Suzanne Lancaster

Mr. and Mrs. Surkan,

I would be happy to assist you with pricing your home and give you some great marketing ideas for this area. I do not know if you are currently in Florida or in the Zachary area at this time... I would welcome discussing with you what the market is doing right now.... and what you can expect when selling your home in High Plains Crossing... feel free to call me anytime on my cellular at 225/302-1551. - Sun Oct 19 2008, 17:24

The person below is correct... however, not completely.. Georgia is reciprocal to many states. I became licensed in Georgia in 2002. I came home to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina to aid in disaster recovery efforts. I received my "reciprocal" license. When you call the Georgia commission they give you a list, however when looking a relocating from Louisiana, I am finding I am reciprocal with more locations than I thought. However, in Florida you do have to take the state test. In Georgia we have to wait 3 years to become a broker, Louisiana 2, North Carolina it's immediate. Things are different everywhere. I always contact NAR, and the commission of the state I'm in and interested in reciprocating or transfering to, as well as the local board. - Sun Aug 17 2008, 13:05

Dear Home buyer,
You should find an agent you enjoy working with and utilize their services. When an agent represents a buyer, the comission is paid from the selling side. It is a free service to you. They can give you a detailed CMA, look at solds on resale in subdivision, and solds on new construction. New construction will be more than a resale in a mixed subdivision of new and old. If you love the house, are looking for long term committment to the home, go for it. If you like the house, looking at resale value, maybe moving up or out in 3-7 years would think twice about buying this home. Buying a home is the largest investment most people make in their lifetime. There's a fine line between buying for investment purposes and buying with your heart, because it is going to be your home. A realtor can talk with you about your individual situation and your goals and help you work out what is the best direction based on your individual needs and wants. There are a lot of great professionals out there. (also some not so good ones). Call a few on the phone, see how your rapport goes, do they listen, do they give you time, are they responsive, and find you a great agent.
I live in the Zachary area, and work EBRP, W. Feliciana, and E. Feliciana... If you would like further assistance, please feel free to call me anytime on my cellular at 225-302-1551. - Mon Aug 11 2008, 07:28

For East Baton Rouge Parish, the following are numbers and departments that will be of use to you:
For tax assessment. call 225-389-4810
The Clerk of Court and Public Service is 225-389-3950
The Mortgage Department is 225-389-3975
Call these people before going down there... it will be a much easier process. May not even have to make a trip to court house. Location of court house is 222 St. Louis St.
This should make it quick, simple, and stress free to get a copy.
Suzanne L. Lancaster, Realtor
Zachary, Louisiana - Mon Aug 11 2008, 07:21

Doesn't take 60 days to close, you can close in as little as 3 weeks. If you put in an offer, it is accepted, the mortgage company then sends out the appraiser, if all goes well, then comes the inspection process, if nothing major needs to be fixed or only minor repairs, your good to go, then mortage company knows it's a go, title company starts abstract, packet can be ready in about 5 business days mortgage company to closing attorney... your at the table. Seller may want a week or two to move out, never good idea to pack and have u-haul loaded prior to closing, if it doesn't close then your living in your empty house with you packet suit case, then if you were preparing to close on the house you were moving to, obviously they can't close, because the persons house you were buying didn't close, then another homeless (sort of) family... lots of things can dictate a closing date. If you sign something and don't want to move in or close until your lease ends, then let your agent know that. You might find something and want to close at thanksgiving and seller might not want to close until after holidays, you never know.... Start looking around now, if you know what you want and what area, then when your serious, take a look at all the actives in the area that fit your criteria, you will know when you find the one. Buying a home is the "biggest" financial transaction most people will ever make in their lifetime. How often do you go out and speend 200 grand, not often if your the majority of the popuulation. I know I'm not giving you a direct answer to your question, but as you can see there isn't one. Every day in buying and selling real estate is different. No two transactions are alike. - Tue Jul 15 2008, 18:29

Dear Don,

I will have to agree with her getting a feel for where she wants to live... as far as partially agreeing with the gentlemen below your response, I would agree to disagree. .... I stated that if you don't know what you can afford or what you can afford vs. what you can spend... you really don't know where to start. And, dear home buyer, if you have narrowed down your search to areas you may be unfamiliar with... IT IS VERY VALUABLE to have a realtor that is familiar with the area drive you around and give you an overview... you will get realtors that do not want to do this, as they say, time is money, but if your a serious buyer, wether looking to buy in 2 weeks or 6 months, there are realtors that are willing to build that relationship and help you thru the process.... Once your qualified if you wait to buy, interest rates may go up or down, you may make financial decisions that change your approval, or your approval may get outdated... that is OK.. you can get pre-approved again.. etc... however when you speak to a mortgage person they will explain all that to you.....You just don't want to go around town letting everyone PULL YOUR CREDIT, get pre-approved... find out your financial options, start looking around, make some calls, then when your serious.. GO FOR IT!!! - Tue Jul 8 2008, 18:34

Dear home buyer, I responded to one of your other questions.... "PRE-QUALIFIED PRE-QUALIFIED, and GET PRE-QUALIFIED!!!!" It is a must, if you find the home you want and your not pre-qualified, your offer may not be taken seriously and you will have to provide the documentation with 5-10 business days or your dead in the water... also when you write a purchase agreement you have 10-14 days to do an inspection.... If your so busy trying to get qualified... then what... also, the inspection costs money. If you don't do an inspection and it turns out the house needs a new roof, has termites then OH WELL!!! Your out of luck... Certain things must be done, in other words "time is of the essence" once you get an accepted purchase agreement. Also being qualified at 6% vs. 6.5% can make a world of difference in your payment... If you buy a home in baker vs. Zachary, your looking at a huge difference in your monthly note due to PROPERTY TAXES... best to know up front what YOU ARE QUALIFIED FOR AND WHAT YOUR GENERAL NOTE - it's just an estimate will be!! Just because you qualify for 200k, doesn't mean you want a 1300.00 a month house payment... Then when you do find a home and an area, you can get a more realistic estimation of what the house payment will be and go from there... GOOD LUCK - Tue Jul 8 2008, 16:47