The Ruhl Blog

10 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score

Inman.com recently published the 10 ways homebuyers can improve their credit scores, and we wanted to pass the information along because we know the mortgage process can be difficult to understand. You never know when the perfect home will come along on ruhlhomes.com, so you may need to have your finances ready to buy at any time. Below you'll...

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2016 In Review

We may have jumped ahead of ourselves by predicting the future last week, so today we're going to take a moment to reflect on 2016. Yesterday, the NAR released the annual Profile of Buyer's and Sellers, and we're here to share the results with you. Here are the highlights. Median age of first-time buyers is on the rise' Single Females...

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5 Real Estate Podcasts You HAVE to Listen To

Eye on Real Estate with Dottie Herman Herman has not been quiet in the Real Estate world, and her podcast is no exception. As president and CEO of the New York-based firm Douglas Elliman, Herman seems to have all the answers. On the podcast, she fields questions ranging from buyers negotiations to real estate trends. If you’ve ever had a burning...

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5 Reasons to Hire a Ruhl&Ruhl Realtor

Whether you are buying or selling a home, it can be quite an adventurous journey; you need an experienced Ruhl&Ruhl Realtor to lead you to your ultimate goal. In this world of instant gratification and internet searches, many sellers think that they can For Sale by Owner or FSBO. The 5 Reasons You NEED a Ruhl&Ruhl Realtor in your...

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5 Reasons To Use a Realtor

With home prices rising and a lack of inventory, some homeowners may consider trying to sell their home on their own, or For Sale By Owner (FSBO). Keeping Current Matters provides the top five crucial reasons why that may not be such a good idea. Check them out! Exposure to prospective buyers Most real estate agents have an internet strategy...

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A Personal Touch for Children in Need

"Every child deserves to not only know where they will lay their heads down at night, but to also feel the love of family and self-worth." - Darcy Jacks, Moline Office Adam After Three Months On April 6 th, Darcy Jacks had a simple mission: Collect gently used bags and luggage for children in foster care. The two women work in the...

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Baby Boomers Finding Freedom in Retirement

Within the next five years, more than one in five people will be aged 65+, and one in three households will be headed by someone in that age group according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) at Harvard University. This means that Baby Boomers will soon be the largest demographic demanding housing in the near future. Let's...

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Buying is Now 37.7% Cheaper than Renting in the U.S.

The results of the latest Rent vs. Buy Report show that homeownership remains cheaper than renting with a traditional 30-year fixed rate mortgage in the 100 largest metro areas in the United States. The updated numbers actually show that the range is an average of 17.4% less expensive in Honolulu (HI), all the way up to 53.2% less expensive...

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Changing Lives One Veteran At a Time

If you ask Kim Gould, she’d probably say she isn’t a hero, she just works with them. Kim, a Moline agent, works full-time as the Executive Director for the Iowa Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America (Iowa PVA). As the Executive Director, Kim coordinates events and fundraising for the chapter. Her job is not always easy, as the organization...

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Community Partnership Sets Goal to Revitalize South of Six

A local development project is not all business for a team working to change the South of Six area in Iowa City.  As a young boy, Brad Houser remembers growing up in the South District.  He fished in the ponds, went swimming and rode bikes with his neighborhood friends. Brad, in partnership with Steve Gordon and other builders and real estate...

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Don’t Wait! Move Up to the Home You Always Wanted

Now that the housing market has stabilized, more and more homeowners are considering moving up to the home they have always dreamed of. Prices are still below those of a few years ago and interest rates are still around 4%. The holiday season is almost over, we think it is about time you give yourself the perfect gift: Your Dream Home. ...

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Dubuque Office Hosts Annual Charity Kickball Tournament

  Are you ready for some kickball?! This second-annual tournament, hosted by our Dubuque real estate office, will be the busiest place in town on Saturday, August 20. With three fields of competition, food and drinks available for purchase, and an entire fun zone for kids, you can bring the whole family. Come out and enjoy food provided by Papa John's Pizza, Mason Dixon Saloon, and more! Plus, a jungle gym and bounce houses will...

