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Before You Buy a Home - Look at Eight Reasons to Buy a HomeIf you're like most first-time home buyers, you've probably listened to friends', family's and coworkers' advice, many of whom are encouraging you to buy a home. However, you may still wonder if buying a home is the right thing to do. Relax. Having reservations is normal. The more you know about why you should buy a home, the less scary the entire process will appear to you. Here are eight good reasons why you should buy a home. Pride of OwnershipPride of ownership is the number one reason why people yearn to own their home. It means you can paint the walls any color you desire, turn up the volume on your CD player, attach permanent fixtures and decorate your home according to your own taste. Home ownership gives you and your family a sense of stability and security. It's making an investment in your future. AppreciationAlthough real estate moves in cycles, sometimes up, sometimes down, over the years, real estate has consistently appreciated. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight tracks the movements of single family home values across the country. Its House Price Index breaks down the changes by region and metropolitan area. Many people view their home investment as a hedge against inflation. Mortgage Interest DeductionsHome ownership is a superb tax shelter and our tax rates favor homeowners. As long as your mortgage balance is smaller than the price of your home, mortgage interest is fully deductible on your tax return. Interest is the largest component of your mortgage payment. Property Tax DeductionsIRS Publication 530 contains tax information for first-time home buyers. Real estate property taxes paid for a first home and a vacation home are fully deductible for income tax purposes. Capital Gain ExclusionAs long as you have lived in your home for two of the past five years, you can exclude up to $250,000 for an individual or $500,000 for a married couple of profit from capital gains. You do not have to buy a replacement home or move up. There is no age restriction, and the "over-55" rule does not apply. You can exclude the above thresholds from taxes every 24 months, which means you could sell every two years and pocket your profit--subject to limitation--free from taxation. Preferential Tax TreatmentIf you receive more profit than the allowable exclusion upon sale of your home, that profit will be considered a capital asset as long as you owned your home for more than one year. Capital assets receive preferential tax treatment. Mortgage Reduction Builds EquityEach month, part of your monthly payment is applied to the principal balance of your loan, which reduces your obligation. The way amortization works, the principal portion of your principal and interest payment increases slightly every month. It is lowest on your first payment and highest on your last payment. On average, each $100,000 of a mortgage will reduce in balance the first year by about $500 in principal, bringing that balance at the end of your first 12 months to $99,500. Equity LoansConsumers who carry credit card balances cannot deduct the interest paid, which can cost as much as 18% to 22%. Equity loan interest is often much less and it is deductible. For many home owners, it makes sense to pay off this kind of debt with a home equity loan. Consumers can borrow against a home's equity for a variety of reasons such as home improvement, college, medical or starting a new business. Some state laws restrict home equity loans. |
Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Real Estate AgentWith so much information readily available online, clients sometimes ask me, "Why should we hire a real estate agent?" They wonder, and rightfully so, if they couldn't buy or sell a home through the Internet or through regular marketing and advertising channels without representation, without a a real estate agent. Some do OK, many don't. So if you've wondered the same thing, here are 10 reasons why you might want to consider hiring a professional real estate agent. 1) Education & ExperienceYou don't need to know everything about buying and selling real estate if you hire a real estate professional who does. Henry Ford once said that when you hire people who are smarter than you are, it proves you are smarter than they are. The trick is to find the right person. For the most part, they all cost about the same. Why not hire a person with more education and experience than you? We're all looking for more precious time in our lives, and hiring pros gives us that time. 2) Agents are BuffersAgents take the spam out of your property showings and visits. If you're a buyer of new homes, your agent will whip out her sword and keep the builder's agents at bay, preventing them from biting or nipping at your heels. If you're a seller, your agent will filter all those phone calls that lead to nowhere from lookie loos and try to induce serious buyers to immediately write an offer. 3) Neighborhood KnowledgeAgents either possess intimate knowledge or they know where to find the industry buzz about your neighborhood. They can identify comparable sales and hand these facts to you, in addition to pointing you in the direction where you can find more data on schools, crime or demographics. For example, you may know that a home down the street was on the market for $350,000, but an agent will know it had upgrades and sold at $285,000 after 65 days on the market and after twice falling out of escrow. 4) Price GuidanceContrary to what some people believe, agents do not select prices for sellers or buyers. However, an agent will help to guide clients to make the right choices for themselves. If a listing is at 7%, for example, an agent has a 7% vested interest in the sale, but the client has a 93% interest. Selling agents will ask buyers to weigh all the data supplied to them and to choose a price. Then based on market supply, demand and the conditions, the agent will devise a negotiation strategy. 