Purchasing a home may be the single most important investment of your life, and possibly the largest purchase you will ever make. When you are dealing with hundreds of thousands of dollars, it may be a good idea to use a Realtor with experience, a fine knowledge of the area, education, and aggressiveness. An aggressive Realtor that knows how to negotiate the price of the home with you effectively may be the single most important factor when getting a good price on a home.
The first thing you want to do when purchasing a home in Arizona is to get pre-qualified for a home loan. This step does not take long, but is extremely necessary. In Arizona, you can not get into a contract with out getting pre-qualified for a loan. When you get pre-qualified for a loan, the lender the pre-qualifies you will produce a document called an LSR. Once you have a loan status report, you are able to write an offer on a home.
When purchasing a home, it is usually a good idea to see what has sold recently in the area. When you find the home that you want to purchase, a good Realtor will give you a comparative market analysis. This report will show you recently sold properties in your neighborhood. This will give you an indication of the market conditions in the area you are planning on buying in. You will be able to see if prices have been falling, rising, or remaining steady. This may or may not be an issue, but I do not believe anyone wants to over pay for a home.
Once your have made on offer on your home with your Realtor and the contract has been accepted by the seller, you move in to the inspection period. Generally, you have ten days to conduct inspections. It is a very good idea to have the home inspected by a professional home inspector. If you do not know one your Realtor should be able to recommend one. A home inspection will cost anywhere between three hundred dollars and five hundred dollars depending on the size of the home. This is money well spent because you will know exactly what is wrong with the home.
The inspectors will inspect the electric system, plumbing, roof, flooring, pool equipment, appliances, doors, showers, and several other items. After the inspections have been completed you then ask the seller to make repairs with a document called the Buyers Inspection Notice and Sellers Response. It is a contract within the contract. The buyer and the seller negotiate the terms of what is going to be fixed and what is not. The Realtors will quarterback the process, but again, it is imperative you have a Realtor that is aggressive so that you get more items fixed during the inspection period.
After the terms of the Buyers Inspection Notice and Sellers Response have been negotiated and agreed upon, it is usually smooth sailing until you go into the title company to sign your final loan documents. After the inspection period, you will want to obtain home owners insurance, and make sure all your utilities will be turned on in your name upon move in. Make sure you work with your lender so that there are no hiccups at the end of the escrow. The lenders job at the end of escrow is to deliver the loan documents to the title company so you can sign the documents. Once the documents have been signed the, title company will deliver the signed documents back to the lender so that they can fund your loan. Once the loan has been funded and recorded, you may now move in to your new home.
Again, it is of paramount importance to use a Realtor that knows what they are doing, that has ample experience, and makes sure you best interests are priority. Please visit the link below to get in contact with a professional, experienced, educated, and aggressive Realtor. You will get the quality representation you deserve.
Nick McConnell
Executive Sales Associate for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Scottsdale, Arizona. Lived in Arizona all his life, Graduated from Northern Arizona State University and has been a Realtor ever since.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Scottsdale,-Arizona-Real-Estate-Home-Buying-Tips&id=650742
Monday, July 30, 2007
5 Home Buying Essentials
Purchasing a home involves certain important, even essential, steps that every buyer should take before closing on a purchase. Let’s examine these “essentials” which, if properly implemented, can help you save valuable time and aggravation.
1. Determine What You Can Borrow. Sure, if you know your interest rate and the length of the loan you can pretty much determine your monthly payments, right? No! You must include your property taxes, homeowners insurance, and association or maintenance fees, if applicable. These “added” costs can significantly contribute to higher monthly payments. No lender will give you a loan without figuring these costs in.
2. Know Your Fees. Closing costs can add up to the tune of several thousand dollars. Title searches, realtor fees, loan applications, attorney fees, and legal fees must be taken into consideration. Many states require lenders to give to borrowers a ballpark figure of what these costs will be.
3. Shop For A Loan. The longer you plan on staying in your home, the more likely you will want a fixed rate mortgage. If you are planning on a short stay, a variable rate mortgage may work best for you. Consider an interest free mortgage if you basically plan on “flipping” the home in one or two years. Of course, you had better hope that your home appreciates significantly in that time otherwise you may find yourself owing more than what you originally paid for the house!
4. Get Pre Approved. Realtors and sellers will take you seriously if you are pre-approved for a loan. In some cases the pre-approval will not only swing a deal your way, but you could find the sellers are more receptive to lowering their price if they believe you are a serious shopper.
5. Negotiate. You may not be able to get the seller to drop the price of their home, but you may be able to get them to sweeten the deal by including certain extras. Air conditioners, refrigerators, washers, dryers, ceiling fixtures, and window treatments are some of the things that add value to your purchase. If extra items are included in the sale, then your later pay out for these items will disappear.
In all, if you are a thoughtful and savvy shopper you should be able to save money on the purchase of your home by following these five essentials.
Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who covers topics from business to health to mortgages. You can view samples of his work at http://www.thearticlewriter.com
http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Home-Buying-Essentials&id=58466
1. Determine What You Can Borrow. Sure, if you know your interest rate and the length of the loan you can pretty much determine your monthly payments, right? No! You must include your property taxes, homeowners insurance, and association or maintenance fees, if applicable. These “added” costs can significantly contribute to higher monthly payments. No lender will give you a loan without figuring these costs in.
2. Know Your Fees. Closing costs can add up to the tune of several thousand dollars. Title searches, realtor fees, loan applications, attorney fees, and legal fees must be taken into consideration. Many states require lenders to give to borrowers a ballpark figure of what these costs will be.
3. Shop For A Loan. The longer you plan on staying in your home, the more likely you will want a fixed rate mortgage. If you are planning on a short stay, a variable rate mortgage may work best for you. Consider an interest free mortgage if you basically plan on “flipping” the home in one or two years. Of course, you had better hope that your home appreciates significantly in that time otherwise you may find yourself owing more than what you originally paid for the house!
4. Get Pre Approved. Realtors and sellers will take you seriously if you are pre-approved for a loan. In some cases the pre-approval will not only swing a deal your way, but you could find the sellers are more receptive to lowering their price if they believe you are a serious shopper.
5. Negotiate. You may not be able to get the seller to drop the price of their home, but you may be able to get them to sweeten the deal by including certain extras. Air conditioners, refrigerators, washers, dryers, ceiling fixtures, and window treatments are some of the things that add value to your purchase. If extra items are included in the sale, then your later pay out for these items will disappear.
In all, if you are a thoughtful and savvy shopper you should be able to save money on the purchase of your home by following these five essentials.
Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who covers topics from business to health to mortgages. You can view samples of his work at http://www.thearticlewriter.com
http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Home-Buying-Essentials&id=58466
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)