SoFlo Real Estate Show | Ask Athena and Julie Anything

Are you thinking about selling your home but worried about giving away thousands in concessions, credits, and repair costs? In this episode of the SoFlo Real Estate Show, we're breaking down one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when selling in today's market: offering concessions too quickly and sacrificing hard-earned equity. You'll learn how smart sellers in Weston, Parkland,...

In this episode of the SoFlo Real Estate Show, hosts Athena Barrocas and Julie Dinda discuss the current state of the South Florida real estate market, exploring whether it's the right time to buy a home. They delve into market trends, mortgage rates, and strategies for prospective buyers, emphasizing the importance of preparation and understanding unique buyer situations. The conversation also to...

In this episode of the SoFlo Real Estate Show, hosts Athena Chilicas Barrocas and Julie Dinda discuss the hidden costs associated with buying a home in South Florida. They explore various financial aspects that potential buyers should be aware of, including closing costs, title insurance, property taxes, and homeowners association fees. The conversation also reviews the challenges faced in the 202...

In today's epiose Sealing the Deal: 5 Steps to Preparing to Move, Athena and Julie deep dive into sealing the deal on the sale of your home and the 5 steps to make your move to your new home a breeze. Preparing to move into your new home takes organization and a couple of secrets that we are going to share so when you seal the deal, you will be ready to move.

In this episode of the SoFlo Real Estate Show, hosts Athena Chilicas Barrocas and Julie Dinda discuss the top three questions home buyers are asking today. They explore whether now is a good time to buy a home given current interest rates, the financial requirements needed to qualify for a mortgage, and the hidden costs associated with purchasing a home. The conversation emphasizes the importance...

In this episode of the SoFlo Real Estate Show, "Ask Athena and Julie Anything", Athena Chilicas Barrocas of Coldwell Banker and Julie Dinda of Radius Financial Group discuss the complexities of home insurance in South Florida, particularly in light of rising costs and recent storms. Joined by insurance expert Chrissy Trotta of Synergis Insurance. They explore the reasons behind high premiums, the...

In this episode of the SoFlo Real Estate Show, hosts Athena Chilicas Barrocas of Coldwell Banker Realty and Julie Dinda of Radius Financial Group discuss essential tips for homeowners looking to improve their home's value before selling. They cover the importance of first impressions, current market trends, and provide a comprehensive list of ten actionable tips to enhance property appeal, inc...

In this episode, Athena Chilicas Barrocas of Coldwell Banker Realty and Julie Dinda of Radius Financial Group discuss the pressing issue of affordability in the current housing market and the five hidden costs associated with home ownership. They cover topics such as down payment, private mortgage insurance (PMI), closing costs, property taxes, homeowners insurance, and maintenance and repairs. Th...

In this episode, Athena Chilicas Barrocas of Coldwell Banker and Julie Dinda of Radius Financial Group discuss the recent changes in the real estate industry and answer the top 10 questions home buyers are asking as a result of the NAR settlement. They cover topics such as buyer agreements, compensation, transparency, and the impact on home prices. They emphasize the importance of hiring a real es...

In this episode, Athena Chilicas Barrocas of Coldwell Banker Realty and Julie Dinda of Radius Financial Groupdiscuss the paradigm shift of the buyer agreement in the real estate industry. They explain the three most common types of buyer agreements and the buyer's obligation of compensation to the realtor. They also discuss the impact of these changes on the lending industry and the future of...

Today, The Hometown Heroes Program has been funded. The program is offering $100 Million Dollars to qualified First Time Home Buyer's. On today's Podcast, "SoFlo Real Estate Show | Ask Athena and Julie Anything", Athena and Julie break down the Hometown Heroes Program. The funds are provided as a 0% second non-amortizing mortgage, due once the home is sold or refinanced. The prog...

Building wealth in real estate offers unique tax savings, and owning property can significantly increase net worth. In today's episode, Athena and Julie discuss the top 10 secrets to slash real estate taxes, focusing on South Florida. They cover topics such as depreciation deductions, 1031 exchanges, mortgage interest deductions, property tax deductions, homestead exemptions, home office deduc...

In today's episode "Did the Housing Market Just Hit "Pause" in it's Groove?" Athena and Julie discuss the current state of the housing market and the three biggest mistakes buyers are making today. Athena and Julie emphasize the importance of understanding market trends and getting pre-approved before starting the homebuying process. They also advise buyers to be realis...

