Lori Schildkraut - Under Contract? Smooth Moves to get to the Closing Table with Ease

06/15/19 • 26 min

The Perfect Property Podcast: An Atlanta Real Estate Guide

Summary: In this episode of The Perfect Property, Juli St George talks with Lori Schildkraut. Lori is an admin for Perfect Property Real Estate Team and works behind-the-scenes to take clients as smoothly as possible from contract to closing. Originally from New York, Lori has lived in the South for over 25 years and now shares her expertise within the Atlanta real estate market.

With 25 to 50 people involved in a contract after it’s signed, Lori is the one who orchestrates all the moving parts to give the buyer the best and easiest experience possible. Lori and Juli discuss what a contract means, what needs to be done, what the timeline is, and a few common mistakes that most buyers make. They also touch on terminating contracts and a few tips on electronic signing.

What You’ll Learn:

· What does Lori do for clients? (0:27)

· Who is looking at or working on the contract? (2:47)

· What comes right after signing a contract? (4:09)

· First tip for buyers: Read your emails! (10:03)

· Looking at every contract individually (13:02)

· Advice to homebuyers (15:43)

· How often do people terminate contracts? (16:31)

· How many transactions has Lori worked on? (20:33)

· The number one mistake people make (21:40)

· Tips on electronic signing (22:46)

· How long Lori has been in the south (24:17)

Key Points:
“I orchestrate everything that’s going on. You sign a contract and immediately the clock starts ticking... There are 25 to 50 people involved in every contract and with everything that’s going on behind the scenes, I’m sitting back and orchestrating it all so that when you sit down at the closing table, you have the best experience that you could possibly have.”

“Part of what I try to bring to the table is some sense of consistency and try to share that with the buyer and the seller so they know what it is they need to look at first, what they need to do first.”

“A home inspection really is just a road map for what else you need to discover during that time period.”

“The main thing is to go with an agent that you feel comfortable with. I think it’s really important to be able to be open and honest with your agents. Sometimes it might be some uncomfortable conversations — I like to call them courageous conversations — that you might need to have. But you have to be able to talk about things and work through them.”

“If you could pay rent on an apartment each month, you certainly can afford to buy a house and own property and hopefully gain equity.”

“If you don’t know what you need to do next or what you need to look at first, ask! Let’s have that conversation.”

Links:

Juli’s Email: [email protected]

Juli’s Phone Number: 404-668-8975 (call or text)

The Perfect Property Website. www.theperfectproperty.com

https://linktr.ee/julistgeorge

What You’ll Learn:

· What does Lori do for clients? (0:27)

· Who is looking at or working on the contract? (2:47)

· What comes right after signing a contract? (4:09)

· First tip for buyers: Read your emails! (10:03)

· Looking at every contract individually (13:02)

· Advice to homebuyers (15:43)

· How often do people terminate contracts? (16:31)

· How many transactions has Lori worked on? (20:33)

· The number one mistake people make (21:40)

· Tips on electronic signing (22:46)

· How long Lori has been in the south (24:17)

“A home inspection really is just a road map for what else you need to discover during that time period.”

“If you could pay rent on an apartment each month, you certainly can afford to buy a house and own property and hopefully gain equity.”

“If you don’t know what you need to do next or what you need to look at first, ask! Let’s have that conversation.”

Links:

Juli’s Email: [email protected]

Juli’s Phone Number: 404-668-8975 (call or text)

The Perfect Property Website. www.theperfectproperty.com

https://linktr.ee/julistgeorge

Previous Episode

JR Prince - Prospect Home Inspector's own Top Atlanta Home Inspector

Summary:

JR Prince is the guest on this episode of The Perfect Property. JR is a home inspector with Prospect Inspections and has inspected thousands and thousands of homes in the past eight years. He is a certified home inspector and knows what to look for when it comes to home safety! In this episode, he shares his expertise as well as a few of his own home inspection stories.

JR and Juli chat about the importance of getting a home inspection — both financially and for your safety! JR also talks about the most common code violations, what you need to know about radon testing, and what you should look for when choosing a home inspector. He covers more practical information like the average cost of a home inspection and what you as a buyer can expect to receive at the end of a home inspection.

