Found 5 blog entries tagged as home buying.

Prepare

Decide on exactly what you want in a home as well as the things you are willing to compromise one. Deciding these things ahead of time will help you narrow down your choice. It is also important to decide exactly what you are willing to pay, so you don’t talk yourself into something out of your price range.

Educate yourself on market trends

House hunting can be overwhelming, and understanding your local housing market can be even more so. One thing you can do is look on real estate websites that offer price estimates. This can prepare you for what to expect to pay for similar properties. Also, look at reports that can tell you how many homes are for sale in your area. This will help you determine if you are looking in a buyer’s or…

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Buying your first home is a big deal, but that first home is rarely your dream home. After several years, you might start thinking it’s time to upgrade for more space, a nicer neighborhood, more luxuries, or all of the above. Here are a few questions to help you make the big decision before you call your real estate agent.

Can you handle a larger mortgage?

The most important question to ask is whether or not you can handle the larger mortgage that comes along with a nicer or bigger house. Create a budget for the potential new mortgage payment along with all the other costs that come with a new home such as possible HOA fees or higher electric and gas bills from heating and cooling a larger home. If you can make it work—you can proceed to ask…

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New technology and internet companies are quickly taking the place of everyday services. Hotels, taxis, and car dealers have to compete with sites such as Airbnb and Uber. Can real estate agents also be replaced by the latest app or website? Does the internet make it easy enough to sell and buy a home without representation? Not necessarily. In fact, trying to go it alone can cost you a lot of money and add unnecessary work and stress to your real estate transaction. Here are reasons why you should still work with a real estate agent.

Knowledge of the Area

A quick Google search may make you feel like you know all the real estate options in St. George, but this is never the case. New homes are going onsale all the time, and people who try to…

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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the biggest mortgage banks in the country. During the recession, the United State’s government backed the two banks with the understanding that Fannie and Freddie would tighten up on regulations, which was discussed in a recent blog post. Since things are getting better, these tightened regulations may be loosening up.

Down Payment Changes

One of the changes to this plan includes giving home loans with a lower down payment. Recently, banks have only been allowed to offer loans to people who could pay at least 5% down payment. Oftentimes, individual banks required that percentage be closer to 20%. Now, two new programs will offer loans with a lower 3% down payment requirement. Fannie’s program is called My…

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A real estate transaction is one of the most important life and business decisions you will probably ever make. Even so, the process is often foreign to people, especially first time home buyers. The proper etiquette - how to dress, act, and behave - is important to keep in mind when viewing and selling homes. Here are some tips for how to present yourself during a real estate transaction.

Buyers

  1. First Impressions

Whenever you look at a house, put your best, most friendly foot forward. There’s a chance you may never meet the current homeowners. Just in case you do, looking nice isn’t a bad idea.They inevitably will picture you in their home, with their neighbors, meeting their friends. Do what you can to show that you would be a great person…

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