On today's podcast, SoFlo Real Estate | Ask Athena and Julie Anything, we dive into a topic that is forgotten. That topic is the cost of owning a home and how to properly budget so you won't have to burden your asset with additional loans or, even worse, sell your home. Owning a home requires constant monitoring and budgeting for maintenance and insurance costs. Home inspections are crucia...

Buyer Agent Agreements are becoming an Industry Standard for Real Estate. In this episode of the SoFlo Real Estate Show | Ask Athena and Julie Anything, the paradigm shift of hiring a Buyer's Agent to represent you in the home buying process. Athena discusses what is a Buyer Agent Agreement, the importance of understanding the contract, the benefits, compensation to the Buyer's Agent and w...

Home prices continue are appreciating and are expected to continue to appreciate annually for the foreseeable future. Are you a home buyer seeing that home prices are not decreasing? That Interest rates are not falling? And asking yourself how are you going to buy a home without overpaying? In today's podcast, SoFlo Real Estate Show | Ask Athena and Julie Anything, Athena explore home prices t...

In today's Podcast, SoFlo Real Estate Show | Ask Athena and Julie Anything, the NAR Settlement and the Impact on Home Prices is discussed. The discussion helps to bust the myth that home prices are affected by any cost of sale and how home prices are determined in todays market of low inventory. Today, there are only two known outcomes of the NAR Settlement that has yet to be sanctioned by the...

If you or someone you know is thinking of buying a home and is unsure of how the NAR settlement may affect the real; estate goals, this is a great podcast to share. In Today's Podcast, Athena and Julie begin cutting through the noise regarding the misinformation of the NAR Settlement. In addition to the 5 possible impact to the lending industry, both Athena and Julie are optimistic as to the f...

On this Podcast of Ask Athena and Julie Anything, Athena deeps dive into the mind of the Underwriter and how they determine if you have the income to support a loan. The job of the underwriter is to scrutinize your returns and verify that your income and debt meet the requirements to fund your loan for your new home. This week, it's about W2 employees, Next week tune in as we discuss how Under...

In today's podcast, Athena Chilicas Barrocas, Top Producer Realtor at Coldwell Banker in Weston Florida and Julie Dinda, Loan Officer at Radius Financial Group discuss Appraisals and why they are being returned with an appraised value less than the contracted price. Also, they share 8 simple ways as a Seller you can impact the appraised value to help you get the highest price for your home.

In this weeks Podcast on SoFlo Real Estate Show, Athena and her guest review key economic indicators of 2023 and how 2024 will look dramatically different. Also, they will discuss how the dropping of interest rates may affect a buyer's financial portfolio and how to best prepare for when the mortgage rate does drop. If you are a home buyer who has been sitting on the fence watching carefully a...

In Today's Podcast, you will learn about the two different types of Mortgage Lenders and the top 7 questions to ask your Lender before committing to the relationship. Too many buyer's are influenced by the seductive interest rates advertizied on social media and websites. The truth is that an interest rate is based on many factors and is unique to each buyer and their circumstance. The bes...

In today's podcast, my guest, Jackie Mosley and I, will dive into the topic of Delayed Mortgages and how both Home Buyer's and Investor's can benefit in buying desired properties and then building wealth with andelayed mortgage. In South Florida, according to Florida Association of Realtors, 43% of all single family homes purchased in Broward County this year was with Cash. South Flori...

In this PodCast from SoFlo Real Estate Show, I will discuss Mortgage Escrows and the three benefits for homeowners. Mortgage escrows are optional to homebuyers and actually preferred by the Lender. The Lender, who actually owns the home, reduces risk when a homeowner has a mortgage escrow account for both property taxes and homeowner's insurance. Homeowners benefit in 3 ways; lower interest ra...

In today's Podcast,my guest Arturo Sanchez of Guaranteed Rate Affinity and I, discuss the 3-2-1 Buy Down of an interest rate for a home mortgage. We will discuss what is a 3-2-1 Buy Down, what type of buyer can benefit from the 3-2-1 Buy Down, how the loan program actually works and more importantly, the risks of the loan program once the "honeymoon" period terminates. The permanent...