Are you getting ready to buy your first home? It is important to know how much you can afford before you begin looking at properties. Talking with a lender and getting pre-approved for a loan puts you in a stronger negotiating position with sellers.

As a rule, your monthly housing costs should not exceed 28% of your monthly pre-tax income. These costs include the mortgage payment, real estate taxes, and insurance. If you have long-term debts, such as student loans or car payments, your monthly payments, including your housing costs, should be less than 36% of your pre-tax monthly income. Some loans, such as VA and FHA loans, are more flexible with these basic guidelines.

Depending on which type of mortgage you select, you can consider houses in various price ranges. An adjustable-rate mortgage will usually enable you to qualify for a higher loan amount. Your real estate agent can help you make the basic calculations. Remember that buying at the top end of your price range gives you more time to outgrow your home, and can save you money over the long term.
Back to Top

You have done everything that your agent recommended to make your home look wonderful and you have cut your asking price to the bone. Even so, an offer comes in which is so low that you are offended! Is it possible to reconcile your differences and reach a meeting of the minds when presented with such an offer?

It may not take many concessions on your part to make the transaction work if the people who love your house also love to bargain. Even though it may seem that you are far apart in dollar amount or terms of sale, the real distance may not be all that great. Your real estate agent can help you determine if the buyers are ready, willing and able to carry through with the transaction. If they are qualified, the next step involves evaluating your differences. Look for areas where you have some flexibility to negotiate. You may have to go back and forth several times in order to make the transaction work. The trick is to be patient and to not take the process personally!
Back to Top

If you are working with a real estate agent to find a new home, the agent will probably ask a lot of questions about your income, liquid assets, and debt situation. The real estate agent needs such information to help you determine your price range.

Whether you are buying your first home, or moving up, your agent can give you solid advice on how to maximize your buying power. With so many mortgage alternatives available, you may find that you can buy more than you thought. Your individual situation might make some types of mortgages or financing more of a risk than you really want to take. Each buyer's situation is unique, and real estate agents understand the importance of finding you the perfect home and the perfect financing to enable you to afford it.
Back to Top

Perhaps no single decision in a real estate purchase has more variables than "How much money do I put down?" Conventional wisdom centers around either putting down as much as you can or as little as the lender allows.

If you put down a large payment, you get some leverage with the lender, such as little or no mortgage insurance, a good equity position, and perhaps a preferred mortgage deal. You will also have lower mortgage payments. One potential disadvantage of a large down payment is that you will be using after-tax dollars on which you could be earning interest. You will also have less tax-deductible interest.

When you buy a home with a low down payment, you will have more tax deductible interest, and your investment value percentage will increase faster. You will have little equity at the outset, and your monthly mortgage payments (and perhaps your interest) will be higher. However, you will also keep more of your own money in hand to potentially earn more interest in other investments.
Back to Top

Finding an experienced, reliable real estate agent whom you like and trust is the first step in locating your new home. Here is an approach to finding the right agent.

Call or stop by a real estate office and ask to speak with the manager. Describe the type of home you are looking for. The manager can refer you to an agent who knows that market very well. You might also use weekend "open houses" as opportunities to look for a real estate agent, as well as a new home. It is really a matter of chemistry! If you meet someone who is knowledgeable and with whom you feel comfortable, call that person!

Once you establish a strong working relationship with a real estate agent, your agent can show you a number of homes for sale, even if they are listed with other companies. Often the agent can show you a property as soon as it is placed on the market. Many of the best homes never even make it to the weekend classified section of the newspaper!
Back to Top

Looking at homes can become overwhelming for many prospective buyers. The properties start to run together, and you have trouble remembering which homes you liked a lot and which ones you didn't. Real estate agents use a few tricks that can help you remember what you have seen.

Usually the real estate agent will give you a copy of the listing with all the pertinent information. Write down one distinctive feature on the listing sheet that will help you remember the house. Maybe the house had unusual moldings in the dining room, a red door, or unusual wallpaper. If the house was particularly interesting to you, put a big star on the top of the page to remind yourself that you would like to see it again or even perhaps make an offer. If there are features for which you have a strong preference, or if you eliminate a house from consideration for any reason, be sure to tell the agent why.

Communication between you and the real estate agent is key. This will save you a lot of time and effort in your search because the agent will show you only the homes that meet your particular needs.
Back to Top

If you are house-hunting, you may spend hours looking at homes only to have them all blend into one giant blur at the end of the day. Which house had that beautifully designed great room? Was it the same one with the small master bedroom? You can remember what is important about each of the many properties that you saw by using the little tricks developed by real estate agents to help them identify the thousands of properties they see.