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Energy Efficiency and You

We’ve all heard that a green home can save you money, but how many of us have taken the steps to make our houses energy-efficient? Check out these top five tips from RIS Media’s “Ask the Expert” to make your home as green as can be. Insulation is key: Without proper insulation, a home can lose up to 40 percent of cooled or heated air....

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Fall 2016 QCBR Parade of Homes

We are excited to announce the line-up of homes for the 2016 Fall Parade of Homes on September 17, 18, 21, 24, and 25. Please join us at this free event weekends from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., and Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. According to Dave Falk, director of new construction and development for Ruhl, there has been a "resurgence...

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Father’s Day Traditions At Ruhl&Ruhl

Remember the time your dad taught you how to fish? Or when he was teaching you how to drive, and you almost wrecked his car? What about those yearly summer traditions you had like going to the movies on Monday nights or having a big family dinner for Father’s Day? Well, we here at Ruhl&Ruhl love celebrating family traditions, and Father’s...

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Five Things to Love About the New mobileRUHL

1. New Look and FeelmobileRUHL has been renovated from top to bottom. You will see a more attractive interface, which includes more photos overall. Scroll through the gallery to see photos of listings, or view the map to see homes available in a specific area. Any way you view it, you can't lose. 2. More Information AvailableWhen...

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Five Tips for the First-Time Homebuyer

We’re hearing more and more about the difficult market for first-time homebuyers, but we want you to know that Ruhl&Ruhl is here to help. A Ruhl&Ruhl Realtor® will be there for YOU, and ensure your questions are answered. Plus, all offices have their very own RuhlMortgage officer there to help answer any financial questions you may...

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Four Things You Should Do This Fourth of July

See a fireworks show Whether you watch the Macy’s Firework Show on NBC or you go to a local park to watch the fireworks, they are a tradition on the fourth that can’t be missed. Check out these local fireworks shows: Bettendorf, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Davenport, DeWitt, Dubuque, Iowa City, Maquoketa, Moline, and Muscatine. ...

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Great Time to Sell Your Home in Our Region

Start to Ruhl your move at ruhlhomes.com! Inventory of homes for sale is down, and there is pent up buyer demand. Home prices are going up, and low interest rates make buying another home affordable. All of these factors combined create favorable conditions for prospective home sellers in our region. Inventory of Homes for Sale is Down We consider...

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Help Us Honor the Military

Dear Faithful RuhlBlog Reader, As we enjoy the summer with our family and friends – whether we’re on the river or around the barbeque – we should pause to remember why we have our freedom by celebrating and honoring all of the men and women who have served our country in the past and those who continue to serve. During the month of July,...

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High Demand for Affordable Housing

We continue to have a bifurcated market with strong demand for and low inventory of affordable homes for sale, but low demand for and abundant inventory of expensive homes for sale. Recall that fewer than 4 months of inventory is a seller’s market, 4-6 months is balanced, and greater than 6 months of inventory is a buyer’s market. Below is...

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Home Improvement for Your Health

Home repairs can be costly, but they can also provide plenty of benefits for you and your family. A simple siding replacement of $14,000 can add $8,600 to your resale value. However, we have all heard about the great benefits of resale value when upgrading. Now, according to surveys released by the National Association of Realtors, we have learned...

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Home Sales Brisk and Prices Appreciating

Fueled by low interest rates, the first half of 2016 saw a 10% increase in sales volume and a 4% increase in average sales price. There were 5% more properties sold, and there were 12% fewer properties listed for sale. Check out some of our top performing markets: We like to compare this information to the top performers in the first half of...

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Hooah Quad Cities’ Resources for Veterans

Hooah! Quad Cities began as a military awareness and appreciation campaign to uphold the importance of the defense industry in the Quad Cities, and specifically to make the community more aware of the importance of the Rock Island Arsenal. Hooah!’s mission was to instill community pride for our local military member, veterans and families, and...

