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Anna Norman, Realtor

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United States
Atlanta, GA
Anna Norman, Realtor

▫️Helping the next generation become homeowners.
▫️Self-employed buyer specialist.
▫️Serving Atlanta and Northwest Georgia.

10/18/2022

True joy is finally getting to introduce your dogs and climbing a mountain.

07/27/2022

Continuing to rent or buying a home…which is right for you? With inflation and housing prices continuing to increase, one of the most surefire ways to protect yourself from future crazy rent prices or rising real estate costs is to buy now! If you are renting, your landlord can continue to increase your rent year over year, but when you buy your home, you pay the same monthly payment for as long as you stay in that home. Not only that, but you are also building equity as your home’s value increases. If you are even just thinking about getting out of the rent cycle and making the first steps toward purchasing a house, I would love to chat!

07/13/2022

Is the real estate market going to crash in 2022?

You may have heard whispers and rumors that a 2008-esque market crash is imminent. But if you look at what happened in 2008, there is almost no chance that a crash like that is coming again. The big crash of that time was caused by a myriad of factors including some pretty sheisty practices in the mortgage and appraisal industries. Easy, subprime mortgages made it so that people could borrow way more than they could afford, ultimately causing an upheaval when those payments couldn’t be made. New regulations within the industry were put in place to make sure that couldn’t happen again, so we don’t have to worry about a crash of that magnitude happening in 2022.

What we’re seeing right now in the market is the result of a supply and demand issue. Over the past few years, there have been way more buyers interested in purchasing homes than there have been homes on the market, causing a swift increase in real estate prices. Within the past few months, buyer demand has lowered a bit, and rising interest rates have caused things to gradually slow down, but we are still seeing home prices remain steady. Experts are even predicting that the prices of homes will continue to increase as 2022 continues. So no, a crash is not imminent, and if you’ve been waiting to buy after prices plummet, you may keep waiting forever. The good news though is that now is a great time to buy now that the crazy competition and bidding wars have slowed down. Real estate is always a long term investment, so it’s never too late or too early to get in. Make the move when you’re ready to make a change in your life.

06/14/2022

For the past six years, I have been working in the wedding industry as a videographer, and every day, I am realizing more and more just how much the wedding industry and real estate industry have in common.

1. Working one-on-one with clients. My favorite thing about weddings has always been working super close with my couples to guide them through one of the most important days of their lives, and now I get to work one-on-one with clients to guide them through one of the most important purchases of their lives!

2. Working as a team with other vendors. One of the most important things leading up to and on the wedding day is working and communicating with the other vendors involved to make sure our clients get the absolute best experience. In the same way, as your real estate agent, I am working with your lender, closing attorney, and the buyer/seller and their agent to make sure the whole process goes smoothly. Recommending other vendors is key in both industries as well. As a videographer, I can point my couples to the best florists, DJs, makeup artists, etc., and as a real estate agent, I can recommend the best home inspectors, closing attorneys, contractors, etc.

3. Buying a house without a real estate agent is like planning a wedding without a wedding planner. Sure, it can be done, but it’s going to be a hell of a difficult time and you’re going to regret not having one.

4. In owning my own creative business, I have learned how to market effectively and aesthetically, and I can do the same for you when listing your home! From staging, to photographing, to marketing your listing, I know all of the tools of the trade to get your home looking its best and getting it out to the world.

And there is so so much more. I have so much passion for both industries, but ultimately, the thing I care about most is making sure my clients have the best experience possible in making a huge life step!

06/07/2022

What is earnest money?

I’m not gonna lie, this is one that I didn’t even know about before I started my real estate education, which means it isn’t talked about enough!

Essentially, earnest money is like a deposit that shows that you intend to move forward with your contract. It gives the seller some peace of mind that you aren’t going to back out at the last minute or for no good reason. Earnest money is paid to the seller right after an offer is accepted to show that the buyer is serious.

Depending on the terms of your contract, as the buyer, you can get this money back during due diligence or if you have contingencies written into your contract that fall through, but once due diligence and contingency deadlines pass, the earnest money becomes non-refundable. But as long as the transaction moves forward smoothly, your earnest money will go towards your down payment or closing costs. So if you offer $5000 in earnest money and plan to make a $18,000 down payment, you would only owe $13,000 towards your down payment at closing.

So how much earnest money is customary? Buyers typically offer 1% to 3% of the purchase price of the home in earnest money depending on the market. So if you are purchasing a $350,000 house, it is typical to put down $3500 to $10,500 up front.

05/25/2022

When is the best time to buy a house? You probably hear it all the time—NOW is the best time to buy, or conversely, if you just wait until…

With so much conflicting advice, it’s hard to know who to listen to, but let me offer a different view: The best time to buy a house is when you are ready to buy a house. Simple as that. Don’t put your life plans on pause because you think the market is going to go down eventually. Don’t rush into a purchase that you’re not financially ready for because you think it’s the best time. There will always be ups and downs in the market, but buying a house is a long-term investment, and it is a quality of life investment.

So if you’ve got the savings and you’re ready for that next step—go for it! If you don’t even know where to begin, please reach out and I would love to give some advice. I truly believe home ownership is important, so even if you’re just trying to figure out when it would be viable for you to buy a home, I would love to just chat. The process of buying a house starts long before you actually start looking, and I would love to help you navigate and plan for that step.

With increasing mortgage rates, the market is finally starting to slow down, and we are likely to start seeing some price adjustments soon, but higher mortgage rates also mean that you won’t be able to afford as much as when interest rates were low, so there are advantages and disadvantages to every market. Lower prices don’t always mean lower monthly payments and vice versa. Just like with the stock market, if you are always trying to perfectly time it, you are most likely to be left with regrets, so stop trying to time the market and make that life change when it makes the most sense for, well…your life. ☺️

05/13/2022

I believe goal setting is so important. Two of my biggest life goals were to get my real estate license and to buy a house before turning 30, and I have accomplished both this year! Now all that’s left to do in 2022 is to get scuba certified!

What are your 2022 goals?

📸

05/12/2022

Here are four steps you can take to prepare for the home buying process as a self-employed worker:

1. Keep it consistent. The biggest thing lenders will look for when assessing your credibility as a borrower is consistent, verifiable income. For most lenders, this means that you will need to show at least two years of stable or increasing income on your tax returns.

2. Keep good records. Lenders will need a lot of documentation to verify your income as a self-employed worker, so keep good track of your income, expenses, profit and loss statements, and tax records.

3. Minimize business expenses. Writing off your business expenses may lower your tax liability, but it also lowers your self-employed income. Try to minimize business purchases and write-offs one to two years before buying a home in order to maximize your purchasing power.

4. Get a verified pre-approval. It is always important to get pre-approved when searching for a home, but it is especially important when you're self-employed. And make sure to ask your lender if they can provide a verified, underwritten pre-approval. You will have to submit a lot more documentation up front, but it will ensure that there are no surprises later in the loan process.

05/09/2022

There are a lot of perks to living in the city, but living near the Benz definitely has to be one of the best.

05/06/2022

We bought a house!!

Yesterday’s closing was a special one because we purchased our first home! Acting as both the buyer and buyer’s agent in the same transaction was such a great learning experience to see the sale through both sides.

Thank you so much to for all of your support through it all. So happy to have shared this experience with you!

If you need someone to help you through your own first home buying experience, please reach out! ☺️

05/03/2022

Back from a refreshing trip to Jekyll Island and can’t wait to tackle a full week of closing on our home, packing, and moving!

04/26/2022

Why is it harder to get approved for a mortgage as a self-employed worker, and what can we do about it? Swipe through to learn more. >

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