Carry a notebook with you when you are house-hunting, and give each house its own page. At the top of the page, note the address and price. Write down the exterior construction, style and color, as well as the color of the living room carpet and walls and any other major feature that will jog your memory later. You can nickname the houses--"the cow mailbox house" or "organic garden house"--anything to help you retain a mental picture of the property. This will enable you to recap the day and give your real estate agent important feedback that can speed up your search for the perfect home!
Back to Top

Many home buyers are concerned about whether they have an insurable interest in the property before the actual closing. The answer is an unqualified "yes". Although the buyer is not yet the recorded owner of the property, he or she has an insurable interest in the property as soon as the agreement of sale is executed by both the buyer and seller.

Should you get hazard insurance before the closing? It depends. Buyers do not usually insure a property until the title passes to them from the seller. However, it's wise to know what the agreement between you and the seller stipulates with regard to insurance.

Most agreements state that the property will be insured for a specific amount. This is very important to both parties. From the buyer's point of view, it is also critical that an adequate sum or full replacement value be stipulated. Watch out for agreements which read "as now insured". This is an all-too-common practice which usually indicates that the seller does not to want to increase inadequate insurance coverage.
Back to Top

Home buyers must often deal with deferred maintenance or repairs. For example, you may have found a terrific house and like many competent home buyers, you included a structural inspection contingency in your purchase agreement. What happens when you find out that your "perfect" house needs some work? Do you ask the sellers to pay for the repairs? Before you answer "yes", there are some important considerations.

Some contracts require that all of the home's systems, such as plumbing, heating, electrical and central air conditioning, be in working order. In this case, the sellers may be obligated to repair any problems with these systems. Leaky roofs, damp basements, or other structural problems may not be covered, however. If you ask the sellers to make these types of repairs, you may void the contract by doing so. The sellers might prefer to negotiate the repairs to keep from losing the sale. If there are other buyers waiting in the wings with back-up contracts, you run the risk of losing the home.
Back to Top

Real estate agents begin their professional relationship with buyers by asking numerous questions about the buyer's personal and financial situation. The answers to these questions will give the real estate agent a clear idea about the buyer's housing needs and price range. It is a waste of time for an agent to show a buyer homes they can't afford, and it can be disheartening to consider unrealistic possibilities.

In order to do a great job finding you a home, your real estate agent needs to have some basic information about your income, debts, and the amount of cash you have available for a purchase. Your agent also needs to know something about your lifestyle. How large is your family? Where do you work? Do you have school-age children? Do you enjoy entertaining? What hobbies would you like to accommodate?

The real estate agent who helps you find your new home will get to know you very well, so it is very important that you feel comfortable with that person and free to communicate openly.
Back to Top

It's an old adage that "the best things in life are free." One of these things is extremely valuable to home buyers -- the advice of an experienced real estate sales professional.

In the traditional home sale, it is the seller who pays the commission that is divided among the various sales professionals involved in the transaction. Unless you are hiring a buyer's broker, the buyer gets several free services from the real estate agent: 1) Target marketing that locates the homes you can afford; 2) Loan pre-qualification that saves you time; 3) Guidance in obtaining the best mortgage terms.

The marketing professional knows that if there is no financing, there is no purchase. Most real estate agents have become quite expert in the mortgage market. Please contact me if you are seeking advice about buying or selling a property.
Back to Top

People buy a home for a lot of different reasons. They may want to put down roots in a community and create a sense of stability in their lives. Then there are the financial considerations and the "forced" savings that builds up in the form of equity. In addition, the monthly cost of owning a house is usually much more stable and predictable than renting.

If you are considering the possibility of purchasing a home, contact a knowledgeable real estate agent in your community. An important part of our job is to educate prospective buyers about the potential benefits and responsibilities of renting versus owning a home. We can help you determine your purchasing power and show you the best homes in your price range. We can also give you a side-by-side comparison of the costs of owning a home compared with what you pay for rent. When you fix up your home to suit your needs and taste, you benefit from the added value of the improvements instead of the landlord!
Back to Top

Most home purchase agreements have clauses that deal with termites. After the agreement is ratified, a termite inspection is arranged. Before the closing can occur, the sellers must be able to produce papers signed by a licensed exterminator stating that the house is free of infestation and that any termite damage has been repaired.

