate of foreclosures was quickly rising.FHA loans are

When you put your house on the market what is the protocol for pets during showings? There’s no clear answer to this question. Every family and pet have different needs but here are some

The final walk through is done by the buyer typically right before closing to make sure that everything is as it should be in the house they are fixing to purchase. Usually, at that point, the

The number of houses for sale across the nation is significantly lower than the number of active buyers in the housing market. Inventory has been at historic lows, but there is no shortage in the

You hear people talk about the amount of equity they have in a house, but what does equity really mean? When we’re talking about houses, equity is what the home is worth minus how much you owe

Mortgage Statement - you will need your mortgage statement initially for your Realtor to run a Net Sheet for you. A net sheet shows you the amount of $ you should walk away with at closing.

Follow buyers around during showings – Bottom line, it can make buyers uncomfortable. Buyers are less likely to take their time and truly visualize themselves in your house when a seller

There are a few ways to buy a house before or while selling your current home. The most common way is by using a contingency contract.A contingency contract is basically a normal purchase contract,

Here’s the topic that a sweet friend has been waiting for! As a seller do you have to disclose if someone passed away on the property?As you can imagine this is a touchy subject, but it is one

A real estate lockbox makes it easy to allow any interested real estate agent and buyers or real estate related professional to access the property.Homes with lockboxes typically get more showings

Selling a home can be stressful. Typically, when you put your house on the market you’ve worked hard to make your house look better for strangers than you do for your own family. It can be

Woah Woah, hold your horses for a minute! I know the contract is boring to read, but did you make it to paragraph 2? Paragraph 2b lays out the improvements on the property that stay (convey) with

Are you thinking about getting married? Is your goal to buy a house? Are you wondering if it’s better to buy before or after the wedding? Here are some things to consider if you live in Texas

Lots of people ponder the question “What is my home worth?”Well, it really depends on who you’re asking. Are you asking an appraiser for the appraisal value, the tax office for the

Smart home technology is the new upsell in real estate. Thousands of properties sell every day that have smart devices. Smart features allow a person to control devices remotely or allow its built

The negotiating is done, the contract is signed… but don’t open the champagne yet, we’re just getting started!The day after the contract is signed by all parties the termination

Compared to a completely updated home, you can save tens of thousands on the overall price of a home that needs a little work. This savings trickles down to a smaller monthly payment and a smaller

Not Clearing the ClutterIt’s hard to show the beauty and features of your home when it’s full of clutter. It may not seem like clutter to you, but remember, buyers need to be able to

House hunting has changed quite a bit over the past couple of decades. Now, more than ever, buyers begin their house search online before even contacting a real estate agent. It’s important to

Pack a suitcase for every member of the family as if you are going on a trip for a week.This will enable you to have each person’s necessities (Clothes, toiletries, towels, etc) for the first

A property survey is a professional drawing and report that shows the boundaries, property lines, building setback lines, structures, and easements of a specific piece of real estate. Basically, it

If you’ve purchased a home and it as your primary residence, then you should file for a homestead exemption with the Tom Green County Appraisal District to save money on your property taxes.

A home is usually your largest financial investment, properly preparing it to sell will get you the most return on your investment. Homeowners usually know they are going to sell 5-8 months before

If we’re talking about a home inspection that means that a buyer has put an offer in on a home, it was accepted, and they are officially under contract. Woo-hoo! Now, they are in the option

Curb appeal is like a first impression on a blind date. Good or bad, it is a lasting impression. No matter how magnificent your home looks on the inside, most buyers have already made judgements

Even though credit is only one piece of what a lender looks at, the short answer is yes! Lenders also look at employment history, income, cash on hand and debt. But since credit can be a pretty