5) Market Conditions InformationReal estate agents can disclose market conditions, which will govern your selling or buying process. Many factors determine how you will proceed. Data such as the average per square foot cost of similar homes, median and average sales prices, average days on market and ratios of list-to-sold prices, among other criteria, will have a huge bearing on what you ultimately decide to do. 6) Professional NetworkingReal estate agents network with other professionals, many of whom provide services that you will need to buy or sell. Due to legal liability, many agents will hesitate to recommend a certain individual or company over another, but they do know which vendors have a reputation for efficiency, competency and competitive pricing. Agents can, however, give you a list of references with whom they have worked and provide background information to help you make a wise selection. 7) Negotiation Skills & ConfidentialityTop producing agents negotiate well because, unlike most buyers and sellers, they can remove themselves from the emotional aspects of the transaction and because they are skilled. It's part of their job description. Good agents are not messengers, delivering buyer's offers to sellers and vice versa. They are professionals who are trained to present their client's case in the best light and agree to hold client information confidential from competing interests. 8) Handling Volumes of PaperworkOne-page deposit receipts were prevalent in the early 1970s. Today's purchase agreements run 10 pages or more. That does not include the federal- and state-mandated disclosures nor disclosures dictated by local custom. Most real estate files average thicknesses from one to three inches of paper. One tiny mistake or omission could land you in court or cost you thousands. In some states, lawyers handle the disclosures, thank goodness! 9) Answer Questions After ClosingEven the smoothest transactions that close without complications can come back to haunt. For example, taxing authorities that collect property tax assessments, doc stamps or transfer tax can fall months behind and mix up invoices, but one call to your agent can straighten out the confusion. Many questions can pop up that were overlooked in the excitement of closing. Good agents stand by ready to assist. Worthy and honest agents don't leave you in the dust to fend for yourself. 10) Develop Relationships for Future BusinessThe basis for an agent's success and continued career in real estate is referrals. Few agents would survive if their livelihood was dependent on consistently drumming up new business. This emphasis gives agents strong incentives to make certain clients are happy and satisfied. It also means that an agent who stays in the business will be there for you when you need to hire an agent again. Many will periodically mail market updates to you to keep you informed and to stay in touch. |
Pre approval Letters Give Homebuyers an EdgeReal estate experts tell first-time home buyers that it's critical to apply for a loan before shopping for a home, and it's true; this is an essential first step. But do you know that it's far better to be pre approved for a loan than to be prequalified? There are more advantages to gaining pre approval than you would initially surmise. When the lender hands a borrower a pre approval letter, it means the borrower can: Save Time by Looking at the Right HomesIf your real estate agent is sending you automatic e-mail listings of available homes, you can ask her to change the parameters to more tightly encompass that you are qualified to buy. Spend More Time Examining the Right Homes By decreasing the inventory of homes to those that fit your parameters, you can allot more time to thinking about all the little nuances each home has to offer. Lots of home buyers never move past the price point when sorting out their preferences, but now you can devote your energies to looking at the little things that matter to you most such as whether your SUV will pass through the overhead space in the garage or smash into the micro beam. Gain Confidence & Avoid DisillusionmentNow when you find that perfect home, nobody can take it away from you by telling you that you do not qualify to buy it. You can minimize anxiety and remove last-minute loan surprises that could disqualify you. You'll sleep better at night knowing that the home you selected is yours. Moreover, you can tell your relatives and friends that the home you made an offer is definitely going to close and you will not "lose face" with anybody. Increase Bargaining & Negotiating PowerSellers will be more likely to immediately accept your offer, even if that offer is for less than list price, because you are giving the seller peace of mind that her home is sold. She can take her home off the market and place it into pending status with confidence. Enjoy a Faster Closing PeriodBecause there is no window period while your loan application is processed, the lender can speed up the entire processing procedure. Appraisals can be ordered immediately. It's possible to shorten a 30-day closing to two or three weeks, which comes in handy if a seller needs to quickly move and can't decide which offer to accept. Yours will move to the front if you can accomplish the seller's need to quickly close. Because mortgage approval is generally the longest contingency to satisfy in a purchase contract, it is to your advantage to obtain a pre approval letter as soon as you're ready to begin your search. Lenders will render a decision based on your complete loan application, employment verification and data from all three credit reports. |
