Most people don’t even think about garage doors when they are buying a home. But the look of the garage, particularly an attached garage, can make or break the look of your house. You might purchase a home with a nice garage that matches the color and look of your home, yet the garage doors [...]
You’ve purchased a house in Virginia. However, you don’t actually own it yet. You need to complete the final transaction. This is known as closing or settlement. The escrow agent conducts the closing and is often affiliated with the title insurance company. Their job is to ensure the buyer obtains a clean title, the lender [...]
Congratulations on making the decision of buying a new home! The first thing you need to decide is how much you can afford. Determining this early in the buying process will save you a lot of time and frustration. Not only will you have a clearer idea of the amount you can spend, but you [...]
Buying a home, whether for the first time or the tenth, can be very exciting and scary at the same time. Most first time home buyers will experience a full range of emotions as they go through the buying process. This is a completely normal reaction. Owning a home can be a wonderful thing. Having [...]
Earlier we did a post on building your own home. Now we can take it a step farther and go on to discuss tips on options and upgrades. Determine which options and upgrades you want. Bear in mind that for many builders, the profit margin is highest in upgrades. Some builders can sell a home [...]
You are focused and certain: it’s time to buy a house. Your very first home on your own. But wait. Don’t just dive in. Define Your Search Parameters. Almost 80% of all home searches today begin on the Internet. With just a few clicks of the mouse, home buyers can search through hundreds of online [...]
Condos, single family, single story, multi-level, side streets, corner lots, busy streets, country, city? There are all kinds of houses out there and with the buyer’s market that’s in existence today, you can probably find a good deal. But what kind of home is right? First, the pros and cons of location. Urban, suburban or rural? [...]
Should you buy a new home or a resale house? The choice is up to you, of course, based on what you can afford and where you want to live, but buying new offers a whole range of advantages that are not available in a resale property. Here are some of the reasons that have [...]
Home buying is a big and stressful ordeal. A bad outcome can be right around the corner, unless you are diligent and watch your step – every step – along the way. One of the keys to ensuring that your real estate venture will have a happy ending is to make a commitment to stay [...]
What to do before buying a new home is a common topic and very important, but what many people don’t think of is what not to do before buying a home. Make no major purchases. Avoid buying a car, or major appliances or purchases of any kind that will add debt. This can also include [...]
There are a lot of methods to utilize on the search for a perfect home. Below are the most popular ways, as well as some not so popular methods of house searching and reasons for their success or failure. Yard Signs. Many people see a house as they drive by and see the For Sale [...]
Home buying today is very different to what it was five years ago. When the market was at its peak the moment a home came on the market there were people falling over themselves to get a view and perhaps submit an offer. Today, a home comes onto the market and while there may be [...]
The MLS is a service that is provided to both real estate agents and real estate buyers. Agents have long understood its value and you will see many of them starting the day by searching the database for the latest properties for sale in their area. For those looking to buy real estate, the MLS [...]
There seems to be a trend over the last few years of buyers, and builders, downsizing. If you are one of those considering a move to a small property, there are a few things you need to be aware of first. The most important is the market in general. We often quote the phrase, ‘it’s [...]
Whether you are a seller or buyer, your real estate agent is there to act on your behalf and to help you achieve the best possible outcome. This doesn’t always mean the best possible price since there are other variables that need to be taken into consideration. These include how quickly it takes to sell [...]
So you’re looking for real estate to buy – or perhaps even considering selling. Where is the best place to find information? The MLS? The MLS is certainly the most comprehensive database when it comes to real estate listings. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best place to start looking. Often, a trip to your [...]
There are some real estate commentators who advise that knowing the market is an essential part of home buying. Is it really? The answer really depends on why you’re in the market and whether you are looking for a particular suburb or just a city or town. Knowing the market is obviously important if you’re [...]
Is it cheaper to buy real estate in Maryland than rent? According Trulia, Baltimore is on the list of cities where buying is better value than renting. Baltimore isn’t the only place in the region to score well either with Washington DC and Virginia Beach also sneaking in. It bodes well for those looking to [...]
The MLS is one of those tools that had to be added to the web. Let’s face it, the web already brings millions of people together every day and search engines like Google and Yahoo have been a part of everyone’s online life for many years. A searchable real estate database fits into this environment [...]
Mortgages are becoming harder to acquire as financial institutions tighten their credit requirements. Fannie Mae has a loan quality initiative that most lenders will start to follow. This will only serve to put more pressure on those trying to acquire mortgages. In fact, under this initiative, those who have been approved for a mortgage may [...]
There have been numerous reports in the media over the last couple of weeks regarding weak real estate markets. There is also new data showing home loan applications at a 10 year low. With a lot of properties on the market and a shrinking supply of buyers, is now a good time to be investing [...]
When it comes to real estate, what is a ‘great deal’? In a way it all comes down to meeting needs. If you think a ‘great deal’ is a home that is discounted by 20%-30% then forget it – investors and others in the industry will snap these properties up the moment they come on [...]
This could be written tongue in cheek, but it’s not. A buyer or seller needs to have the best when it comes to real estate agents. As agents, we also have an idea of who makes the best buyers and sellers. If you check out the following traits, you will understand why. The Perfect Home [...]
Buying real estate in Washington DC is a little different to buying real estate in many other areas. To begin with, there are no suburbs to search. Some search services let you search by district or quadrant. We have compiled a short list of tips for newcomers to the DC district. Search by zip code [...]
This may sound a little strange, but for those looking to buy a new home, one of the most important steps is to let your real estate agent get to know you. I am not necessarily talking about inviting them out to dinner and opening your soul to them, but if a real estate agent [...]
In some states like Virginia, Maryland and D.C., dual agency is permitted so long as there is a full disclosure to all parties. For the real estate agent, it is a bonus since they then receive both the selling and buying commissions once the sale has been completed. For buyers and sellers, does it mean [...]
If you lost your home during the recent economic nightmare then you may feel that everything is lost and that home ownership and mortgages are now out of the question. That may not be the case. FannieMae have recently announced that home loans for some victims of the financial fallout may still qualify for mortgages. [...]
Whether you are buying residential or commercial real estate there is one important consideration, knowing your limitations before you start to negotiate. All too often someone will start to negotiate on a home, for example, knowing full well that renovations and repairs will be required, some fairly soon, yet also knowing that they are at [...]
For the uninitiated, real estate flipping is the process of buying a property that is undervalued, doing some fairly basic renovations and then reselling the property. The aim is to make as much profit as possible as quickly as possible. Is it a wise way to invest in real estate given the current state of [...]
We could be called brave, we could be called gullible but most of the time we are just plain ignorant when it comes to buying real estate. In fact, we are often not helped by the very people we rely on for help – the real estate agent. As a buyer, you have to be [...]
