Real Estate Advice Sellers Don’t Want Home Buyers Knowing, is good information for both Home Buyers and Sellers. Buying Real Estate is sometimes scary and unpredictable with no one to hold your hand through the process. Follow our helpful Tips below, and you will gain a wealth of knowledge in just a few minutes! If you ever need help, you can call SF Bay Homes directly at (650)346-7366 for immediate help.
Before moving to a new home, we always recommend researching the neighborhood first, and the street it’s on. Sometimes the house is perfect, but it’s in a busy area, or the neighbors are a little too much for you, or it’s too far from the things that are important to you like schools, shopping, doctors, etc.
When purchasing a new home, it is important to research as many possible properties as you can. If you stay focused on only one home, you probably will not get the best deal for your money. Go to as many open houses as possible, and keep an open mind about what you are looking for.
If you are considering on buying real estate near a body of water, whether it’s the ocean or a lake. Be sure to check with the county zoning office, and verify if it’s in a zoned flood plain. If it is, then you’ll need to consider purchasing Flood Insurance too. Purchasing right on the water front is always nice, but sometimes buyers don’t want to pay the extra, or deal with hassle of selling a property in a flood plain.
The advertised price of a home is just a starting point. Remember that it is not set in stone and is only gives an idea about how much the seller is looking to get out of it. Negotiate until you find a price that you are both comfortable with.
Purchasing a new home is both exciting and quite stressful. Save yourself any extra stress by planning ahead. Donate or hold a garage sale to lessen the amount of items being moved to the new house. This will save you time and money!
To be safe in your next real estate purchase, you should find the best home inspector in the area. As you talk to the home inspector, ask for references to recent clients. The home inspector is willing to give you several. This inspector could find problems with the house that take thousands of dollars to fix, so this is not an area for cheapness and cutting corners.
When you’re ready to move, pack things into boxes for each room separately. Always mark the contents and future place of the boxes for each room, which will let the movers know which box goes where when it comes to unloading. This will make unpacking and organizing quick!
As far as the SF Bay Homes Area, this is a great time to purchase real estate. Property values are lower than normal, meaning some great deals are ready for you to find. You won’t find a better time to make that move from renting to owning. In a year or two, the market will increase again. This means you will have made a great investment purchase if you bought when prices were still affordable.
When inspecting a potential home, you should always check the home for illegal additions and disparities. If you purchase the home, and find out later, it will be your responsibility to bring your home back up to county zoning codes! Adding on bedrooms, remodeling, or anything not included in the original plans will be subject to property code review. So, take your time, do your research, and cover the bases.
If you decide to purchase a condo, PUD, apartment, or townhouse, be sure to ask about the Home Owner’s Insurance (HOA) dues. HOA Fees will usually take care of gardening, minor repairs, trash, and sometimes water. But, this can add an extra $150 to $350 or more per month depending on where you purchase. Be sure to add this into your budget, so you don’t have to struggle making the payments.
Real Estate Listings
Even though it is very easy to search for real estate listings on the internet, it is still in your best interest to hire an agent to work with you. The agent will be able to answer many questions that you may have, handle the paperwork, take care of documents that needing filing, and alert you of any listings that meet your criteria, so you can present the seller with the first offer. The agent’s role is important in this case, because they can help move the deal forward if an agreement isn’t made on the selling price. The agent is there to do the heavy lifting, while you focus on researching other homes, work, and family. He’s also there to make sure all paperwork is correct the first time, and ties up all loose ends with the buyer to insure your move in is quick and easy.
Cheap
If you are looking for a home that is cheap but in need of repair, be sure to bring a contractor with you to give you an estimate for the cost of repairs. You are sure to find his advice invaluable when making the final decision about whether to make the purchase or not.
When hunting for Homes, don’t always jump at the first opportunity, because there might issues with that home. By doing your homework and tracking other homes and offers in the area, you will have a good idea of what houses sell for, and you’ll have an edge over someone bidding against you. Rushing into a purchase may cause you to forget important steps like a pre-inspection, and thus cost you lots of money.
After you have narrowed it down to a 1 property, then it’s time to get a Structural Survey. The cost will vary, but part of the process. If you don’t have one done by the time of closing, you may not get financing, or your home could fall apart soon after you purchase. Newer built homes don’t cost as much, and are less intensive.
Low Interest Rates
Meet with a lender before looking at homes. Ask about the available loan options so you will get an idea of how much cash out-of-pocket you will need for closing costs, down payments, and any other fees. You may find yourself surprised at the amount of money that you can afford due to the low-interest rates.
When you are considering on buying a new home, speak with a mortgage broker before looking at homes. It doesn’t make sense to go through all the trouble, then find out you can’t afford it. But, however, you can purchase more of a home if the numbers work in your favor.
We hope this information was helpful, and it takes the edge off of buying real estate. With this new knowledge, you will have the power to find, rate, negotiate, and purchase your new Home with intelligence and peace of mind. But, again if you ever need help, or just some simple guidance, please don’t hesitate in contacting us, we’d love to help!
Here’s 3-Easy Steps to take:
1. Take out your cell phone.
2. Look up my number. (Hint, 650-346-7366)
3. Call me immediately. Look at us as a resource for all you.