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How Supply & Demand Impacts the Real Estate Market

The concept of supply and demand has been reiterated to you for years: The best time to sell something is when supply of that item is low and demand of that item is high. This guarantees that the price for that item increases as supply lowers. This is exactly what is happening in today’s real estate market! In our markets, 4-6 months of inventory...

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Iowa High School Graduation Rates are Up

According to the Iowa Department of Education, the state’s high school graduation rate has increased for the fifth year in a row. About 90 percent of students in Iowa’s 2015 graduating class completed high school within four years. The graduation rate has steadily increased from 88.3 percent in 2011. Officials say Iowa became the first state...

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Is Buying Right For You?

Have you ever found yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place? Like trying to decide between renting or buying? There is no golden choice here, as everyone lives a different lifestyle. However, one may be the better option for you. Matthew Frankel shared his top five reasons for owning and some good questions to consider, so that you could...

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Land Values Decrease in Iowa

The Land Trends and Value Survey, presented by the Iowa Farm and Land Chapter #2 REALTORS Land Institute, reported a statewide average decrease of 3.7% in cropland values from the March 2016 to September 2016 time period. Combining this decrease with the 5% decrease reported in March 2015 indicates a statewide average decrease of 8.6% for the...

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Limited Inventory for First-Time Home Buyers

According to a recent article from RIS Media, first-time buyers are struggling with limited inventory and high prices. With 10 percent fewer entry-level homes on the market this year compared to last, values in this segment are rising faster than half of the largest U.S. housing markets. As we enter the “home-shopping season,” or summer as...

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Linking IN

Using Right Right Tools: LinkedIn Tool Box     Recently, an  article came out from the Wall Street Journal as to how not using LinkedIn could be hurting your career. This particular piece of wall street literature applies to a variety of industries, but it really hits home with the Real Estate industry.     However,...

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Neighborhood Features that Devalue Your Home

Realtor.com recently identified the neighborhood features near a home that could have the biggest impact on a home’s price. To calculate, realtor.com analyzed home prices and appreciation rates in zip codes of the 100 largest metro areas across the country where a “drag-me-down” facility, such as cemeteries and power plants, was present....

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New Homes Market Steadies Regionally

Steady, if modest, growth in the regional new homes market has continued through the 3rd quarter of 2016. Area Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) have reported a sustained increase of 7% YTD. Both house and condo sales increased equally. At the same time, area inventories are 6% above this time last year, with house supply decreasing 5% while there...

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Our Corridor Offices Ruhl at Excellence in Service!

Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors is dedicated to providing service with quality, value and integrity to all of our clients. We are a company where people are the difference. Each quarter, the Excellence in Service Award is earned by agents and offices who show exemplary customer service on returned client surveys. Only agents who receive answers of “excellent”...

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Our Quad City Offices Ruhl at Excellence in Service!

Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors is dedicated to providing service with quality, value and integrity to all of our clients. We are a company where people are the difference. We continually strive to provide the highest quality of service in the business. In doing so, we want to make certain that the service we provide is responsive, thorough and conscientious....

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Preview: What to Expect in 2017

When the air starts turning cold, we begin to think about the new year. What are our goals? What will be different about 2017? According to Realtor.com, some major things will change when it comes to buying a home. Realtor.com released a forecast for the 2017 buying season, and it looks promising for suburban neighborhoods. First-time homebuyers...

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Regional Cities Offer Homeowner Discounts

Whether you’re a first-time home buyer or looking for a fixer-upper, there are discounts available for your home buying needs in our region! We are here to help you find them. Check out just a couple below! Davenport NOW Davenport NOW, a city established tax incentive program that launched in July of 2009, provides a rebate for 50% of the...

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Ruhl Agents Care About Community Schools

Ruhl&Ruhl REALTORS is dedicated to community service, and it shows in each and every member of our organization. Each quarter, a member of our Ruhl family is recognized for their outstanding commitment to improving our communities. And as the back to school season is upon us, we wanted to take a moment to appreciate the time and effort put...

