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5 Very Important Reasons to Buy a House 


1.     House prices tend to rise over time, so a house is one of the best investments you can make. Home prices have risen three to six percent a year for the last 20 years and the trend is likely to continue. So if you buy a home now, you’ve put your capital in a safe investment where it is likely to grow.

 

2.     You’ll be buying a piece of real property rather then putting money in to your landlord’s pocket every month. The real cost of renting is higher then the monthly payment. There is also an opportunity cost equal to the amount you would gain by using the money to purchase a home instead. Even if the house you purchased did not appreciate in price, you would be able to sell it and recoup some of the money you put into it.

 

3.     Interest rates are still very low historically. This makes it inexpensive to have a mortgage. The lower the interest rate, the less you actually pay for you house and the faster you pay the mortgage off.

 

4.     You’ll be able to use the equity in your home for low cost loans for other purposes. You can access the paid up equity you accumulate in your home in the form of a home equity loan home equity line of credit. Because they are secured, home equity loans and lines of credit generally carry a lower interest rate then other types of consumer loans, such as auto loans.  

 

5 Tips for Home Buyers

 

1.     Get pre-approved for a mortgage before you make an offer. When you are trying to buy a house in a competitive market, your offer to purchase should contain as few conditions as possible. An offer that is conditional on obtaining financing is often a deal killer. The seller may accept a competing offer for less money rather then take the risk that you won’t be able to raise Mortgage Money. A pre-approval letter from your lender tells the seller you are ready and able to commit.

 

2.     Know when to quit. When you act on emotion, rather than reason, you may end up paying too much money. This can happen when you fall in love with a particular house and start fantasizing about how great it will be to live there. Another reason you may be driven top pay too much is that a bidding war triggers your competitive instincts and you must buy the house at all cost- which you will regret later.

 

3.     Set enough money aside to cover closing cost. You’ve put together a down payment. Be aware that there is also a long list of expenses you may have to pay at closing, depending on where you live and who your lender is. Closing costs can add up between two and six percent of your loan. Get a Good Faith Estimate of the loan related fees you’ll have to pay. Also get your real estate agent to compile a list of other expenses.

 

4.     Try to coordinate the date you take possession of your new home and your moving date. If possible, avoid a situation where you’ve got to camp out with relatives or find a short term rental because you must vacate your old house or apartment before you can move into your new home. Moving once is enough.

 

5.     Insist on a home inspection. The first really cold day you spend in your new house is way too late to find out that the furnace doesn’t work. The one condition you should always include in an offer to purchase is a home inspection. Find out how much it will cost to fix any defects and have the seller fix them before you agree to buy or deduct the estimated cost from the final price you offer. If the seller won’t help bear the costs and you want to go ahead with the purchase, make sure you can afford the necessary repairs on top of your mortgage.

 



5 Home Buying Mistakes


1.     Over extending your budget

Buy a home that’s way out of your price range and you could find yourself feeling pinched every month. Just because you have been pre-qualified for a certain loan amount and payment doesn’t mean that is where your comfort level lies. Plan for emergencies, entertainment, vacations, savings furnishings and other amenities. Then take into consideration your future mortgage payment and all of your liabilities. That will give you a better idea of what kind of payments you can really afford.

 

2.     Buying a house that doesn’t fit
When buying your home, consider how long you plan on staying in that house. You don’t want to find your self in too much or too little of a house. Plan for any lifestyle changes that may occur during that period and search for a home that fits your needs.

 

3.     Buying a property that will be difficult to resell
When you buy, think about the day it comes to sell. It’s easy when you’re house hunting to forget what it’s going to be like to sell your home down the road. Most first time buyers sell within four to six years. Walk yourself through all the negatives and think of how you will sell the property prior to buying it.

 

4.     Not having a house inspection
Everything looked just fine. How were you to know that the house had a termite problem, asbestos, a leaky roof, cracked foundation and electrical problem’s. You would have known if
you had a professional home inspection. A home inspection generally costs between $300-$700 and is well worth it.

 


5.   Forgetting about closing cost
You’ve been saving for a long time and you finally have enough money for a down payment on a new home. You search for the perfect home, and you realize that you have enough for the down payment but not enough for closing costs. When saving for your down payment take into consideration the closing costs which include lenders fees, title fees, escrows for property taxes
and home owners insurance. In most cases you negotiate with the seller to pay a portion of the closing cost. Most sellers are willing to contribute since it will help sell their home.



A few Tips on Pulling Together a Down Payment 

1.     Bank your extra money. Any time you get a tax refund, bonus, commission or birthday check put it into a separate savings account that you never touch.

2.     Try to live on one income. If you are a couple, try living on one partner’s income while saving the others. 3.     Get rid of your second car. Or your cell phone, or your cable service, Pare down your lifestyle so that you can add to savings each month. 4.     Get a roommate. Change your life style from solo to shared living. This will reduce your rent and allow you to save more money. 5.     Pay off your debt. Get rid of debts with high interest rates, such as outstanding credit card balances. This will ease the strain on your wallet and improve your credit rating. When your debit is paid of, try to save the money that would have gone to the payments every month. 6.     Take a second mortgage. If you can’t get the five percent or more together for your down payment, you may be able to get a “Piggyback loan” to cover what your first mortgage doesn’t.



Can I buy a home with damaged credit?

Bankruptcy filings are at an all time record high. Many consumers have amassed large amounts of debt and have gotten behind in their bill repaying ability. Many think that there is no way they could qualify for a home loan how ever this is no longer necessarily true. A poor credit history, while unfortunate, does not eliminate the possibility of obtaining a mortgage loan. Many people have experienced credit problems over the past several years. In response to the growing number of potential home buyers with credit problems several lenders have now made available loan programs to assist those individuals with getting back on track with their credit profile. Lenders today have helped thousands of people with credit problems get into a home that they thought they could never qualify for. What bad credit does is impact the rate that you are going to pay and the amount of equity that you will have to have in the property. A few credit blemishes will slightly raise your interest rate over the current rate. Mortgage professionals are not qualified to advise you on correcting your credit. A legal professional or someone specializing in that field should handle this. However, many times, due to common last names, or an error of one number on a social insurance card number, credit files can be merged inaccurately. You should request a credit report to better prepare you before applying for a mortgage. That way if there are any errors you can work on correcting them before completing an application.




How Are Pre-Qualifying And Pre-Approval Different? 

Pre-qualification is an informal way to see how much you may be able to borrow. You can be “pre-qualified” over the phone with no paperwork by telling a lender your income, your long-term debts, and how large a down payment you can afford. Without any obligation, this helps you arrive at a ballpark figure of the amount you may have available to spend on a house. Pre-approval is a lender’s actual commitment to lend to you. It involves assembling the financial records and going through a preliminary approval process. Pre-approval gives you a definite idea of what you can afford and shows sellers that you are serious about buying.

 

 

Mortgage Brokers Versus Mortgage Bankers

Many consumers assume that “mortgage companies” are banks that lend their own money. In fact, a company that you deal with may be either a mortgage banker or a mortgage broker.

A mortgage banker is a direct lender; it lends you its own money -  it often sells the loan to the secondary market. Mortgage bankers (also known as “direct lenders”) sometimes retain servicing rights as well.

A mortgage broker is a middleman who shop the mortgage products and rates with the borrower's best interest in mind, putting the lender and borrower together. Many of the lenders that do business directly with brokers do not deal directly with the public (hence the expression, “wholesale lender”).