Buy Cheap Houses – Cheap Homes for Sale by Owner
November 7, 2009
Home or Real Estate is a financial asset for You as well as it’s a place to live and raise children or it’s a plan for the future and most importantly it’s an investment in your community. That’s why all Americans should have an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of owning a home. And here are some home buying tips for first-time home buyers.
Knowledge is said to open doors including home buying. This is literally true when it comes to buying a home. To become a first-time home buyer, you need to know where and how to begin the home buying process. The following questions and answers have been carefully selected to give you a foundation of basic knowledge of home purchasing. In addition to helping you begin, these steps will give you the tools necessary to navigate the entire home buying process – from deciding whether you’re ready to buy house, all the way to that final proud step of owning a home, getting the keys to your new home.
1. ARE YOU READY TO BUY A HOME?
You can find out by asking yourself some questions:
Do I have a steady source of income (usually a job)? Have I been employed on a regular basis for the last 2-3 years? Is my current income reliable?
Do I have a good record of paying my bills?
Do I have few outstanding long-term debts, like car payments?
Do I have money saved for a down payment?
Do I have the ability to pay a mortgage every month, plus additional costs?
If you can answer “yes” to these questions, you are probably ready to buy your own home.
2. HOW DO I BEGIN THE PROCESS OF BUYING A HOME?
Start by thinking about your situation. Are you ready to buy a home? How much can you afford in a monthly mortgage payment? How much space do you need? What areas of town do you like? After you answer these questions, make a “To Do” list and start doing casual research about property. Talk to friends and family, drive through neighborhoods, and look in the “Homes” section of the newspaper, Foreclosure Listings, and internet search.
3. HOW DOES PURCHASING A HOME COMPARE WITH RENTING?
The two don’t really compare at all. The one advantage of renting is being generally free of most maintenance responsibilities. But by renting, you lose the chance to build equity, take advantage of tax benefits, and protect yourself against rent increases. Also, you may not be free to decorate without permission and may be at the mercy of the landlord for housing.
Owning a home has many benefits. When you make a mortgage payment, you are building equity. And that’s an investment. Owning a home also qualifies you for tax breaks that assist you in dealing with your new financial responsibilities- like insurance, real estate taxes, and upkeep- which can be substantial. But given the freedom, stability, and security of owning your own home, they are worth it.
4. Best Resource to Buy Cheap Homes.
Find the great Homes in Sale, which fit in your budget. You may surprise after seeing the prices in your neighborhood.
10 Tips For Buying Or Selling Real Estate
November 5, 2009
Whether you are a buyer or seller, here are some helpful tips to enable you to make the best out of a real estate transaction.
(there is a free ebook: 101 Tips For Selling Your House,for you to download, from a link at the bottom of this page).
Buyers
Pick a developing area. You can scientifically predict which areas are boom towns or not by reading the business pages.
Learn the real estate market in the area you picked. You need to develop a thorough knowledge of what properties are available and the going rates for houses. Be ready to make an offer in the shortest time possible.
Make your offer to buy conditional on a thorough inspection of the property. If you discover some problems, try to negotiate for a lower price to offset the inherent property flaws.
Be patient and prepared to keep looking until you find the right house that will give you a good return on your investment.
Sellers
Make sure that you let natural light inside the home during a buyer’s inspection. Open curtains, draw the blinds and turn on all lights in all rooms of the house.
Repair and/or renovate door and window hinges, door handles, broken shutters, leaky faucets, broken bulbs etcetera. Make sure that there are no squeaking doors, windows close and open smoothly and faucets are leak-free!
Deodorize the house to neutralize pet or tobacco odors. Better yet, bake bread or chocolate chip cookies before a buyer makes a visit to your home!
Make sure the house is cleaned from top to bottom, inside and outside including all those hidden corners, under the sinks, bath tubs and baseboards. Mow the lawn and trim the hedges!
Get rid of all unnecessary clutter and personal souvenir! Buyers want to see the home as they would live in it and not as you live in it!
