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Episode 8 - Home Inspections: Sniffing Out the Issues

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Release Date: 03/08/2023

Episode 24 - Well and Septic: What Homebuyers and Sellers Should Know show art Episode 24 - Well and Septic: What Homebuyers and Sellers Should Know

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Episode 24 (Well and Septic: What Homebuyers and Sellers Should Know):   In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. Brad reviews the March year-over-year plus the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending.    In The Scoop, we're joined by a special guest - Tim Shotzberger of Homeland Environmental. We discuss the ins and outs of buying, selling, and owning a property with well and septic. It's a deep subject, but...

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Episode 23 - Insuring Your Home: Top Insider Tips show art Episode 23 - Insuring Your Home: Top Insider Tips

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Episode 23 (Insuring Your Home: Top Insider Tips):   In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. Brad reviews the March year-over-year plus the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending.    In The Scoop, we're joined by a special guest and insurance broker - Jeff Nengel of Baystate Insurance Group. We discuss the importance of having the proper coverage when buying a home, and some tips on what to consider when...

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Episode 22 - Behind the Curtain: The Role of Title Companies in Homebuying show art Episode 22 - Behind the Curtain: The Role of Title Companies in Homebuying

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Episode 22 (Behind the Curtain: The Role of Title Companies in Homebuying):   In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. Brad reviews the March year-over-year plus the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending.    In The Scoop, we're joined by a special guest and title attorney - Tom Drechsler of Sage Title Group. We discuss the work title companies do to ensure buyers can legally buy and sellers can legally sell...

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Episode 21 - Dollars and Sense: Financial Planning for Homebuying show art Episode 21 - Dollars and Sense: Financial Planning for Homebuying

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Episode 21 (Dollars and Sense: Financial Planning for Homebuying):   In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. Brad reviews the March year-over-year plus the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending.    In The Scoop, we're joined by a special guest and financial planner - Jason Piebes of Edward Jones. We discuss common sense financial planning to get ready for homebuying and for setting yourself up for...

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Episode 20 - VA Benefits: Homebuying for Our Service Members show art Episode 20 - VA Benefits: Homebuying for Our Service Members

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Episode 20 (VA Benefits: Homebuying for Our Service Members):   In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. Brad reviews the March year-over-year plus the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending.    In The Scoop, we talk about the benefits afforded to our armed forces members and veterans through the VA loan program.    In this week's The Unreal, we talk about a recent home price appreciation...

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Episode 19 - Winning the House: Top 10 Tips to Make Your Offer Stand Out from the Crowd show art Episode 19 - Winning the House: Top 10 Tips to Make Your Offer Stand Out from the Crowd

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Episode 19 (How to Make Your Offer Stand Out from the Crowd):   In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. Brad reviews the March year-over-year plus the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending.    In The Scoop, we talk about the challenges of the current market and the necessity for buyers to find ways to make their offers stand out from the crowd.   In this week's The Unreal, we talk about an...

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Episode 18 - To Buy, or Not to Buy: That Is the First-Time Homebuyer Question show art Episode 18 - To Buy, or Not to Buy: That Is the First-Time Homebuyer Question

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Episode 18 (Renting versus Buying a Home):   In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. Brad reviews the March year-over-year plus the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending.    In The Scoop, we talk about the decision facing all first-time homebuyers - should you buy or rent? We go over the pros and cons of both owning and renting and help explain when it may make sense to go one way or the other based on...

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Episode 17 - Planning Your Move: Insider Tips for a Successful Moving Experience show art Episode 17 - Planning Your Move: Insider Tips for a Successful Moving Experience

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Episode 17 (Planning Your Move, with Special Guest - Sam Perry, ):   In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. Brad reviews the March year-over-year plus the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending.    In The Scoop, we talk about some insider tips that will help your move go smoother when working with a moving company.   In this week's The Unreal, we talk about (again!) the loan level price...

