Information That Can Be Quite Valuable When Buying A Home (2)

Information That Can Be Quite Valuable When Buying A Home


Real estate has historically been a solid way to build equity, but a downturn in the economy has diminished home values. Prospective buyers have also discovered lending institutions are less likely to extend credit without at least a 20% downpayment. This makes purchasing real estate more difficult for the average buyer.

Crime can be a major factor in the location you choose to purchase rental real estate property. Investigate the neighborhood through local police reports ,and request information about crime calls in the neighborhood. Do not rely on what the current owners are saying about the property and location.

If you want to save money, think about buying a home that needs a lot of repairs. The bad condition of a place makes its value go down significantly, so much that it might be interesting for you to pay for the repairs yourself. And perhaps you can even do part of the work yourself.

When you are looking at buying a home look up the neighborhood for sex offenders. The police are in charge of keeping that list updated. However your agent may be able to help you find that information. Of course if you have children you wouldn"t want to move next door to someone that has a record that involves children.

Don"t be caught off guard by hidden fees. Ask your Realtor upfront for an estimate of what the closing costs will be. Items like commissions, attorney fees and home owner association fees should be disclosed upfront. Review the settlement and all the terms before you are ready to close.

To get the most out of buying property, there are three key elements. Have a fixed-rate mortgage, be sure you can afford your monthly payments, and don"t buy anything you are not willing to own for the long term. If you"re not willing to hold on to a property for at least ten years, it may not be a good investment.

In evaluating the value of a piece of residential property, you should be cautious about nearby commercial or industrial properties. Keep in mind that while such properties might be inoffensive (or even vacant) at the moment you look at a nearby house, the future holds no guarantees. You should factor in the possibility that an undesirable, unpleasant or even dangerous business might move in at a later date.

Read the classified ads. A good place to look for investment properties is the classified ads of your local paper, not only the real estate section. You should also take notice of the legal section and look for estates that might need to liquidate a property. Often times, when an estate needs to sell a property it presents and excellent investment opportunity at below market pricing.

Even though purchasing a dwelling is now more difficult for the average prospective home buyer, the current market offers opportunity for investors. If someone is able to purchase a home needing minor repairs and cosmetic work at a low price, there is the possibility of reselling the home at a higher price once the work is done and the market has recovered.