Before you start your Hilton Head property search, you want to know how much you can afford, right?  There are two ways to do this: with a mortgage pre-qualification and a mortgage pre-approval. As a Hilton Head buyer, the pre-approval is more valuable to you during your property search.  Here’s why.

How Pre-Approvals Help Hilton Head Buyers

One of the main differences between mortgage pre-qualification and mortgage pre-approval is how the lender gives you the mortgage amount.

For pre-qualification, you give the mortgage lender your general financial history (including debts and income), and the lender gives you a mortgage estimate. For pre-approval, the lender digs deep into your credit report and gives you the exact loan amount.

If you’re choosing between getting pre-qualified for a home mortgage and getting pre-approved, choose to get pre-approved. Here are the top three reasons why:

3. Shop for Hilton Head Real Estate with a check in your pocket!

There are no estimates in a pre-approval. The lender has looked into your credit history and you’ve given the required documentation to go through with the pre-approval process.  A mortgage pre-approval is not a commitment to the loan, but it paves the way to transition into applying for a specific property — your dream home in your price range.

2.  You Can Narrow Your Hilton Head Property Search

Searching through online listings can be tedious.  How do you narrow down your Hilton Head Property search and eliminate properties that don’t work?

When you’re pre-approved, you’ll know exactly what you can afford, and you can tailor your property search around the mortgage amount. Now you can easily search through the listings with confidence and knowledge on what you can afford.

1. Hilton Head Sellers Will Take Your Offer Seriously

Hilton Head sellers like to see that you’re pre-approved — it tells them that you’re serious about buying their property.  In fact, when you’re competing with other buyers to make the best offer on your dream property, being pre-approved will give you the competitive edge over buyers who are not.

We’re Your Hilton Head Real Estate Experts

If you want more information about the mortgage pre-approval process or about finding the perfect property that fits your lifestyle, contact us today and we can get started. We’d be happy to answer any questions you have about the mortgage pre-approval process in the Hilton Head Area.

The post Top 3 Reasons to Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage appeared first on Dakno Blog.

September is quickly approaching! That means it’s time to bring out the jackets, long-sleeve shirts, and denim jeans.

But what are you doing to bring your home into fall?

Here are a few easy decorating ideas you can do to welcome the cooler temperatures and beautiful colors into your home.

DIY Home Decorating Tips for Fall

You don’t have to paint your walls or buy new furniture to get your home ready for fall.

Instead, you can use some simple seasonal tricks to welcome autumn leaves and pumpkin spices into your home, and impress your visitors in the process.

1. Bring Out the Cinnamon- and Pumpkin-Scented Candles

The smell of those warm spices gently wafting throughout your home is enough to energize you for the season.

Light a few candles in your kitchen or living room, as well as other rooms that receive the most traffic in your home. Your home will be looking — and smelling — festive in no time.

2. Stick a Seasonal Flag Outside

Personalize your front yard by placing a welcoming fall flag by the mailbox, in your front garden, or hanging from your front porch. Let people know that you’re ready for autumn!

3. Swap Out Your Dining Table Centerpiece

Put the colorful summer tones away for next year and bring out your festive fall accents.

Make a seasonal statement with the centerpiece on your dining room or kitchen table. Some simple autumn centerpiece ideas include:

• red, orange, and yellow pillar candles
• roses or colorful leaves in a vase
• small pumpkins
• old-fashioned lanterns
• a bowl of apples

4. Hang a Festive Wreath on Your Front Door

Add some fall foliage, colorful ribbon, or burlap accents to an autumn wreath and catch the eye of your friends and neighbors.

People tend to notice your home’s decorations when they first spy your house, which is why front door accents are often included in tips for increasing curb appeal. Display your fall home readiness with a red, gold, and brown wreath on your door!

5. Decorate Your Shelves with Pine Cones and Oak Leaves

If you have a mantle above your fireplace or an empty space on a bookshelf, fill it with simple arrangements of fall foliage — pine cones, oak leaves, acorns, and pumpkins.

To truly make a statement with your decor, pair vibrantly colored leaves with a white or neutral color base, and enjoy the display capture the attention of passersby.

6. Put a Pumpkin on Your Front Porch

Nothing says fall as much as a round pumpkin sitting on your porch steps.

When pumpkins come in season, you can purchase one for Halloween fun or simply as a seasonal accent.

Staging Your Home for Sale This Fall?

These DIY home decorating tips work well to increase your curb appeal if you’re selling your property this season.

If you have any questions about home staging tips or about selling your home, contact us at any time. We would be happy to provide you with the answers you need.

The post 6 Simple Home Decorating Ideas for Fall appeared first on Dakno Blog.

One of the best stories about price per square foot came up when a client and his agent were standing in the driveway of a home on Hilton Head Island.  The buyer could not understand why the home was priced so much higher per square foot than any of the other homes he had seen that day.  He asked his agent for the reason and her reply as she looked at his car was, “How much per pound did you pay for that Mercedes?”  Bottom line, if you like a Mercedes buy the Mercedes and if you like the house, buy the house! Read the rest of this entry

Exploring Hilton Head Real Estate?  We have listed below tools and links that will help mapping out your search.  Real estate in the Hilton Head Area offers villas(the local word for both town-homes and condos), homes and lots(the local word for residential building sites).  Some of the best real estate is currently offered for sale!  Happy searching!

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The golf courses in the Hilton Head Low Country offer challenge and fun for the entire family.  Not only are they fun to play, the best thing about a golf course in your backyard is you can enjoy the natural beauty, the breezes and wildlife without maintaining it.

The map below shows the location and clicking the link will give you more information including directions and phone numbers.  After playing a course in the Hilton Head Area, give us a call at (843)785-7111 or shoot us an email and we will send you properties listed for sale on your favorite hole, just let us know.

Did you know that one out of every three listings on most real estate web-sites(including Zillow) either do not exist, were sold years back or are mispriced today.   We refer to these as “ghost listings” and have had calls from very frustrated buyers trying to find them.  The best way to avoid the ghost hunt is to go straight to the source for Hilton Head Real Estate information.  Listed below are Hilton Head MLS approved apps every serious buyer should download. Read the rest of this entry

Nothing like a stabilized economy to kick vacation property sales into high gear!   Prospective buyers for vacation homes and villas have been sitting on the fence waiting for signs that the economy was A-OK before sticking their big toe in the water.  Factors including stable or increasing primary home values across the country and a rebound in stocks give way to confidence that is needed to buy a vacation property.  With summer months ahead, the perfect Buyers storm for vacation properties is about to happen on Hilton Head Island.   Here’s why: Read the rest of this entry

Dear friends, fellow agents and clients~

Whether vacationing, selling, buying, renting or maintaining property in the Hilton Head area, this short survey will help us better understand how we can meet your needs now or in the future.

Please take no more than 2-3 minutes, answer only what you want to and we will register you to win a big Hilton Head Properties  beach towel!  We will draw and announce 4 winners June 1 in this blog post.

Just click on the link below.  Thank you.

Click here and we will send the survey. 

Thanks again.

My Best,

Robbie Bunting

With consumer confidence at the highest level in over  a decade, Millennials, Seven Year Olds, Baby Boomers, Half Backs and Be Backs are all lining up for Hilton Head and Bluffton Real Estate.  Spanish Moss and Moon Beams may be the catalyst, but it’s time for both buyers and sellers to join the herd!

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