| |
| |
|
Real Estate Information |
|
|
|
Buying a Home: The 5 Biggest Mistakes that a Home Buyer Makes
As a Professional Real Estate Inspector I get to see and hear the right and wrong things people do when buying a home. These 5 tips will help you choose the right Real Estate Agent the first time. Mistake #1: Not using an agent at all or using the Listing Agent as your 'Agent'. Not smart at all. By law, the listing agent is required to keep the Sellers best interest at stake, not yours! Why would anyone enter into a relationship handicapped like this? I'm not aware of any state that makes a Buyer pay for their Agent. The Buyers agent normally gets paid from a cut of the Listing fees or the commissions are split. If you choose wisely, you can put a trained real estate professional on your side for free! A true Buyers agent can help you negotiate a contract, fly through the mountain of paperwork, help you find the right home and help you schedule the needed inspections and appointments necessary when you do find your dream home. Mistake #2: Relying on the Home Inspector your Agent recommends: I'm still amazed at how many people will blindly take the advice and recommendation of their Agent, or of the Listing Agent, when choosing an Inspector. The agents have a financial stake in seeing the deal go through. Why risk the conflict of interest by solely relying on their choice of Inspectors? With a little research you can find your own home inspector who will have your best interest at stake. Don't know where to start? The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) has an easy to use search tool on their web site. You can choose by zip code or by state and city. You can find it here: http://www.ashi.org Mistake #3: Putting up "Non-Refundable" earnest money. This is like giving the Sellers a check and saying, "Here, you keep this. Even if we don't buy your home, you can keep our money". That's just plain stupid. If your Agent recommends it, find another agent because they don't have your best interest at stake. I've seen Sellers request up to a $20,000 non-refundable earnest money check. Luckily my Client had a good agent and she told the Listing Agent "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. We'll give you the standard $1000 refundable earnest check. Take it or find another Buyer." The Seller accepted rather quickly since her home had been sitting on the market for 5 months. Mistake #4: Falling in love with the home: "Earth to love struck home Buyer, they're building more homes every day!" The one group of consumers I see getting taken advantage of the most are those that "fall in love" with a home. They will accept any terms set by a Seller. They will buy the home and tell themselves "It just needs a little work, I can do that myself." Even though they have never picked up a hammer in their life. They let their "love" cloud their vision and Judgement and end up paying hefty 'stupid tax'. Mistake #5: Buying more home than what they can afford. There is a rule of thumb that says you should not buy a home that cost you more per month that 20 to 25% of your take home pay. I rarely see anyone following that rule of thumb today. What I do see is consumers buying homes that take a large part of their monthly income. This leaves little room in their finances for emergency's, furniture, vacations, investing, etc. With the relaxed lending requirements, people are buying way more home than what they can realistically afford. If you go down this road, chances are that you'll grow to hate this home. You should own a home, the home should not own you. I'm not a real estate agent, broker or attorney, nor am I a financial consultant nor do I claim to be an expert in any of these fields. The above views are my own and have been obtained from experiences in the Home Inspection field. Always consult with your financial planner and/or Real Estate Agent before making any decisions. Donald Lawson is a Professional Real Estate Inspector licensed in Oklahoma (454) and Texas (#5824) and currently owns V.I.P. Home Inspections in Houston Texas. V.I.P. Home Inspections is a multi-inspector firm that inspects both commercial and residential inspections. You can find out more by clicking on this link to his site: http://www.best2inspect.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Realtors: Forget Your Address? It's a large real estate agency, and the company depends on a steady stream of leads. The website is classy, with delightful graphic elements and layout. Financing Houses What Real Estate Lenders Look ForLenders control many programs -- some make use of over 200! Generally, lenders look for the following typical standards, with many exceptions:1. Absolutely no late mortgage payments2. Buying and Selling Real Estate: Negotiating to Win-Win You don't get what you deserve - you get what you negotiate for.If you've spent some time on homekeys. Escrow Accounts - Are You Paying Too Much? Money in escrow is "dead money". It doesn't earn interest for you and it doesn't reduce your mortgage interest payments. Negotiating the Real Estate Contract Negotiation is the process of communication back and forth in order to reach a joint agreement. There is no "one size fits all" strategy of negotiating a real estate contract. What Is a CMA "CMA" is an abbreviation real estate agents use for a Comparative Market Analysis. A CMA gives an estimated sale price for a property given current market conditions. The Secret Jewel in the Mediterranean Crown Since the Northern Cypriots famously voted 'yes' to the UN backed Annan