Before you sign an agreement to buy or sell a home, you should read the termite clause and be sure that you understand it. Who selects the exterminator and pays for the inspection? If bugs are found, who pays for the treatment? Are the sellers obligated to repair any damage and have they placed a limit of the dollar amount they will spend on those repairs? If treatment is required, the buyers may want a chance to discuss the options with the pest control company, especially if someone in the family is sensitive to the chemicals used to control the termites. Ask about the exterminator's guarantees or service contract options.
Back to Top

Buying a home for the first time is a major decision that requires planning and preparation. Becoming a homeowner is an exciting process with many complexities that real estate agents are trained to manage.

We are experienced in working with first-time buyers and are well-versed in the creative financing that can make dreams become realities. For those who are low on cash, there may be a mortgage assistance program to help you purchase a home with limited funds. Your real estate agent is familiar with these programs, which have variable guidelines. There are many financing options available in today's marketplace. A little creativity can help you enjoy the freedom and security of owning your own home and building up equity as your property increases in value.
Back to Top

It can be difficult to make an informed home buying decision when confronted by advice from too many "experts." If you have just found the house you want to buy, you are probably feeling completely thrilled and confused at the same time. You trust the agent who helped you and feel that the advice you received is solid. But you also want to get opinions about the house from your best friend, your parents, and your Uncle Chuck, who has an inactive real estate license.

If you get input from too many sources, you could find yourself even more confused than you already are. Your best friend can provide moral support, but might not know the market in your area. Your parents may go into shock because they feel that they got so much more house for their money 30 years ago--and it cost them a fraction of the price you are going to pay.

Even though Uncle Chuck passed the real estate exam, his insights won't be as relevant as those of a professional who is currently working the market. It's not that you shouldn't consult your family and friends--just don't go overboard. Rely on the advice of professionals you trust--a structural inspector, loan officer, and a good real estate agent, so that you can feel comfortable about having made an informed decision.
Back to Top

Real estate transactions are very complex, and difficulties can arise. One common form of interference can come in the innocent guise of helpful advice from family and friends.

When you buy your first home, you want the best advice you can get. You want to show the house to friends and relatives before you commit. They will probably tell you about all of the things that went wrong during their own transactions so you can avoid the same mistakes. These people all have good intentions, but too much advice can put you into a state of high anxiety.

If you are buying your home with the help of a professional real estate agent, your agent will know how to make sure that any minor upsets do not turn into major problems. A real estate agent's expertise is based on formal training and experience in many real estate transactions. Their reputation is on the line with each sale, so they are highly motivated to make your purchase or sale go as smoothly as possible. When you are dealing with a professional real estate agent, you can worry about what might go wrong if you wish, but you don't have to!
Back to Top

Shelter is a very basic human need which most people accommodate by renting or buying a house or apartment. Rental property is often less-than-perfect. Tenants usually experience a rent increase every year or so and feel somewhat at the mercy of the owner. They don't necessarily feel a strong commitment to the property or the community.

Making a decision to buy a house is a major commitment, and the decision has both economic and emotional implications. Instead of paying the landlord's mortgage every month, homeowners pay their own mortgage and build up equity in their investment. When they paint, plant flowers or make improvements, their family reaps the benefits of a more beautiful environment. Homeowners are much more selective than renters about finding the perfect home, and their sense of personal satisfaction heightens the pride of ownership.
Back to Top

The Federal Tax Code allows married taxpayers to exclude from capital gains taxes up to $500,000 in profits from selling a home (singles can exclude $250,000). In order to qualify for this exemption, you must prove that that the home has been your principal residence for at least two out of the last five years. The establishment of the home as a principal residence depends on the facts of each homeowner's circumstance. Here are two cases to consider.

Homeowner A has lived at 25 Pine Drive for 12 years. Although he stays at his vacation cottage in another town for up to three months out of each year (sometimes more), 25 Pine Drive is his principal residence, where he lives most of the time. When he sells the home, Homeowner A (filing as a single individual) can keep up to $250,000 in tax-free profit.

Homeowner B buys 108 Maple Street, intending to live there. He rents it out while waiting to sell his current home, where he has lived for six years. His principal residence sells at the end of two years. Homeowner B moves into his new house, lives there for three months, and then decides to travel. After a six-month trip, he regrets buying 108 Maple Street and sells it. Even though he has owned the house on Maple Street for over two years, it won't qualify as "owner-occupied", because he only lived in it for a few months. Thus Homeowner B is not eligible to claim the tax exemption when he sells the house on Maple Street.

Consult your tax advisor for advice about your particular circumstance.
Back to Top