6 Pitfalls Most Home Buyers Fall Victim To

There are many great San Fernando Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 818-720-9922 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today, we share some of the pitfalls you'll face after being pre-approved, and how you can avoid them to ensure a smooth buying experience.

Here are a few things you need to keep in mind after being pre-approved:

1. Don't make any major purchases: Whether it's a car, boat, jewelry, furniture, or other expensive items, these are the kind of purchases you need to avoid when applying for a loan. If the lender sees a huge purchase, they will be forced to rerun your credit, which could be detrimental to your pre-approval. 
2. Don't apply for credit or other loans: This seems obvious, but you need to avoid doing this for the same reasons mentioned above.
3. Don't pay off any charges or collections: Unless specifically notified by your lender to do so, do not pay off any charges until after your purchase is complete.
4. Don't make any changes to your credit profile: A lot of people have an online credit service that monitors their credit. You don't want to make any changes to this profile during the approval process. Changing simple things like your address and your name could change your pre-approval status.
5. Don't change bank accounts: If you do, your lender will have to validate why you changed from one account to another. If this is something you want to do, make sure you wait until after you have closed escrow.
6. Don't make unusual deposits: Don't move large sums of money from one account to another, or deposit large amounts of money into your account, until after the deal is done. 

Thanks again for watching our video blog! We want to wish you a happy holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you next year!

Is an African Safari the Escape You've Been Craving?

There are many great San Fernando Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 818-720-9922 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today's blog comes to you all the way from Zambia, where I'm visiting the South Luangwa National Park. Considering the circumstances, I thought it might be fun to do something a little different than usual. So, I want to share with you the 3 best reasons to go on an African safari. 

1. Wildlife: There is really no other place on the planet where you can get this close to the wildlife. On an African safari, you can see endangered wildlife that you can usually only see in zoos. Imagine being able to interact with these animals in their own habitat, taking their part in the great circle of life. This is something you can really only do in Africa. 
2. Nature and Adventure: Africa is truly the birthplace of mankind. What better way is there to experience nature and adventure than coming out here to the bush. There are many ways you can see it: boat, four-by-four, or walking safaris are all available. From insects to large mammals, everything that works together in nature is here to be viewed and enjoyed by us.
3. Getting away from it all: The best part of coming out to this part of Africa is that there is very little internet, if any at all. When you're out here, you don't have access to your social media sites or your cell phone - it's a destination you can come to leave the hustle and bustle of city life behind! 

Thanks for joining us once again for our video blog! We hope you enjoyed this special edition. As always, give us a call or shoot us an email with all of your real estate questions and concerns. We would love to help you!