There are a few mistakes that many first-time home buyers make. Here are three of the most common mistakes and how you can avoid them when purchasing your first Thomasville home.

Mistake #1: Assuming your credit is good.
The information in your credit report determines whether you can get a loan — and how much interest you will have to pay – so it pays to be certain your credit reports are accurate.

Check your credit reports for free from all three credit reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to make sure everything is correct. If you find errors, contact both the credit reporting company and the information provider (the person, company or organization that provided information about you to a credit reporting company) involved in the errors and ask them to fix the credit report errors.

Mistake #2: Getting pre-qualified, not pre-approved, for a loan.
It's far better to be pre-approved for a loan than to be pre-qualified. Here’s why…

With pre-qualification, your lender does a preliminary evaluation of your ability to pay for a home and gives an estimate of the mortgage amount they’ll give you. The lender does not verify the information you provide.

With pre-approval, your lender verifies your income, assets, debts and credit history. They provide you with written confirmation of the mortgage amount for which you’re approved. That written confirmation demonstrates to the seller that you are committed to buying; this can give you an advantage over other buyers.

Mistake #3: Allowing emotions to influence your decisions.
Buying a home is an investment. It needs to be treated as any other investment. You don't buy stocks because they are pretty and you shouldn't pick your Thomasville home that way either. Make sure the home you buy fits your needs and allows you room to grow over the next few years. As with any sound investment, time is the key to a good return.

If you are a first-time home buyer, we would be happy to help you find (and get the best price for) your first Thomasville home. Give First Thomasville Realty a call today at 229-226-6515 or email me at info@FTRealty.com .

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about the estimated Thomasville real estate values provided by online sources (such as Zillow or Trulia), so we thought we’d answer a few of the most frequently asked questions here today.

Why is the price you think my home can sell for different than the estimated home values provided by online real estate sources?

Because computer programs set those prices. Here’s how it works in general. A computer pulls the description of your Thomasville real estate from public records. Using that extremely basic information, such as square footage and number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the computer comes up with a price for your home.

Computer programs cannot personally visit your home and other homes in your neighborhood to see the differences and similarities. For example, they cannot see that your home has recently been painted and renovated.

Are there any circumstances in which those computer generated values are at least fairly accurate?

The estimated home values could be in the ballpark if all the following are true:

• Your home is in a subdivision in which homes are very similar;
• Several homes just like yours have sold recently;
• Homes are not being sold as short sales or going into foreclosure;
• Your home is newer and has not had a major renovation or addition that is not in the public records.

While it’s fun to go online to see what your neighbor’s home sold for, don’t use that information as the final word on what your home could sell for in today’s market.

If you’d like a free, in-person, professional analysis of what your home in the Thomasville real estate market could sell for, give First Thomasville Realty a call today at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com . No obligation, just information.

Exciting News - Due to unprecedented popular demand, Steven Clawson’s Welcome Home Concert is moving to the Thomasville Municipal Auditorium. Please spread the word and help us sell out this great evening of music with one of Thomasville’s favorite sons and one of Troupe’s outstanding alumni – Friday, Aug. 19th, 7:30 p.m. Call the Thomasville Visitors Center at 229-228-7977 to get tickets today!

Yes, it’s still a buyer’s market, and there doesn’t appear to be a change coming any time soon. What makes this a buyers’ market? There are more homes for sale than people who want to buy them. That means it takes longer for homes to sell, and buyers can be pickier.

If you want or need to sell your Thomasville home, here are four tips to help you do that in today’s real estate market:

1. Be choosy about the real estate agent you hire. Interview at least three agents. Ask questions about how they’d market your Thomasville home. You want someone who markets aggressively and uses both online and offline marketing techniques. Find out how many homes they’ve sold in your neighborhood within the last six months. You want an agent who has recently sold homes in your area - not just listed them, but actually taken them all the way through to closing.

2. Implement the advice you get from your agent. Find out what you should do to prepare you home for sale by asking, “What changes should I make to my home?” Then do what your agent recommends before putting your home on the market. What might seem unimportant to you can mean the difference between selling your home quickly and having it sit on the market for months. Today’s buyers can afford to be picky, so they consider even minor home maintenance issues a sign of neglect and a reason not to buy your home.

3. Price it right. You’ve taken the time to hire a knowledgeable agent. Now, take his or her advice, especially when it comes to pricing. They have the tools and up-to-date information needed to find out what homes similar to yours have sold for recently and how much you can get for yours.

4. Be willing to negotiate. If you’re unwilling to make concessions, buyers are willing to walk away. Remember, with the large number of homes for sale, buyers have many other options.

Yes, it’s more challenging to sell your home in a buyer’s market. But it is definitely possible, if you are proactive.

If you’re ready to work with agents who have a proven marketing plan that gets Thomasville homes sold faster and for the most money possible, give First Thomasville Realty a call today at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com .