NEIGHBORHOODS
Baton Rouge, LA
Your House Address
3
2
1000 ft
$295,00
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Gonzales, LA
Your House Address
3
2
1000 ft
$295,00
Denham Springs, LA
Your House Address
3
2
1000 ft
$295,00
WELCOME HOME!
Karen D. Turner-Buckley, studied and graduated from Southern University A & M College, where I majored and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocational Business Education. I obtained my realtors license through Burk Baker Real Estate School in 2017. In 2023 I Retired from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office with a total of 25 years of experience, with 18 years being assigned to Human Resources, paralleling 17 years, as a Reserve Deputy, where I am currently assigned. I have taken a leap of faith to pursue my dream in real estate full-time.
A devoted and loving wife to Alfred Buckley, nurturing mother of two (Aneshia and Remington) and a proud grandmother of five. Attends Living Faith Christian Center, under the leadership of Bishop Raymond Johnson. Enjoy traveling, spending time with God, family and touching and enriching women lives by selling May Kay.
My years in Human Resources has help me gain the skills of having a strong work ethics, being detailed-oriented, honest, loyal, trustworthy, dependable, reliable and providing exceptional customer service to all my clients. While being in this business, I have come to learn that real estate is more than just selling homes. Real estate is building genuine relationships with clients by serving the community in providing valuable resources. Already being a people’s person… I am very passionate in what I do, knowledgeable in the housing market and I am attentive to my client’s needs and wants.
Received a designation in Luxury Homes. Licensed in Louisiana, serving Zachary, Baker, Baton Rouge, the entire East Baton Rouge Parish, East Feliciana Parish, as well as, surrounding parishes.
Looking for someone who would have your best interest at heart? Let’s Turn Dreams into Reality by Turning the Knob and Opening the Door to Home Ownership!!!
OUR PROCESS
Located in Baton Rouge, LA, Karen Turner-Buckley provides home buyers and sellers with professional, responsive, and attentive real estate services. Want an agent who’ll really listens to what you want in a home? Need an agent who knows how to effectively market your home so it sells? Contact us today!
Frequently Asked Questions
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WHAT KIND OF CREDIT SCORE DO I NEED TO BUY A HOME ?Most loan programs require a FICO score of 620 or better. Borrowers with higher credit scores represent less risk to the lender, often resulting in a lower the down payment requirement and better interest rate. Conversely, home shoppers with lower credit scores may need to bring more money to the table (or accept a higher interest rate) to offset the lender’s risk.
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WHAT THE FIRST STEP OF THE HOME BUYING PROCESS?Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is the first step of the home buying process. Getting a pre-approval letter from a lender get the ball rolling in the right direction. Here’s why: First, you need to know how much you can borrow. Knowing how much home you can afford narrows down online home searching to suitable properties, thus no time is wasted considering homes that are not within your budget. (Pre-approvals also help prevent disappointment caused by falling in love unaffordable homes.) Second, the loan estimate from your lender will show how much money is required for the down payment and closing costs. You may need more time to save up money, liquidate other assets or seek mortgage gift funds from family. In any case, you will have a clear picture of what is financially required. Finally, being pre-approved for a mortgage demonstrates that you are a serious buyer to both your real estate agent and the person selling their home. Most real estate agents will require a pre-approval before showing homes – this is especially true at the higher end of the real estate market; sellers of luxury homes will only allow pre-screened (and verified) buyers to view their homes. This is meant to keep out “Looky Lous” and protect the seller’s privacy. What’s more, by limiting who enters their home, sellers are given extra security from potential thieves trying to case the home (like identifying security systems, locating expensive artwork or other high-value personal property).
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HOW LONG DOES IT TAKES TO BUY A HOME?From start (searching online) to finish (closing escrow), buying a home takes about 10 to 12 weeks. Once a home is selected an the offer is accepted, the average time to complete the escrow period on a home is 30 to 45 days (under normal market conditions). Though, well-prepared home buyers who pay cash have been known to purchase properties faster than that. Market conditions are a major factor in how fast homes are sold. In hot markets with a lot of sales activity, buying a home may take a little longer than normal. That’s because several parties involved in the transaction get behind when business suddenly picks up. For example, a spike in home sales increases the demand for property appraisals and home inspections, yet there will be no increase in the number of appraisers and inspectors available to do the work. Lender turn-around times for loan underwriting can also slow down. If each party involved in a deal takes a day or two longer to get their work done, the entire process gets extended.