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Ruhl Blood Drive

Andy Yohe received 22 pints of blood after he was struck by a train as a teenager. He lost his legs, but his life was saved thanks to the generous donation of people like you. He continued on to win two gold medals and one bronze medals at the Paralympic games, where he was also the USA sled hockey team captain. Today, we are lucky enough to have...

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Ruhl Blood Drive Wrap-Up

At 7:45am on Thursday, June 9 th, Amanda sat in her car and contemplated the risk of leaving. It was pouring rain outside, so leaving meant getting wet. But leaving also meant saving lives, because Amanda was on her way to the Ruhl&Ruhl Blood Drive. So Amanda, like many other selfless people that morning, left her car, got a little wet,...

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Ruhl Gives Back for the Holidays

Across all of our regions, our offices have been spreading holiday joy by giving back to their communities, as we continually strive for excellence in community service as well within the Ruhl Family. December 2 was the National Association of Realtor's Ring the Bell Day across the nation, and all of our offices participated to help raise...

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Ruhl Markets GREAT for First-Time Homebuyers

In 2015, the National Association of Realtors reported that the percentage of first-time homebuyers had dropped for the third consecutive year from 33% to 32%. Historically, the long-term average shows that nearly 40% of primary purchases are from first-time homebuyers. Currently, two cities served by Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors sit on the 2016 list...

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Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors Ranks as Iowa’s Largest Privately-Owned Company

Ruhl companies close over a billion dollars in sales volume in 2015 Once again, Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors has been ranked as the largest privately-owned real estate company in Iowa. REALTrends 500, a trusted source for real estate news and surveys, ranks the top 500 real estate companies in the country based on number of residential transactions...

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Ruhlhomes.com – A new Look for the New Year!

Ruhlhomes.com has an updated look and feel designed to make your real estate journey easier.   You can now access Ruhlhomes.com anytime, anywhere with the same experience on your mobile, tablet, laptop and desktop computer. You can also learn more about the process of buying and selling a home by clicking the buy or sell menu items.  Here are...

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Six fixes to make buyers say WOW

Getting ready to sell your home is not an easy process. It involves decluttering, constantly cleaning for showings, and an endless list of things you were going to fix “someday.” Inman.com gave us a list of six things you should fix to really give your home the WOW factor buyers are looking for. Check them out! Structural and mechanical...

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Start the Mortgage Process Today

Unsure of where to start when it comes to the mortgage process? Look no further, because thanks to the Fall Buyer's Guide released by Keeping Current Matters, we have everything you need to know about the ins and outs of a mortgage. Check it out! You could be closer to buying a home than you think… Here's what you'll need to...

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Staycation in Newbo

Looking to travel across the Atlantic this weekend? Look no further than the heart of Cedar Rapids. Designated as an Iowa Cultural District, the Czech Village/New Bohemian District is also known as the NewBo District. The NewBo District provides visitors with art, history, shopping, and a wide variety of food. Food vendors inside the NewBo City...

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Strong National First Quarter Home Appreciation Reflected Right Here at Home

Every single local metropolitan area experienced a positive gain in five-year home appreciation, or the growth in value of your home over five-years. Averages ranged between 5.24% and 12.49% growth, with the highest five-year appreciation in Iowa City followed by Des Moines and the Quad Cities. Nationally, this is the 19th consecutive quarter...

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Tales from the Empty Nest

RIS Media's Executive Editor shares her top fives ways to "plan" for an empty nest, if you can even plan at all! 1. Expect to miss your kids. I think I was led astray by those parents who said they popped open the champagne when their final child left for college. I was actually terribly sad (my husband was even worse)...

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Thank You

In just six short weeks, you helped us raise over $525 for Disabled American Veterans (DAV) on our Facebook page. That’s $87.50 per week, and $12.50 per day. We can’t thank you enough for your generosity and support during this campaign! Additionally, you helped us share our initial campaign post over 100 times, which helped it reach over...

