Buying

Is Summer or Winter the Best Season to Buy a Home? Each season has something different to offer to a potential home buyer. Read the pros and cons of buying a home during the summer versus the winter. You hear it a lot – there are best and worst times to make any sort of purchase. Whether it’s a television, a car, or a home, statistics are available that may influence your decision on when would be the best time to make a purchase. Numerical data isn’t the only thing you should be taking into consideration, though. Each season has something different to offer in terms of making the home buying process easier or more challenging. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of buying during the summer or winter. What to Think About When Buying a Home During the Summer Did you know there are more homes on the market during summer? According to the National Association of Realtors, inventory in the U.S. is actually 15% greater in the warmer months than in the colder months. If you have a lot of items on your home wish list, you might be…

Looking Past Sale Price When Buying a Home As a home buyer, you may focus too much on a home’s sale price. Before you begin the home search, make sure to consider other factors such as your own credit. As a home buyer, you may focus too much on a home’s sale price – whether it meets your budget or even if it’s a lucky number. Before you begin the home search, make sure that you take into account other factors such as your own credit. When you pay off outstanding loans and reduce debt before beginning the process of looking for a new home, you can significantly impact the interest rate you will pay and whether or not you qualify for a loan. Cost of a Home Beyond the Sale Price Mortgages themselves commonly involve additional costs you may forget to account for, such as mortgage insurance. Other notable expenses include the property size, location, and condition of the home. These are some of the factors which determine property taxes and maintenance expenses for the upkeep of your home. While a home in good condition may…

Why You Really Need a Home Inspection Buying a house is probably the single largest investment you’ll ever make – learn how getting a home inspection can help you get the most value for your home. Buying a house is probably the single largest investment you’ll ever make, and you want to ensure you get the best value for your hard-earned dollar. That’s why more and more home buyers today are turning to professional Home Inspection experts. A professional Home Inspector takes a close look beneath a house’s surface, and then prepares a detailed written report for the prospective buyer on such things as the condition of the foundation, electrical service, roof, insulation, and other critical structural factors. Your Coldwell Banker sales professional can help you connect with an experienced trusted Home Inspection service in your community. Although costs will vary, you can probably expect to spend two to three hundred dollars for an inspection of a single family home. And who pays for it? Well, since the benefit is…

7 Reasons Buying Beats Renting In most parts of the country, home buying is better than renting. Discover the advantages home buyers have in today’s market that renters are missing out on. Why Buying a Home is Better than Renting Conventional wisdom used to state that buying a home is always a great investment. But after the housing crisis, many people who saw their equity sliced in half began questioning this logic. That’s unfortunate. In most parts of the U.S., home buying is still a better decision than renting for people who plan to remain in the space for at least 4-5 years or more, both for financial and emotional reasons. Let’s explore some of these factors in-depth. Price Security in Home Buying Historically, prices tend to rise over time. For example, a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and a semester of college tuition cost more today than they did in 1990. Your mortgage payment, however, is one constant you can rely upon. If you hold a fixed-rate mortgage, your monthly principle and interest (P&I) payment…

How to Choose the Most Important Features in a Home Determining exactly what to look for is often the most difficult part of the home search. Learn how to focus on the most important features and ignore the rest. Buying a home can be a long process. Approaching it correctly from the beginning can save a great deal of time and effort later and help improve your chances of finding the right home for you. Make a List of the Most Important Aspects You Want in a Home Determining exactly what to look for is often the most difficult part of the home search. Homes come in varying shapes and sizes, with different colors and characteristics. Paying attention to all of these details can become problematic, causing you to lose focus. The best way to avoid this is to sit down ahead of time and make a list of the most important aspects of the home you want to buy. For example, you likely have a certain number of bedrooms in mind. Maybe you want to be in a certain school district, or perhaps you want a larger kitchen. Some experts recommend making a secondary…

Tips for Home Buyers: Working with a Real Estate Agent Recognize the expertise you’re gaining by working with a real estate agent. Learn the best ways to communicate with your Coldwell Banker real estate agent. Buying a home can be a daunting task, but a good real estate agent can be incredibly valuable –especially as it relates to finding the right home and helping to negotiate price. Cara Ameer, a broker associate affiliated with Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty in Ponte Vedra, Fla., explained it best to Fox Business. “Buying or selling a home is likely the single largest transaction you will ever make, and you don’t want to trust that investment with just anyone,” said Ameer. “You want to be careful and do your due diligence.” Recognizing a Real Estate Agent’s Expertise Since you are the one who will be living in the home, it’s hard to imagine that anyone will understand your needs better than you. However, it is important to remember that real estate agents are experts when it comes to buying a home, often with years of…