Tag Archives: buy a home

You Don’t Need A Perfect Credit Score To Buy A House

This might surprise you…

You don’t need a perfect credit score to qualify for a mortgage.

If you’ve been seeing articles (and my posts) about low interest rates and wish you could take advantage, you might be more qualified than you think.

For starters, there are several different loan programs which all have different minimum requirements. For example, the credit score required for a conventional loan is higher than an FHA loan.

According to Experian, “It’s possible to get approved for a conforming conventional loan with a credit score as low as 620, although some lenders may look for a score of 660 or better.”

The best way to figure out if you can qualify for a mortgage right now is to meet with a local lender and talk about your options! If you need a referral, send me a message and I’ll point you in the right direction!

New Career as a REALTOR® in Arkansas

It’s been quite awhile since I blogged about anything at all. I probably have no readers left but I’m picking it back up because I want to share my new career in real estate. 🙂

My dad was a realtor when I was growing up and I always wanted to sell real estate. Because of David’s career in international telecommunications, I never got the chance to settle down to get my license and get a business going.

Several years ago, we were doing a project for Wind Stream in Little Rock. In our travels around Arkansas, I saw Flippin on a sign. I told David, “Someday I want to live in Flippin, Arkansas so I can tell people I live in Flippin, Arkansas.” Ask and you shall receive. We moved to Flippin in June of 2019.

When I got here, I knew I wanted to work but wasn’t sure what to do. I saw an opening at the Board of REALTORS and I applied. My friends, who are in real estate, though I’d like the job and I was hired that day before I even got on the other side of town. I worked at the North Central Board of REALTORS for a little over the year and I learned the real estate business. I loved that job because I’d always wanted to run a non-profit and, adding in the real estate portion, it was just everything I hoped it would be. It was constantly changing and always challenging.

Eventually, I realized that this was my opportunity to actual make a life long dream come true and become a realtor. I studied hard and got my license and an office at Davenport Realty in Yellville. Ray and Sandy Davenport helped us with the purchase of our Flippin house (see what I did there?) and I knew I wanted to work with them. The fact that Davenport is the number one brokerage in Marion County was also enticing. I wanted to kill it along with Sandy. I was so happy when she told me I could work with her.

And what a whirlwind my first three months were. The market was hot, hot, hot and I had no idea what I was doing but I was loving every minute of it. I feel like I was born to sell real estate. My education in the actual real estate world has been full and varied. I know things I never even thought about knowing before and I’m thrilled to finally feel like I know a little something. My confidence grows daily.

I have loved the clients I’ve worked with and the other agents outside of my office who I also learn from whether they know it or not.

My very first listing was this adorable little cabin in Saint Joe. I had never been to Saint Joe until I went to that listing and it’s another pretty spot in North Central Arkansas. This cute little cabin was under contract in under 24 hours and, because of the listing, I was connected with many new clients and awesome people. I started being known as the Cabin Queen because, since I could only sell that cabin once and everyone wanted it, I knew (and still know!) where every cabin in the area is. I have shown cabins from Yellville, to Saint Joe, to Mountain View, to Calico Rock and back. I was sad when that property sold and was no longer in the MLS.

It finally started slowing down around Thanksgiving and I’ve had a chance to look back over what I’ve done in my first three months as a realtor. I’m proud of all I’ve done, all I’ve learned, and I’m so looking forward to the coming year. I love being a realtor so much. I have always been good with people and that part of the role has been super easy. Being able to help people find the home of their dreams or sell their current place so they can move on is just so gratifying.

I am so happy to be able to sell real estate in such a beautiful location, too. Not a day goes by – even when it’s dark and dreary – that I can’t find something beautiful about our area. If you are looking to buy a house or sell a house in the Ozarks, please give me a call, I’d love to help you!