Real Estate Information Archive

1. Be picky, but don’t be unrealistic.  There is no perfect home.

2. Do your homework before you start looking.  Decide specifically what features you want in a home and which are most important to you.

3. Get your finances in order.  Review your credit report and be sure you have enough money to cover your downpayment and your closing costs.

4. Don’t wait to get a loan.  Talk to a lender and get prequalified for a mortgage before you start looking.

5. Don’t ask too many people for opinions.  It will drive you crazy. Select one or two people to turn to if you feel you need a second opinion.

6. Decide when you could move. When is your lease up? Are you allowed to sublet? How tight is the rental market in your area?

7. Think long-term.  Are you looking for a starter house with the idea of moving up in a few years or do you hope to stay in this home longer? This decision may dictate what type of home you’ll buy as well as the type of mortgage terms that suit you best.

8. Don’t let yourself be “house poor”.  If you max yourself out to buy the biggest home you can afford, you’ll have no money left for maintenance or decoration or to save money for other financial goals.

9. Don’t be naïve.  Insist on a home inspection and, if possible, get a warranty from the seller to cover defects within one year.

10. Get help. Consider hiring a REALTOR as a buyer’s representative.  Unlike a listing agent, whose first duty is to the seller, a buyer’s representative is working only for you.And often, buyer’s reps are paid out of the seller’s commission payment.

  ® Magazine Online by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. www.REALTOR.org/realtormag

Reprinted from REALTOR

1. Find a real estate professional who’s simpatico. Homebuying is not only a big financial
commitment, but also an emotional one. It’s critical that the practitioner you choose is
both skilled and a good fit with your personality.

2. Remember, there’s no “right” time to buy, any more than there’s a right time to sell. If
you find a home now, don’t try to second-guess the interest rates or the housing market
by waiting. Changes don’t usually occur fast enough to make that much difference in
price, and a good home won’t stay on the market long.

3. Don’t ask for too many opinions. It’s natural to want reassurance for such a big decision,
but too many ideas will make it much harder to make a decision.

4. Accept that no house is ever perfect. Focus in on the things that are most important to you
and let the minor ones go.

5. Don’t try to be a killer negotiator. Negotiation is definitely a part of the real estate
process, but trying to “win” by getting an extra-low price may lose you the home you
love.

6. Remember your home doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Don’t get so caught up in the physical
aspects of the house itself—room size, kitchen—that you forget such issues as amenities,
noise level, etc., that have a big impact on what it’s like to live in your new home.

7. Don’t wait until you’ve found a home and made an offer to get approved for a mortgage,
investigate insurance availability, and consider a schedule for moving. Presenting an
offer contingent on a lot of unresolved issues will make your bid much less attractive to
sellers.

8. Factor in maintenance and repair costs in your post-homebuying budget. Even if you buy
a new home, there will be some costs. Don’t leave yourself short and let your home
deteriorate.

9. Accept that a little buyer’s remorse is inevitable and will probably pass. Buying a home,
especially for the first time, is a big commitment, but it also yields big benefits.

10. Choose a home first because you love it; then think about appreciation. While U.S.
homes have appreciated an average of 5.4 percent annually from 1998 to 2002, a home’s
most important role is as a comfortable, safe place to live.

Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine Online by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

1. They don’t ask enough questions of their lender and miss out on the best deal.

2. They don’t act quickly enough to make a decision and someone else buys the house.

3. They don’t find the right real estate professional who is willing to help you through the
homebuying process.

4. They don’t do enough to make their offer look good to a seller.

5. They don’t think about resale before they buy. The average first-time buyer only stays in
a home for four years.

Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine Online by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

1.  Tax breaks. The U.S. Tax Code lets you deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage, property taxes you pay, and some of the costs involved in buying your home.

2. Gains. Between 1998 and 2002, national home prices increased at an average of 5.4 percent annually. And while there’s no guarantee of appreciation, a 2001 study by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS found that a typical homeowner has approximately $50,000 of unrealized gain in a home. 

3.  Equity. Money paid for rent is money that you’ll never see again, but mortgage payments let you build equity ownership interest in your home.

4.  Savings. Building equity in your home is a ready-made savings plan. And when you sell, you can generally take up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) as gain without owing any federal income tax.

5.  Predictability. Unlike rent, your mortgage payments don’t go up over the years so your housing costs may actually decline as you own the home longer. However, keep in mind that property taxes and insurance costs will rise.

6.  Freedom. The home is yours. You can decorate any way you want and be able to benefit from your investment for as long as you own the home.

7. Stability. Remaining in one neighborhood for several years gives you a chance to participate in community activities, lets you and your family establish lasting friendships, and offers your children the benefit of educational continuity. To calculate whether renting or buying is the best financial option for you, use this calculator  

courtesy of Ginnie Mae: Rent Vs Buy Calulator

 Reprinted from REALTOR

1.  Develop a family budget. Instead of budgeting what you’d like to spend, use receipts to create a budget for what you actually spent over the last six months. One advantage of this approach is that it factors in unexpected expenses, such as car repairs, illnesses, etc., as well as predictable costs such as rent.Reduce your debt. Generally speaking, lenders look for a total debt load of no more than 36 percent of income. Since this figure includes your mortgage, which typically ranges between 25 percent and 28 percent of income, you need to get the rest of installment debt—car loans, student loans, revolving balances on credit cards—down to between 8 percent and 10 percent of your total income.

6 Creative Ways to Afford a Home