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The Future of Real Estate

The future of real estate is here, and it is awesome! Here at Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, we pride ourselves in providing our agents and clients with the most up-to-date technologies. Check out some of the ways our agents are keeping up with the fast-paced real estate environment in Dubuque and the Quad Cities! Jared Althoff, Dubuque Jared, and many...

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The Time to Sell is NOW!

You may have been on the fence about selling all summer, but now is truly the best time to put your home on the market. Keeping Current Matters gives us the top five reasons why you shouldn’t wait to sell your home. Demand is strong Buyers are ready, willing and able to purchase, so take advantage of the buyer activity currently in the...

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The Truth about Selling your Home this Winter

Timing can be everything when selling your home. Most people tend to wait until the spring to put their home on the market. The sun is shining, school is almost out and the flowers are blooming. We wanted to let you know that the grass is not always greener come spring. Putting your house on the market now may be the best option for you. ...

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Three Ways the Internet Can Make the Home Buying Process Easier

We think these three simple ways the internet can help you in your home buying process from U.S. News are a great way to #ruhlyourmove! Local Neighborhood Info “One of the most important aspects of buying a home is understanding the neighborhoods and areas in which you are interested.” Whether you are interested in the neighborhood trends...

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Tips for Your Next Home Project

According to the Spring Real Estate Guide 2016, you may want to rethink your next big home improvements. While we just talked about the health benefits of an upgrade to your home in our most recent blog post, the Spring Real Estate Guide discusses the importance of scaling your upgrades. "Choose your upgrades partly on need, of course,...

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Using Ruhl Technology to Buy Your First-Home

Tech.Co recently published A Helpful Tech Guide for First-Time Homebuyers, and we LOVED it. However, we had some local additions to their tips. Install Apps to Quickly Compare Housing Costs Yes. You can’t haul your computer or tons of papers around with you from showing to showing. What happens when you go to dinner and you forget those papers?...

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Whitey’s Ice Cream: A Quad Cities Tradition since 1933

Consistently voted number one in the Midwest for years, Whitey's Ice Cream is a Quad City treat you do not want to miss out on! Established in 1933 by Chester "Whitey" Lundgren, Whitey's grew to be a household name through its second owners, the Tunbergs. A second store was added in 1977, and since then the business has grown...

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Who is Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors?

Founded in 1862, Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors is ever-changing, ever-growing, and ever-loyal to our clients. Although we have constantly innovated over our 154 year history, we still hold the same principles to be true. “With our hundred years of service, we here at Ruhl&Ruhl have seen many changes, but our basic principles still remain … quality,...

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Why Getting Pre-Approved Should Be Your First Step

In many of our local markets including the Quad Cities and Dubuque, the amount of buyers searching for their dream home greatly outnumbers the amount of homes for sale. This has led to a competitive marketplace where buyers often need to stand out. One way to show you are serious about buying your dream home is to get pre-qualified or pre-approved...

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Why Invest In Land

Have you ever wondered what it is about land that makes it such a valued investment? I have my own thoughts about this that I share routinely as I consultant clients about the nature of land investing. Dirt is real, it is tangible and it is not just a piece of paper or a number on a screen. In an age of electronic accounts, many people are realizing...

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Why We Started

As we near the end of our July campaign, we want to remind you why we began. On June 28, we set out to raise $2,500 for Disabled American Veterans (DAV) by July 31. The DAV works to fulfill promises made to the men and women who have served the United States, and to empower veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. They do...

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Your Home Buying Wish List

When you begin to think about buying a home, you may start forming lists in your head of everything you WANT or NEED in your home. When it comes down to it, it’s important to know what you’re looking for when you start your home search. The first step before you even begin looking for homes is to get pre-approved for your mortgage. This allows...

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Austin Maas

Licensed In IA
  • C.
Muscatine Office

226 E. 2nd Street
Muscatine, IA 52761