Your builder may promise a 10-feet-deep swimming pool and a community playground but if you don’t get that promise in writing, don’t be shocked when it doesn’t materialize. Buying from a builder may be one way to get your dream home but even the savviest homebuyer needs to be cautious, especially if you’re buying without [...]
Buyers and real estate agents alike have discovered that fall can be a great time for buying a home. Sellers are more willing to negotiate, and the combination of eager sellers and bargain-hungry buyers has created a home buying season that rivals the active spring season. This year’s fall season is shaping up to be [...]
Q: My husband and I are on the hunt for a new home, and we’d like to buy an older house—not a fixer-upper, but something with a little charm. What should we look for when we’re visiting the homes, and what are some issues we might face that are different from buying a new home? [...]
Here are a few of the topics covered on this week’s radio show. Caller question: I’m moving to a new city for five years—should I buy a new house in cash or take out a mortgage? [3:22] Consider a 10-year mortgage. The interest rates are so low that you can borrow money cheaply, while keeping [...]
Most luxury homebuyers are looking for two amenities when they start house shopping. http://youtu.be/WMa_WPh9bD0 A survey by Realtor.com looked at what luxury homebuyers want the most in a house. The majority of respondents – 54 percent – said they wanted a chef’s kitchen. Another large group – 44 percent of people surveyed – said [...]
It’s possible to buy a house with no regrets – if you’re willing to do your homework first. http://youtu.be/N7CALu_mAk0 In a survey conducted in the second quarter of 2014 by Chase Bank, 39 percent of people said they’d choose a house of a different size, different price or even in a different area if they [...]
The process of shopping for a home can be overwhelming, especially for first-time buyers. Inventories of homes for sale are still very thin in most markets and have yet to return to pre-housing bust levels. Particularly hard to come by are so-called “starter homes” because they are being scooped up by investors in addition to [...]
When you finally find your dream home after weeks, months, or even years of searching, the first step you must take to make it your own is to make the seller an offer. Unless you’re a real estate professional, chances are it’s not every day that you make an offer for hundreds of thousands of [...]
More and more homebuyers need to be prepared for bidding wars in today’s real estate market. When they arise, people can end up paying much more than the original listing price. Real estate bidding wars are often the result of first-time buyers and investors looking for the best price and coming across a deal that [...]
Down payments have always been the greatest barrier to first time homebuyers—and, unfortunately, they still are. For a brief period ten years ago, lenders marketed mortgages with no money down, which made it possible for buyers to circumvent the down payment requirements that would have kept them out of the market. When home values plummeted, [...]