12 Ways to Find a Down PaymentHome ownership in America has increased from 25% in the early 1900s to 67% at the end of that century. During all those years, many home buyers struggled to come up with a down payment. In some cases, the banks required as much as 50% down before they would lend on a mortgage. 1) Save Your Tax RefundIf it's hard for you to save, you can change your withholding exemptions from 1 to zero. 2) Borrow from ParentsIt's not unusual for parents to help their children buy a home. Favorable tax laws will let each parent gift a certain amount without tax consequences (check with your CPA). If your parents won't give you the money, perhaps you could ask for an unsecured loan and pay it back at a better rate than your parents could get at the bank or in a money-market account? The rate you pay would likely be less than the prevailing rate from your own lending institution, which makes it win-win for everybody. 3) Sock Away X Amount PeriodicallyThe secret to making a savings account grow is to make identical deposits at the same time every month. For example, if you are paid every two weeks and save $200 from every paycheck, at the end of 12 months, you will have saved more than $5,200, excluding interest. 4) Sell Stuff on eBay or Hold a Garage SaleEverybody has too much stuff. I've never met a person who didn't. Some people spend thousands every year on storage units where this stuff is stashed. Look in your attic, your basement, under your bed and in your closets for stuff you no longer use. If you haven't used it in a year, sell it at a garage sale, put it on Craig's List or set up an eBay account and get rid of it. 5) Ask Seller to Give it to YouHey, you never know. If you pay the seller's asking price, you'd be astonished at what some sellers will do for you. Some of them will even give you the down payment as a credit or pay your closing costs or both. Check with your lender before asking for the credit because lenders have strict requirements as to how much you can receive. 6) Settle Lawsuits FastFrom personal injury suits to civil litigation, typically delays just make the lawyers more money, apart from the fact that the time-value of money decreases as the clock ticks. We live in a litigious society where even a simple auto accident involving slight bumper damage ends up being filed in court. Settle the case quickly and use that reward to help you buy a house. 7) Check out Government ProgramsIf you've served your country in the armed forces, you may qualify for a loan backed by the Veterans Administration, known as a VA loan. The government also runs a slew of down payment assistance programs for first-time home buyers. Also, check with your county to see if it offers special programs to induce home ownership in certain neighborhoods. 8) Take a Second JobSome renters will sacrifice evenings to work part-time at a second job. If it's a short-term situation, it might not be that hard to do. It could also be seasonal work such as from Thanksgiving to Christmas or specialty work around tax time in the spring. 9) Ask for a RaiseSit down one evening and write up a list of every thing you have done over the past year that made your company money or somehow increased its bottom line. List every accomplishment. Then take that list to your boss and ask for a raise. Ask for more than you think you will receive. You never know, you might get it. 10) Get a Better Paying JobAs long as your field of employment remains the same, taking a different job should not affect your mortgage application. Maybe it's time to look for employment elsewhere that will pay more. Check with your local employment office, network with peers and send résumés to companies where you want to work, regardless of whether it advertises a position. 11) Tap Your Retirement FundsCertain retirement accounts will let you borrow from them to buy a home. Check with your CPA for current regulations. Some types of requirement accounts will let you take out the principal balance without a penalty. 12) Consider 100% FinancingIf you have excellent credit, you may qualify for a 100% loan. This could be a single mortgage guaranteed by mortgage insurance, or you could finance a combination or piggyback loans, comprising 100% of the purchase price. Talk to your mortgage broker to see if you qualify. |
Top 10 Tips to Writing Purchase Offers in a Buyer's MarketSimply put, buyers' markets exist when there are a lot of homes on the market and very few buyers. If inventory--the number of homes on the market in your neighborhood--has been rising, it's likely that the days on market have been increasing. Couple that with declining sales figures over previous months and home buyers are in an enviable position to negotiate. Here is how you can write a buyer's offer to your advantage. 1) Request E-Mail Listings & UpdatesAlmost 80% of home buyers today start a home search online. However, many buyers are unaware that the data they are viewing could be dated. Many Web sites reboot every 24 hours. On other sites, agents sometimes leave expired and sold listings as active, hoping for ad calls. To avoid wasting your time, ask your agent to register your e-mail address so you can receive daily MLS changes of reduced prices and new listings. This is one way to gain access to the same data agents receive. 2) Tour Price ReductionsIf you're like most buyers, you will want to offer less than asking price. It's just human nature. But if you plan to low-ball, you'll probably be unsuccessful at getting that type of offer accepted if the home was just listed. Instead, tour homes that have had recent price reductions or have been on the market for at least 30 days or more. These sellers are more likely to be receptive to a low-ball offer. 3) Obtain Comparable SalesWhen you find a home you want to buy, asks your real estate agent to print out a list of similar homes in the same neighborhood over the last six months sorted by: Active Listings, Pending Sales and Sold. 4) Request ContingenciesIn a buyers' market, you're in control. Write your offer contingent upon the property appraising at the agreed upon sales price and on obtaining your loan. Check with your lawyer to find out if you can ask for a loan contingency that will protect you all the way to closing. Ask for a reasonable period to conduct inspections and to approve title, geological and pest reports. Ordinarily, during contingency periods, buyers can back out without risking a good faith deposit. 