What You’ll Learn:

· Why is it important to get a home inspection? (0:28)

· What problems does JR see most often on home inspections? (1:54)

· What about mold? (3:42)

· JR’s home inspection horror stories (4:47)

· Common code violations (7:43)

· Qualifications to look for when searching for a home inspector (10:19)

· What you need to know about radon and safety (12:16)

· Home inspections, wildlife, and rodents (16:01)

· Gutters and how water should be properly diverted (20:09)

· What’s important for home buyers to know (22:20)

· What if something is found during a home inspection? (23:18)

· What can buyers expect at the end of a home inspection? (24:22)

· What sort of home inspection report does JR provide to clients? (25:01)

· The average cost of a home inspection (27:11)

Key Points:
“It’s important for the buyer to have a home inspection completed so that way they get a better understanding of the overall condition of the property.”

“The average home inspection takes about three hours to complete.”

“What some people would think is a quirk or characteristic of an older home may be signs of a more significant problem that would need further investigation.”

“First and foremost, you want to ask if they’re a certified home inspector.”

“One of the things that we always counsel our home buyers on is radon. Radon is a natural gas but it’s also a dangerous gas to have in your house at certain levels.”

“Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.”

“If you haven’t had a radon test, you can go ahead and schedule one at any time.”

“If you haven’t had one previously done, they recommend every two years to have your home tested [for radon].”

“Rats are a major issue. I haven’t seen a home yet that is rodent-proof, especially being inside the perimeter.”

“Your gutters should terminate at least six feet away from the home and be directed away.”

“It’s very important to do the proper maintenance on your home. It can save you thousands in costly repairs down the road.”

“You’ll save thousands in potential damages or potential litigations just based on the fact that you got your home inspected prior to purchasing it.”

Links:

Juli’s Email: [email protected]

Juli’s Phone Number: 404-668-8975 (call or text)

The Perfect Property Website. www.theperfectproperty.com

https://linktr.ee/julistgeorge

Next Episode

The Top Ten Awesome Reasons Why to Buy Now - With Rick Hale

Summary: In this episode of The Perfect Property, our host Juli chats with Rick Hale, the operating partner for Juli’s office. Rick owns multiple Keller Williams market centers and has had thousands and thousands of real estate closings over the decades he's been in the business. He’s been selling in Atlanta since 1996, works with a team of nine active agents and staff, and is the operating partner for six real estate offices.

Rick walks us through ten reasons to buy a house now! Those reasons include tax deductions, pride in home ownership, forced savings, and bank credibility. At the end, he and Juli discuss Atlanta’s growth and Rick gives his perspective on whether or not a shift is coming in the Atlanta market.

What You’ll Learn:

· The excitement of buyers buying first-time homes (1:25)

· Reason #1: Leverage (3:54)

· Reason #2: Mortgage interest is tax-deductible (5:31)

· Reason #3: Appreciation potential (6:51)

· Reason #4: Pride in home ownership (9:20)

· Reason #5: No tax on capital gains (10:20)

· Reason #6: 1031 exchanges (11:25)

· Reason #7: Forced savings (12:00)

· Reason #8: Bank credibility (15:11)

· Reason #9: Expanding retirement through rental options (16:28)

· Reason #10: Social credibility (18:35)

· Advice for Atlanta’s growth (20:45)

· Are we heading into a shift in Atlanta? (22:50)

Key Points:
“It’s very uncommon for people to regret making a real estate purchase.”

“All of the interest paid along the way is deductible.”

“Just saving money isn’t really leveraging your money like you can with a real estate purchase.”

“The only people that I’ve found that lose money in real estate are people that have to sell at the wrong time. If you have the capacity to carry that property through the downturns, inevitably the trend line that’s well over 100 years old always favors ownership, and you’ll always create a win over time.”

“Even then if you don’t live in it, there’s still capacity with investment properties, commercial properties, and real estate where you don’t live in, you can upgrade and move into other properties and as long as you transfer that in a 1031, legal way, you can push all your gains into another property and basically defer the taxes again.”

“The ability to go to my bank and borrow money is contingent on two things: one is assets and the other is how many liabilities I have. And my credibility is directly correlated to my ability to borrow money and pay it back effectively.”

“My advice is: start to build credibility through asset acquisition and repayment.”

“If you bought ten rental properties and you held onto them for twenty years and accelerated your payment schedule and paid them all off, the likelihood of you having a multimillion-dollar asset in your pocket is extreme.”

“Real estate doesn’t suffer the same volatility that stocks do.”

Links:

Juli’s Email: [email protected]

Juli’s Phone Number: 404-668-8975 (call or text)

The Perfect Property Website. www.theperfectproperty.com

https://linktr.ee/julistgeorge