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Episode 16 - Juggling Chainsaws: How to Buy and Sell a Home at the Same Time show art Episode 16 - Juggling Chainsaws: How to Buy and Sell a Home at the Same Time

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Episode 16 (How 'bout dem O's!):   In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. Brad reviews the March year-over-year plus the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending.    In The Scoop, we talk about the concerns and strategies for buying and selling a home at the same time.   In this week's The Unreal, we talk about the extraordinary flight of deposits from the regional banks.   In The...

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Episode 15 - Lemonade from Lemons: Renovating Your Home Before Selling show art Episode 15 - Lemonade from Lemons: Renovating Your Home Before Selling

Be Real: The Maryland Real Estate Podcast

Episode 15 (just a skunch over an hour - we're trying!):   In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. Brad reviews the March year-over-year plus the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending.    In The Scoop, we talk about renovating your home before selling, including updates that can provide the best return on investment (ROI), as well as options for funding the renovations (including one you may not have heard...

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More Episodes
Episode 8 (9 out of 10 dentists survey recommend our show. Also, we have a special guest!):
 
In The Rundown, Michael and Brad highlight the latest mortgage news and real estate market stats. Michael makes his next prediction for where interest rates are headed. So far batting a thousand! Brad reviews the last 7 days of real estate market activity and how the market is trending. 
 
In The Scoop, we're thrilled to have our first guest, Randy Cottrell from Blue Crab Inspections! We're talking the specifics of home inspections - what's included, how they're done, what types you can have, and even some unexpected kinds of inspections you might want to consider (hint: they're not just for buyers anymore).
 
In this week's The Unreal, we talked about a video Michael saw suggesting it's a good idea to borrow from yourself, not from the bank. Hmmmm....
 
In The Spotlight we feature Verde Pizza at 641 S Montford in Canton. They're @verdepizza on Instagram. If you like pizza, you have to try them - some of the best in the area! Plus they have salads, calzones, etc - and if you're gluten free (Brad finally listed to his much smarter kids and went gluten free, and now all is right with the world), their gluten-free crust is fantastic! Check them out!
 
Episode Highlights
  • What happened with mortgage applications over the past week? The sound effect of the week is "ooof."
  • Rates are higher and applications are down, but homes are still selling - especially the HGTV-ready properties
  • "Almost anything in a house is fixable."
  • Michael is a math wizard
  • Randy is a second-generation home inspection professional
  • We do air quotes on a podcast - is that a sign of a more serious problem?
  • The importance of emotional IQ in home inspections
  • Rick at Blue Crab is the bomb
  • [30:19] What goes into the home inspection process?
  • [32:26] The home inspector's not going to find everything - it's a visual inspection
  • [33:24] Brad steps on the lede
  • [34:23] For the outside inspection, we're focused on keeping Mother Nature out
  • [34:52] Shaking the toilets
  • [37:30] Do sellers try to hide things from the inspector?
  • [42:00] Highest radon listing we've ever seen
  • [48:00] Should buyers attend the home inspection?
  • [51:12] How about the buyers' dad?
  • [54:05] Concern about Randy's head fitting through the door from all the kudos
  • [57:20] We don't care about nail pops and other cosmetics
  • [1:00:50] Can an inspector help clarify how serious issues are?
  • [1:03:24] How people sometimes inflate the cost of repairs
  • [1:07:05] Inspectors see some crazy things
  • [1:11:10] The time they found 300 cats
  • [1:12:20] Should a seller get a home inspection before listing?
  • [1:14:49] Giving your home a regular physical
  • [1:19:52] The Unreal - Borrowing from yourself, not the bank?
  • [1:25:36] The Unreal - Girl Scout cookie prices
  • [1:27:46] The Spotlight - Verde Pizza!
  • Next episode: we're focused on Preparing Your Home for Sale (in preparation for the "spring" market)

Hosts

Michael Becker, Sierra Pacific Mortgage
NMLS #200085
[email protected]
(443) 310-0012 (m) / (410) 252-9000 (office)

Brad Cox, The Vesta Group of Long & Foster Real Estate
MD Lic #652795
[email protected]
(410) 375-7550 (m) / (410) 583-5700 (office)

Links

Michael Becker, Sierra Pacific Mortgage
Brad Cox, The Vesta Group of Long & Foster Real Estate
@berealmdpod