5) Ask for an Allowance or CreditIf you find the perfect home but you don't like the color or condition of the carpet, for example, ask the seller to give you a carpeting allowance in your offer. Check with your lender before you write the offer to find out how to word a credit clause that is acceptable to the lender. You can ask for more than it will cost to repair or replace an item to cover your "hassle" factor. Many lenders let borrowers receive up to 6% of the sales price as a cash credit against closing costs. 6) Reduce Your Closing CostsDepending on your local area, there may be fees associated with closing that are customarily paid by the buyer such as title insurance, property taxes, recording fees or escrow. In a buyers' market, you can ask the seller to pay those closing costs. Typically, those costs can add up to one or two percent of the sales price and are often paid out-of-pocket by buyers. Ask your agent if these fees are negotiable. Then ask the seller to pay them. 7) Renegotiate after Home InspectionsAll buyers should obtain a home inspection. Most contracts give buyers the right to cancel a contract if the home inspection reveals repairs or defects that are unacceptable to a buyer. However, if the repairs are minor, you might want to renegotiate the sales price or ask for a credit against your closing costs. Caution: don't ask for a price reduction if the repairs were evident when you first saw the home or the seller might not be willing to negotiate with you. 8) Request ExtrasSellers realize that in buyers' markets, often they have to give a little something extra to the buyers to entice a sale. Don't be afraid to ask for a home warranty protection plan that covers you in the event an appliance breaks down or the plumbing or heating malfunctions. Normally these plans protect you for one full year from the date of closing. 9) Ask for an Item You Don't WantDid you like the sellers' dining room table? China cabinet? Fish tank? Ask for it in your offer and use it as a negotiating tool. Often this draws the sellers' thoughts away from price and directs those thoughts toward the personal property. If the listing stated the washer and dryer are not included in the sales price, ask for them. If the sellers balk, tell your agent to say, "OK, if we leave the washer & dryer, are you then ready to sign the offer?" 10) Shorten Acceptance PeriodThere often is no reason to give a seller more than 24 hours to make a decision about your offer. If your agent is presenting the offer in person, she may ask for a decision upon presentation. But don't give them days to talk to Uncle Harry, their neighbor down the street or the coworker who knows everything about real estate. There are a lot more homes on the market and you deserve a fast answer. |
THE PROCESS OF BUYING PRE-CONSTRUCTION - CONDOSPRICEWhen a developer plans a new development of any nature, the firm has many hurdles to overcome, not the least of which is financial. Whether the developer is a major group or a local contractor, financial backers gauge interest in a project based on pre-sale reservations. Both commercial lenders and private investors ascertain the buying public's actual level of interest prior to funding a project. With adequate interest, funding has a strong potential for moving forward. Adequate interest typically equates to a pre-sale of 60% to 80%. This can translate into potential savings for buyers who are willing to reserve a unit or make a purchase at this earliest stage. POTENTIAL APPRECIATIONAlthough there is never a guaranty, in many cases the "first day" prices will be lower than the price for subsequent purchasers. In some cases, developers even offer additional incentives when the opening bell rings. Of course, as the project progresses from the drawing board to reality, interest by end-users increases. Needless to say, with a more definite picture, pricing tends to increase. Again, although this has been the trend thus far, there is no guaranty that this will continue into the future. ONGOING APPRECIATIONMany projects are developed in phases, especially the condo towers. For example, the developer will build the first tower, followed by a second, and sometimes a third or even an eighth. Of course, the first tower prices tend to be lower and each new tower shows an increase, in some cases significant. SUPPLY AND DEMANDThe economic rule of supply and demand certainly has been coming into play with South Florida real estate, especially waterfront and water access properties. At this point in time, the demand is very high. Due to restrictions by the various municipalities and counties involved, there are certain limitations in terms of the number of available properties. According to some analysts, over the next eight years, the baby boomer flood will start to peak. Demand may be even greater than it is now, and the overall supply will probably be more limited. Note that according to the US census, in 2005 an average of 1,050 people per day move into the state of Florida. LIMITED UPFRONT CARRYING COSTSReservation Agreements: First, a reservation is nothing more than a Right of First Refusal. You, as a buyer, are under no obligation whatsoever and your documentation is non-binding. For this position, you typically will place a reservation fee of anywhere from $10,000 to 10% of the proposed purchase price. At the point where the developer is ready to sell the units and sign contracts, you may elect to move forward with a purchase contract or to bow out. If you decide the purchase is not for you, the reservation fee is refunded in full. In other words, during the reservation phase, you have nothing to lose. SELLING EARLYThere are two options in terms of selling out prior to closing. A simultaneous closing occurs when the developer closes on the property with the original buyer who then immediately sells the property to an end-user. |
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