Buying a home is often the biggest single purchase you’ll ever make. But it isn’t just choosing a home to buy that’s complicated. You’ve got to think through neighborhood issues, size issues, and cost issues. Buying a home can also include legal issues, construction or building concerns, and have serious tax implications. Financing your home purchase is another big topic of interest for most home buyers. From this topic page, you’ll be able to find articles and videos that help you understand how to balance what you want in a home with what you can afford to spend. You’ll also be able to refine your search about buying a home by using the topic cloud on the right navigation.
Design Your Own House
By Ilyce Glink| 2008-08-04T15:57:06-05:00 August 4th, 2008|
Architect Sarah Susanka talks about designing your own house with an architect. When you design your own house you should design it for you, not for resale. What's the best way to design your own house?
How Much Does An Architect Charge?
By Ilyce Glink| 2008-08-04T15:52:47-05:00 August 4th, 2008|
Architect Sarah Susanka describes how architects charge for their work. The more experience an architect has the more he or she will charge a client. Younger architects will cost less but can be very talented. Learn about how much architects charge and why.
Buying A Home With A Graveyard
By Ilyce Glink| 2008-05-28T00:00:00-05:00 May 28th, 2008|
A home buyer wonders about buying a foreclosed property near a cemetery. Could buying a home with a perceived defect lead to a lower price? Ilyce discusses pros and cons of buying a home in a less desirable location like near a cemetery or with a problem that you may be able to fix.
When’s A Good Time To Buy
By Ilyce Glink| 2008-05-28T00:00:00-05:00 May 28th, 2008|
What are good reasons to buy a home? Saving on taxes is not a good sole reason to buy a home. Here are several financial and personal reasons that will help you decide whether to move to buy a home.
Closing Date Change Could Cause Loss Of Earnest Money
By Ilyce Glink| 2008-05-22T00:00:00-05:00 May 22nd, 2008|
When a seller changes the closing date and the buyer decides to pursue other properties, can the seller keep the buyer's earnest money? Does the seller have a right to the earnest money when the contract has been canceled and the closing will no longer occur? And can the seller lay claim to earnest money related to a home repair?
Buying A Home? Try Tax Auction
By Ilyce Glink| 2008-05-15T00:00:00-05:00 May 15th, 2008|
One option to consider when buying a home is a tax auction. Localities sell homes at tax auctions when the homeowners failed to pay property taxes. If you pay off the property tax, you buy the home but you do not get to move in right away. The original homeowners may have up to two years to pay the property tax lien and void the sale at the tax auction.
Buying A Home Without Adequate Income
By Ilyce Glink| 2008-05-09T00:00:00-05:00 May 9th, 2008|
Without adequate income, you can't qualify to get a mortgage loan to buy a home. In addition to income, lenders want to see that you have a good credit score before giving you a mortgage loan. Once you've got the income, a good credit history and credit score, you can start looking for a house to buy.
Contract Will Determine Fate Of School Playground Equipment
By Ilyce Glink| 2008-05-02T00:00:00-05:00 May 2nd, 2008|
School playground equipment is considered a fixture. Fixtures typically stay at the site where they're installed and have to be excluded from a contract to be removed. In a typical residential purchase contract, fixtures permanently attached to the property are generally left with the property.
Asking For Trouble With Synthetic Stucco
By Ilyce Glink| 2008-04-03T00:00:00-05:00 April 3rd, 2008|
Synthetic stucco may trap moisture between exterior and plywood leading to mold and rot. A developer asks about using synthetic stucco over concrete blocks. There has been more success using synthetic stucco over concrete blocks, but this developer will still have to fight the negative public perception of synthetic stucco. But if he is not looking for problems in construction, he may want to consider other exterior finishes.
Builder Won’t Fix Problems In New Home
By GlinkAndTamkin| 2008-04-03T00:00:00-05:00 April 3rd, 2008|
A buyer says his home has problems like a leaky roof. He says the builder will not fix the home problems. Who can he contact to help with these home problems?