plan for the peaceful reunification of Cyprus in 2004 the world has awoken to the secret and hidden beauty of this untouched jewel in the Mediterranean crown. Those open-minded and individual thinkers seeking elegant living, unrivalled Mediterranean-region investment property opportunities or their own hideaway are today embracing Northern Cyprus. Odors Can Make or Break The Sale of Your Home It's amazing how important the sense of smell is to many people. If you're selling your home, and this applies across the board to houses, townhouses, condos, apartments, or whatever, you need to be aware of the power of odors. Just Give Me Eleven Reasons to Buy in Dubai Buying overseas property is not always for the fainthearted but we think Dubai is an exception to this. Here are eleven reasons to buy in Dubai:1. Home Owner Association Restrictions - Read Before Buying Many communities have associations for homeowners, property owners, condo owners, or similar associations. The presence of a homeowners association, also known as "HOA", introduces another layer of rules and regulations to consider when buying a home. Buying a House in Scotland Buying a house in Scotland is slightly different from buying a house in other parts of the UK. It's not particularly complicated, and buying north of the border can often be quicker, but for those relocating from England and Wales there are a number of points you need to bear in mind. 10 Top Considerations For Those Buying Property Abroad Are you one of a growing number of people considering buying a second home in the sun, an idyllic home from home abroad or a lucrative investment property overseas? If so you're not alone! Statistics show that globally we're all on the move with a recent survey by YouGov revealing that 55% of adult Britons were "seriously considering settling in another country" and the British Centre for Future Studies predicting that by 2020 one tenth of the current British population will be living or working abroad!Add to this the fact that there was a 250% increase between 2000 and 2004 in the number of Britons buying property abroad solely for investment purposes, that over one and a quarter million Brits own second homes in Spain and France already and that the Office for National Statistics in the UK recently revealed that 200,000 Britons go overseas yearly with the intention of remaining for at least twelve months, and you can see that the passion for buying that dream home abroad is universal.But what's fuelling this ever growing interest in the overseas property market?Well, despite reports to the contrary the UK housing market is seemingly ever on the up and those Britons who're acquiring massive levels of equity through their residential property are considering selling up, buying abroad and establishing a pension fund simply on the back of what they have left over from their house sale. Listing Real Estate Online - Top Tactics for Boosting Sales Listing real estate online can be a great way to let buyers know what is out there and it gives sellers a chance to show their home to people all over the world. However, the problem lies in the fact that most people still want to tour the home, inside and out, before buying it. Commercial Real Estate Industry - Is the Condo Craze Over, or Just Gaining Steam Over the last two years there has been so much condo activity that many commercial real estate lenders are starting to express concern over the future stability of condo markets. Some lenders have recently found themselves over allocated in condominiums as a result of the recent activity and have therefore become wary of all but the best opportunities. FSBO: For Sale By Owners Chapter One She reached the phone on its second ring. "This is Tami!" She confidently answered. Preparing for a Showing As soon as you decide to put your home on the market, all sorts of sprucing-up are in order. But let's assume you've already scrubbed to a fare-thee-well, touched up a bit of paint, cleared most of the stuff off your kitchen counters and straightened out your closets. Saving for a Home So you want to buy a home? This is a big step for anyone, and there are many factors to consider, not the least of these is how to get the money for a home. Sure there are loans available for home purchase, but you must have cash on hand to cover expenses such as fees and closing costs that might not be able to be covered by a loan. Foreclosure Home Deals Did you know that you can save tens of thousands of dollars on the purchase of your home by investing in a foreclosure or preforeclosure property? When you are trying to purchase a home for the first time, and you have limited resources and limited funds, it is particularly important that you get the most "bang for your buck".One way for a young family to get the most home for their money is to purchase a "distressed" property. Horses In My Back Yard Horses In My Back Yard by Jody Hudson, with Extensive Collaboration From Chris Hudson HORSE LOVERS: During my thirty years of selling rural land, I have frequently found that folks want some acreage so that they can own and ride horses. They LOVE horses in their own mind but have little if any of the real knowledge or experience necessary to raise one or more horses. Choosing a Realtor Purchasing a property, either as an investor or as a prospective homeowner can be one of the most exhilarating and frightening experiences of your life. In both situations it is imperative that you find just the right property at the right price.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