Give your home a fresh coat of paint inside and out. Painting your home is one of the most important and inexpensive investment you can make to maximize your sale price.
Real estate is slowly becoming a rewarding investment, more rewarding in fact than stocks and bonds because they have not been performing as in the past.
On the other hand, real estate investment is performing beyond expectations because of its appreciation and due to demographic factors.
Analysts have been claiming that the real estate boom will fizzle out but that was 4 years ago and the market continues to improve due to demographic factors, lower loan interest rates and easier mortgage requirements!
Gerald Mason
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/10-tips-for-buying-or-selling-real-estate-103212.html
Buying a House – 12 Ways to Signal Your Real Estate Agent
November 2, 2009
You can learn how to take advantage of your real estate agent’s expertise before buying a house.
You’ve probably heard home buyers routinely complain how their agent didn’t do enough while they were buying a house. In truth, most buyers don’t know what to look for from a real estate professional in order to receive the best results.
With proper homework while shopping for a Realtor, you can be assured you’ve located someone who will watch out for your best interests. She is there to help you make better home buying decisions. So here are some ways your real estate agent can help in the decision buying process and questions you can ask to signal when you want her assistance.
1- A case in point, once you have toured several properties, ask your Realtor to help you rank your choices. An experienced agent can guide you to clarify your prospects and narrow down the field.
2- Additionally your Realtor can assist you regarding finances. Almost everyone buying a house needs a mortgage. Because agents are constantly in contact with lenders, they are often the best source of referrals to mortgage brokers and bankers. They have the inside track on lenders that have serviced other clients well in the past. Based on your particular needs, request at least two referrals of mortgage bankers.
3- Accordingly use your agent to discuss your concerns. When it is time to make decisions it is often good to have an objective opinion. Your agent can assist you in buying a house by pointing out trade-offs and how to set priorities.
4- From the start explain what your housing desires are so your agent can easily point out neighborhoods, communities, and developments that seem right for you. Good real estate agents are out visiting properties to stay current. So be sure and indicate that you welcome input.
5- Everybody understands buying a house is an emotional decision but it is important to know the facts too. Your agent has access to recent comparable sales, how long property has been on the market, and details regarding the area. It would be a shame not to take advantage of her expertise.
6- Along these same lines, if you work with an agent closely she can alert you to property that just came on the market or perhaps is about to be listed. So make sure your Realtor knows that you intend to work exclusively with her. Your loyalty will be rewarded.
7- Real estate professionals are also well versed in Seller Disclosure Statements and can help you wade through this detailed disclosure provided by sellers. This form is designed to reveal any defects regarding the desirability of the home and neighborhood. Your agent sees these disclosures routinely so be sure to request assistance.
8- Because real estate agents see so many houses they can also be sources of advice regarding redecorating, renovating, or remodeling a particular home. We all have a tendency to spend money on upgrades that might provide little or no return. Look at the property through the eyes of your Realtor to plan for value added improvements to the home.
9- The best agents are adept at following the process of buying a house from your first meeting to the final close. You should expect your transaction to be followed from beginning to end.
10- From the initial process of buying a house to signing final documents, you will have many experiences. Your real estate agent is comfortable with the roles of the seller’s agent, lender, appraiser, escrow officer and homeowner insurance agent. Realtors are trained and equipped to work through each step of this process.
11- In my opinion, here is what makes your agent worth her weight in gold. Because of seeing hundreds of real estate transactions a year, she is better able to anticipate problems ahead of time. Diligent agents know how to trouble shoot issues before they get out control. This is probably the most important service your agent can provide and the least obvious. So be happy when your house closes without a hitch. It’s outstanding proof of your agent’s performance.
12- Finally be sure and ask your real estate agent from the start to keep you fully informed concerning the state of your purchase. This is second nature for most Realtors. But it is okay to signal that you want to be kept in the loop at all times.
If you know what to expect from your real estate agent it should be easy to send the right signals and benefit from her expertise while buying a house.
Kate Ford
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/buying-a-house-12-ways-to-signal-your-real-estate-agent-711102.html