Home Buying Tips

January 12, 2008

  • Real Estate Investing Tips

    Real Estate Investing Tips
     
    There are at least four key issues you need to consider regarding investing in rental real estate.  And while there are several ways to invest in Real Estate, this particular list offers just some of the advantages of owning rental property.
     
    1. "The Buy"- As is the case with any investment, the goal [...]

January 9, 2008

  • An End to the Housing Slump?

    An End to the Housing Slump?
     
    After a year of falling house prices in numerous parts of the country and a meltdown in the mortgage market that affected borrowers regardless of their ZIP code, many hope that housing markets will finally start to get better this year.
     
    But if there's any improvement in 2008, it may be [...]

January 8, 2008

December 22, 2007

December 15, 2007

December 8, 2007

  • Mistakes Buyers Make in a Down Market

    Mistakes Buyers Make in a Down Market
     
    With plenty of homes on the market, prices falling and mortgage rates down, it appears to be a great time for house hunters.  But even in a buyer's market, buyers can, and often do, make expensive mistakes.
     
    You need to do your homework.  Know your market!
     
    While there are bargains to [...]

December 3, 2007

November 29, 2007

  • Home Buyer Incentives? Doesn't Hurt to Ask

    Home Buyer Incentives?  Doesn't Hurt to Ask
     
    In a seller's market, a prospective home buyer needs to be a little more cautious when negotiating a purchase; however, in today's buyer's market, incentives are an accepted part of the deal.  It certainly never hurts to ask for incentives, but be careful not to get carried away to [...]

November 28, 2007

  • Townhouse or Condo: Which is Better?

    Townhouse or Condo: Which is Better?
     
    The confusion comes because a town house, which is simply a multi-story, attached residence, can be owned one of two ways — either with or without the lot.  If the developer includes the town house's lot in the sale, ownership is "freehold" or "fee simple," just like most single-family detached [...]

November 23, 2007

November 21, 2007

November 17, 2007

  • Buying After The Sub-Prime Crunch

    Buying After The Sub-Prime Crunch
     
    The days of getting a quick easy mortgage are clearly over.  A year ago, mortgage money was flowing.  Predatory lenders signed people up for mortgages without paperwork, gave out loans that covered 100% of the home's value and weighed them down with outrageous payments that exceeded their income.  The subsequent fallout [...]

November 11, 2007

  • Homeowner Associations: Good or Bad?

    Homeowner Associations: Good or Bad?
     
    Often times home buyers don't fully realize the trade-off they're making when they move into communities that involve becoming association members.  More than 57 million people belong to associations governing everything from large and small condominium developments to subdivisions of single-family homes.
     
    Associations provide valuable benefits including, say, landscape maintenance and access [...]

November 6, 2007

  • The Subprime Mess: What it Means to You

    The Subprime Mess: What it Means to You
     
    The bad news about the housing market seems never ending:  Foreclosures have more than doubled over the past year.  Whether you're a home seller, owner or buyer, by this point you've got to be feeling a little rattled.
     
    All that has happened before problems in subprime lending expanded throughout [...]

October 19, 2007

  • What's Causing This Slump?

    What's Causing This Slump?
     
    It's no secret that real estate is experiencing a market slump; in fact sales are lower than they've been in 16 years.  Wall Street economists compile a seasonal market forecast; a rating higher than 50 indicate a positive market.  The current forecast was only 30 and has remained below 50 since may [...]

October 17, 2007

  • Buying a Home - How to Get the Best Deal

    Buying a Home - How to Get the Best Deal
     

     
    Balance is found in nature and the real estate market is not exempt from this.  It was only a matter of time until the strong sellers' market swung back to buyers.  We seem to be at the beginning of a great buyers' market as desperate [...]

October 15, 2007

  • Better to Buy a House in Boston Than to Pay Rent?

    Better to Buy a House in Boston Than to Pay Rent?  
     
    That depends on when you buy, and how long you own.  Buy at the wrong time — like during the kind of buying frenzy that much of the country has just experienced — and you could well end up wishing you had rented instead. [...]

October 13, 2007

  • Shopping for a Home in a Buyer's Market

    Shopping for a Home in a Buyer's Market
     
    The housing market now belongs to the buyer.  Home sales and prices sagged in 2006, and 2007 has not been much different.   Don't limit yourself.  While you should look for homes that are listed with real estate agents, don't discount properties that are for sale by owner. In many markets [...]

October 11, 2007

  • Do You Need a Home Warranty?

    Do You Need a Home Warranty?
     
    A home warranty is not much different from a warranty you might have on your car, your computer or your home entertainment center.  A warranty on your home usually covers all of your home’s major mechanical systems, including hot tubs, pools, wells, septic tanks and all of your appliances.  [...]

October 2, 2007

  • The Real Cost of Relocating

    The Real Cost of Relocating
     
    There's good reason that relocating ranks alongside divorce as one of life's most stressful events: It's expensive. Even if you're moving for a higher-paying position, your spouse may have to quit a job and look for a new one, which could pummel your household income.
     
    You might be forced to sell into [...]

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