Short sale listing - List price is not guarantee. This is a beautifully maintained home with an in ground pool & Spa! The home is located in a quaint Quartz...
Reduced price! This home just received new carpet and a fresh coat of paint! The home is located close to schools, shopping and is just a hop skip and jump...
This home is in great condition and is ready for move in!. The floor plan features a living room dining room combination. The kitchen opens up to a large family...
You’ve found the home of your dreams. It’s expensive, but it’s beautiful, it has room to grow, and you can just squeak by if you’re careful–maybe.
This is a common situation, and all too frequently, it ends poorly–just look at the number of foreclosures on the market. Buying a home is an emotionally loaded process. Deciding how much home you can afford shouldn’t be.
As a general rule of thumb, a home that costs more than three times your gross income is too much of a stretch. Twice to 2.5 times your gross income is generally a safer bet, though that may be difficult to find in high-priced areas like California or the northeast.
To get a more specific estimate, you’ll need to include credit score, interest rate, closing costs, and taxes into your calculations, and these vary by location, and even day of the week. There are a number of mortgage calculators online, and they can be a great resource for examining different scenarios. Continue reading →
A home is the longest-term investment most people will ever make, and unless your home is on wheels, you’re not going anywhere. Choosing the right neighborhood is critical–and very personal. While there are a wealth of online tools for neighborhood research, here are some tips for moving beyond the numbers and finding a place that will keep you–and your family–happy for the long term.
Price is just an opener
The average selling price of homes in a neighborhood is a fairly good indication of overall desirability, but don’t put too much faith in that alone. Price is a reflection of hard facts (for example, crime rate), fact-based perception (“safety”), and complete intangibles, like what happens to be hip or trendy. Some of the factors (for example, proximity to a major employer) may not matter to you, while others that the market overlooks (like access to public transportation in a city like Los Angeles) might be critical.
Here’s how to clean up your credit so you get the least-expensive home loan possible.
Getting the loan that suits your situation at the best possible price and terms makes homebuying easier and more affordable. Here are seven ways to boost your credit score so you can do just that. Continue reading →
Living near a vacant home doesn’t have to mean putting up with overgrown grass and unshoveled snow. Does your community use these eight common local laws, programs, and regulations to force owners to maintain vacant homes?
With the foreclosure crisis, you may have noticed a vacant home or two on your block. Rather than see the home free-fall into disrepair, push local officials to take action before the untended house lowers the value of your own home. Continue reading →
With foreclosure rescue scams widespread as more homeowners fall behind on mortgage payments, be smart if you seek help.
A record high 2.8 million properties were hit with foreclosure notices in 2009, putting even more Americans at risk of facing foreclosure rescue scams. Homeowners who fall behind on mortgage payments need to tread carefully when seeking assistance, since foreclosure rescue scams come in many guises. A day spent researching legitimate options, from a mortgage modification or principal forbearance to a short sale or deed-in-lieu, could keep you from becoming a scam victim. Continue reading →
Foreclosure counselors can make the difference between losing your home and keeping it. Here’s how they work and how to choose one.
If you’re facing foreclosure, your foreclosure counselor will be a key part of your foreclosure team. As you start looking for one, however, you need to know what exactly they do, what they don’t do, and how to choose one who’s legitimate and qualified.
What a foreclosure counselor does
• Reviews your finances
• Helps you establish a budget
• Explains your non-foreclosure options, such as loan modification, short sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure; helps you navigate the process with any chosen option
• Advocates on your behalf with lenders and loan servicers Continue reading →
Add attic insulation to lower heating and cooling costs by as much as $600 per year.
Save about $600 per year by boosting the amount of attic insulation from R-11 to R-49. Depending on the type of materials you use, figure on paying an insulation contractor about $1,500 to insulate an 800-square-foot attic, which pays back your investment in three years. You’ll spend about half that to do the job yourself.
Do you need more attic insulation?
A good, quick way to check if you need insulation is to look across your attic floor. If the existing insulation comes up just to the tops of the joists, then you probably need to add insulation. If you can’t see the joists and the insulation is well above the tops of the joists, you’re probably okay and you won’t recoup the cost of adding more. Continue reading →
Buyers only get one first look at a property, and they don’t want to use their imagination. They assume the house they see is as good as it’s going to get. If you want your home to sell, step out of your comfort zone and think like a buyer. Here are three ways to help you turn your house into the home of someone else’s dreams. We’ve broken down each category into low-cost, “Basic” tips and tricks, and an “All-Out” blow-the-budget transformation. How far you take it is up to you. Continue reading →
Ask detailed questions about their experience and skills to help you find the right agent for your home sale.
Working with the right real estate agent can mean the difference between getting prompt, expert representation and feeling like you’re going it alone when selling your home. Here are 10 questions to ask when you’re interviewing agents. Continue reading →
Have a plan for reviewing purchase offers so you don’t let the best slip through your fingers.
You’ve worked hard to get your home ready for sale and to price it properly. With any luck, offers will come quickly. You’ll need to review each carefully to determine its strengths and drawbacks and pick one to accept. Here’s a plan for evaluating offers. Continue reading →
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More Options
You’ve found the home of your dreams. It’s expensive, but it’s beautiful, it has room to grow, and you can just squeak by if you’re careful–maybe.
By: G. M. Filisko
By: Mariwyn Evans
By: Donna Fuscaldo
By: G. M. Filisko
By: Jeanne Huber
Buyers only get one first look at a property, and they don’t want to use their imagination. They assume the house they see is as good as it’s going to get. If you want your home to sell, step out of your comfort zone and think like a buyer. Here are three ways to help you turn your house into the home of someone else’s dreams. We’ve broken down each category into low-cost, “Basic” tips and tricks, and an “All-Out” blow-the-budget transformation. How far you take it is up to you.
By: G. M. Filisko
By: G. M. Filisko
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