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WHAT IS A SELLER'S MARKET?In sellers’ markets, increasing demand for homes drives up prices. Here are some of the drivers of demand: Economic factors – the local labor market heats up, bringing an inflow of new residents and pushing up home prices before more inventory can be built. Interest rates trending downward – improves home affordability, creating more buyer interest, particularly for first time home buyers who can afford bigger homes as the cost of money goes lower. A short-term spike in interest rates – may compel “on the fence” buyers to make a purchase if they believe the upward trend will continue. Buyers want to make a move before their purchasing power (the amount they can borrow) gets eroded. Low inventory – fewer homes on the market because of a lack of new construction. Prices for existing homes may go up because there are fewer units available.
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WHAT IS A BUYER'S MARKET?A buyer’s market is characterized by declining home prices and reduced demand. Several factors may affect long-term and short-term buyer demand, like: Economic disruption – a big employer shuts down operations, laying off their workforce. Interest rates trending higher – the amount of money the people can borrow to buy a home is reduced because the cost of money is higher, thus reducing the total number of potential buyers in the market. Home prices drop to meet the level of demand and buyers find better deals. Short-term drop in interest rates – can give borrowers a temporary edge with more purchasing power before home prices can react to the recent interest rate changes. High inventory – a new subdivision and can create downward pressure on prices of older homes nearby, particularly if they lack highly desirable features (modern appliances, etc.) Natural disasters – a recent earthquake or flooding can tank property values in the neighborhood where those disruptions occurred.
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HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO PAY AN AGENT TO HELP ME BUY A HOUSE?Home shoppers pay little or no fees to an agent to buy a home. Here’s why: For most home sales, there are two real estate agents involved in the deal: one that represents the seller and another who represents the buyer. Listing brokers represent sellers and charge a fee to represent them and market the property. Marketing may include advertising expenses such as radio spots, print ads, television and internet ads. The property will also be placed in the local multiple listing service (MLS), where other agents in the area (and nationally) will be able to search and find the home for sale. Agents who represent buyers (a.k.a. buyer’s agent) are compensated by the listing broker for bringing home buyers to the table. When the home is sold, the listing broker splits the listing fee with the buyer’s agent. Thus, buyers don’t pay their agents.
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HOW MUCH DO I NEED FOR A DOWN PAYMENT?The national average for down payments is 11%. But that figure includes first time and repeat buyers. Let’s take a closer look. While the broad down payment average is 11%, first time homebuyers usually only put down 3 to 5% on a home. That’s because several first-time home buyer programs don’t require big down payments. A longtime favorite, the FHA loan, requires 3.5% down. What’s more, some programs allow down payment contributions from family members in the form of a gift. Some programs require even less. VA loans and USDA loans can be made with zero down. However, these programs are more restrictive. VA loans are only made to former or current military servicemembers. USDA loans are only available to low to-middle income buyers in USDA-eligible rural areas. For many years, conventional loans required a 20% down payment. These types of loans were typically taken out by repeat buyers who could use equity from their existing home as a source of down payment funds. However, some newer conventional loan programs are available with 3% down if the borrower carries private mortgage insurance (PMI).
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SHOULD I SELL MY CURRENT HOME BEFORE BUYING A NEW ONE?If the built-up equity in your current home will be applied to the down payment on the new home, naturally the former will need to be sold first. Some home buyers decide to turn their current home into an investment property, renting it out. In that case, the current home will not need to be sold. However, your loan advisor will still need to evaluate your risk profile and credit history to determine whether making a loan on a new home is feasible while retaining title to the old home. Buyers often have a short time frame to sell their current home when relocating to a new city because of a job transfer. If you are moving but taking a position with the same employer, check to see if they offer relocation assistance to help offset some of the costs.
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How do I edit or remove the 'Frequently Asked Questions' title?You can edit the title from the FAQ 'Settings' tab in the Editor. To remove the title from your mobile app go to the 'Site & App' tab in your Owner's app and customize.