Before You Buy

By Leslee Winston On February 19, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Buying a home is a very important decision. Before you rush into a home you should consider all the factors.
Making sure you end up with the right home involves figuring out exactly what features you need, want and don’t want in a home. Before starting your search, you should make a “wish list” to decide which features are absolutely essential, which nice “extras” are if you happen to find them, and which are completely undesirable.

The more specific you can be about what you’re looking for from the outset, the more effective your home search will be. Also keep in mind, that in the end, every home purchase is a compromise.

Create your own personalized “wish list” and when you’re finished filling it out; share it with your real estate agent.

Become an educated buyer

•The web is one of the best ways to search for homes today. With this website, you can receive daily emails with new and updated listings from the towns and price range of your choice.
•Search the entire MLS for all homes, condos, land, multi family, commercial properties, and past sold properties at your convenience.
•View full listing sheets showing amenities, taxes, lot sizes, beds, baths, rooms, siding, fireplaces, garages, room sizes and much more.
•Get property addresses and see where the properties are located on MapQuest.
•Check schools and community profiles of your preferred towns.
•Save preferred listings in your own file to view anytime.
•Calculate approximate mortgage payments for specific properties.

Home Inspection

Once you have made an offer on a home, you will need to schedule a home inspection, conducted by an independent authorized inspector. It is extremely important to hire a reputable inspector so that you know exactly what you are buying. Do not hesitate to ask friends, family, and co-workers for advice. If you are satisfied with the results of the inspection, then you can proceed with the sale. If the inspector finds problems with the property, you may want to negotiate with the seller to lower the price, or to pay for certain repairs.

Appraisal

Your lender may require you to get an appraisal of the house you want to buy, to make sure it is worth the money that you are borrowing. You may select your own appraiser, or you may ask your real estate broker to help you with this task.

Homeowner’s Insurance

Lenders require that you have homeowners insurance, to protect both your interests and theirs. Like everything else, be sure to shop around for insurance that fits your needs.
Settlement or Closing

Finally Make Sure Before you Buy

Finally, you are ready for the closing. Be sure to read everything before you sign! You should have both your real estate broker and an attorney present at the closing to ensure that all is in order.

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Home Buying Simplified

By Leslee Winston On February 12, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Buying a home can be a scary and confusing process. It is easy to get confused by all of the homes, locations, and what is truly important to you when buying a home.

First you will want to determine what you can afford. To do that you will want to get preapproved. That means a bank; mortgage broker or credit union will determine how much of loan you qualify for based on your income, debt and credit score. They will give a pre-approval letter stating how much you can afford.

Now it is time to pick a real estate professional to help you find the right home, negotiate on your behalf and help you navigate through the process. It is important that you choose an agent that is reputable; you have interviewed to find a good fit and is willing to listen to your needs.

Many buyers often confuse their needs with their wants. Making a list of what you actually need and what you want or your wish list is very helpful when looking for a home. Buying a home is typically a process of elimination. Many home buyers often dismiss homes that perfectly fit their needs in search for one that has their wants. This doesn’t mean you can have your wish list, but home buying is more often defined by your budget than wish lists.

To help with this process it is typically helpful to make a list of needs and wants.

Examples of NEEDS Examples of WANTS
Reasonable square footage for comfortable living Paint, carpet, counter tops, accessories.
Bedrooms to accommodate your family Pool or Jacuzzi (unless for medical reasons)
Adequate number of bathrooms Wood floors
Eat-in kitchen Bay windows, skylights
Garage or basement for storage needs Entertainment centers,  moldings, decks and patios
Lot size to accommodate children’s play area Upgraded lighting fixtures
Adaptation for Handicapped View
Proximity to a specific school
Single floor living for health reasons

Each individual will have a different list of needs and wants. Your own list will help you evaluate homes as you go through the process. Sharing this list with your real estate professional will also help narrow down your search. The goal is to find a house that includes all of your needs and meets as many of your wants as is practical in your budget.

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Reasons Why You Should Own a Home

By Leslee Winston On February 5, 2012 · Leave a Comment

The past few years the news has been inundated with bad press about the housing market but the facts remain the same it is still better to own a home. In fact, there are more reasons than ever to buy a home. If you are on the fence about buying you will want to take note of some of the benefits of homeownership.

Pride of Ownership
It belongs to you! That’s right, renovate, update, paint, and decorate to your heart’s desire and you don’t need to ask permission or waste money improving something that you do not own. Your home is your own so plant trees, install a pool, put up a fence, expand the patio, redo the basement or do anything you want. Owning something feels good.

Equity
Homeownership is about building long-term wealth. It may seem that buying a home has a lot of upfront costs but historically homes appreciate by about 4 to 6 percent a year. When you purchase a home, you build equity with each payment. Equity is the difference between what the home is worth and what is owed. Equity can be used to build wealth, save for retirement and even to secure a loan. For example, an $800/month rent payment equals out to be $48,000 over five years with no financial gain to you.

Tax Benefits
Homeownership has huge tax benefits. In the early years of a loan, mortgage interest is the largest part of your mortgage payment. Mortgage interest is fully deductible on your tax return. For example, a homeowner in a 28% federal tax bracket could lower their borrowing costs by almost a third.

Better Living
Studies have shown that owning a home can actually make you healthier, and is better for your family too. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report: says “Homeowners accumulate wealth as the investment in their homes grows, enjoy better living conditions, are often more involved in their communities, and have children who tend on average to do better in school and are less likely to become involved with crime. Communities benefit from real estate taxes homeowners pay, and from stable neighborhoods homeowners create”.

The National Association of Realtor’s Social Benefits of Homeownership and Stable Housing reports homeowners experience:

-Higher educational performance and better behavior of children
-Lower community crime rates
-Lessened welfare dependency among households
-More household participation in civic affairs
-Better household health

Bottom line, it’s a great time to buy! Interest rates are at historic lows; homes are more affordable so go ahead and invest in a safer, healthier, better future for you and your family today.

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The Best Way to Search For Homes

By Leslee Winston On January 29, 2012 · Leave a Comment

One of the best ways to shop for property is by doing it through this website. This site will provide you the most up to date information on homes for sale in your area.  The only thing you need to do is click the search button and decide which of the homes you feel suits your needs. One reason why this site is so effective in helping you find the perfect home for you and your family is because new updates happen every 15 minutes. You will have the latest information on new listings, price changes, back on markets and open houses.

The best part is that once you begin searching through the lists of homes this site has for sale, you do not have to leave the comfort of your own home. With less stress surrounding you, it becomes easier to begin your search, and this in turn means that you will have the right mindset to find a great piece of property that you can call home.

If you want to keep up to date without searching, you can sign up to receive daily email alerts. The alert will email you every morning with new listings, price changes, back on markets and open houses in your towns and price range. This daily email program allows you to find you the perfect home. In your search you can choose the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you prefer, the area it should be located in, and the overall price range that you are willing to budget for.

And don’t forget I am always a phone call away when you are ready to learn more about the homes you have been searching.

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