Tips on buying your home, 2007
Many buyers make a common mistake when purchasing a home by trying to buy too much house. Read more.
If you are thinking about buying a home in a new subdivision, common interest development (CID), or planned unit development (PUD), chances are good that you will automatically become a member of the local homeowners' association. Read more.
A 15-year fixed-rate mortgage lasts half as long as a 30-year fixed-rate loan. You don't have to work in the lending industry to know that. But if you guessed that monthly payments on a 15-year loan cost twice as much as on a 30-year loan, you're in for a surprise. Read more.
When buying a newly constructed home, it's a good idea to have your own home inspector inspect your new home throughout the construction process. Just because it’s a new home doesn’t mean there won’t be problems. Read more.
Real estate investing is not a weekend hobby. At a minimum, you must study the most common pieces of the acquisition puzzle, so you know how to acquire the right property for profit. Read more.
When you are considering selling your home and interviewing different agents, remember to ask each of them how they will be marketing your home instead of focusing just on how much commission or fee they will charge. Read more.
Real estate investing is not a weekend hobby. At a minimum, you must study the most common pieces of the acquisition puzzle, so you know how to acquire the right property for profit. Buy the wrong house and you could lose a lot of your hard-earned money. Read more.
When you've finally found your dream home, making an offer is the next step. Make sure you're working with a buyer's agent, so you know you have someone looking out for your best interests. Read more.
You may hear some interesting theories out there about when a seller must respond to a buyer's offer. Some people think that a seller must reply to offers in the order they are received. Read more.
Can there be such a thing as not buying "enough" house? Certainly, the opposite situation will put you in a bind. Many people have purchased more house than they can afford, leading to money woes that last for years. Read more.
Many condo buyers enjoy the benefits of homeownership without some of the responsibilities associated with owning a detached single-family residence. For example, you typically don't have to mow the yard if you live in a condo. Read more.
When is it safe to make an assumption about some aspect of a real estate transaction? If you want the transaction to close (and with minimum hassle), your answer should be never. Read more.
The amount a lender approves for your mortgage and what you can afford are not necessarily the same. Sure, it doesn't hurt to find out the maximum someone will lend you to purchase a home. In fact, it can be pretty exciting if that number is higher than you had anticipated. Read more.
If you find what you're looking for in a home, you should be prepared to make an offer quickly. Even if homes are staying on the market a little longer in your neck of the woods, it only takes one other interested buyer to snatch the home or create a bidding war. Read more.
The Internet is an amazing tool when buying a home. You can "tour" homes for sale across the country. You can research neighborhoods, schools, shopping, traffic patterns, and many and other details that will help you make an informed decision. Read more.
Buying a newly built home has many advantages, which include, in most cases, greater energy efficiency and easier maintenance. One big perk is that new construction can be designed just for you. Read more.
Many first-time homebuyers must purchase mortgage insurance, but few truly know exactly what it is or who it protects. Mortgage insurance is a policy that protects lenders against most of the losses that result from defaults on home mortgages. Read more.
If you are considering buying your first home, here are some great pieces of advice to follow when setting out: Read more.
Many consumers believe that they can't qualify for a home loan because of a variety of reasons, including spotty credit and no money for a downpayment. But times have changed. Most lenders evaluate mortgage applications a lot differently today than they did even 10 years ago. Read more.
When shopping for homes, a Texas REALTOR® will show you about seven houses on average per day. That number varies, of course. But it's a good idea to stay below 10. Read more.
Mortgage Insurance Companies of America (MICA) recently released good news for Texas homeowners. A new tax deduction will make homes more affordable next year by allowing homebuyers to write off premiums for private and government mortgage insurance. Read more.
Is it a seller's market or a buyer's market? Be careful where you get your information to answer that question. National news stories about real estate booms and busts may be true for certain parts of the country, but real estate markets don't typically rise and fall evenly across the entire United States. Read more.
If you are considering buying a house, you may want to do some research on your own first. You can find a wealth of information on the homebuying process by surfing the Web. Read more.
If you are considering purchasing a home, you can help your Texas REALTOR® by doing some serious soul searching upfront. There's no doubt that it's hard to find the ideal home. Like most things in life, nothing is absolutely perfect, so you should think long and hard about your expectations for your new home. Read more.
There are a lot of options available when it comes to buying a house, but when shopping for a home, many consumer tend to overlook one very viable option — a "HUD home." A HUD home is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) residential foreclosure. Read more.
Most consumers are overwhelmed when they write that big check for a downpayment on a home purchase. It's typically a lot of money, and one of the biggest barriers to homeownership for many people. Read more.
Closing is a process that begins weeks before the actual closing date, and follows an outline dictated largely by the buyer's original offer. The sales contract, once the seller signs it, covers the key elements of the settlement or closing. Read more.
Maybe the kids have grown up and moved away. Or maybe you're starting a family and just need a little more room. Whatever the case, you may be thinking about "moving up." Read more.
Residential listings from Texas REALTORS® across the state.
