Archive for August, 2009

Be picky when you choose your next home.

I don’t consider myself an expert on buying  homes, but I do have a lot of experience. My wife and I have purchased three homes together since we’ve been married seven years. Each house has had many pros and cons associated with it. We’re constantly making a list of things we like and dislike in each house, preparing to build our next house in the coming years.

The point of this article is to let you know it’s okey to be picky when buying or building your first or next home. A hose is an investment, but it’s also your home and you need to enjoy living there. Just like anything else in life if you aren’t happy with something, you’ll constantly be searching for something else and it’s not simple to switch houses.

Before you purchase or build your next house I would suggest making a list of everything you like and dislike in your current home or apartment. If you don’t like something now you won’t like it in a different house. You should also research floor plans and layouts online or in books. Also visit open houses in your city to get actual visuals of houses and again list things you like and dislike about these homes.

When you are ready to buy don’t get in a hurry. There are probably hundreds of homes in any give area that are for sale. If you have to visit each of them before you make your decision. This is especially important if you plan to stay in the home a long time.

After you find your dream home if there are a few things the home doesn’t have, try to negotiate with the seller about taking care of those things. For example if you want ceiling fans in every room add this to the contract, you may get these small things taken care of by the seller before you move into the house. A motivated seller will sometimes go out of their way to close the sale of their home quick.

Remember this will be where you live so make yourself happy. If given the opportunity, don’t settle for second best when it comes to your home.

July home sales up almost 10%!

Could this be the end of the housing bubble? The Commerce Department reported today that new home sales increased 9.6 percent in July! Is this a sign that the housing market is climbing from the record breaking low it reached earlier this year?

Falling home prices have caused increased sales over the past four months, but this months increase was much greater than expected. Low prices and the federal tax credit/housing stimulus program offered by the governemnt to first time home buyers was probably a huge boost to the sales.

Could this mean our economy is finally starting to climb back out of recession? I’m not an expert on the subject matter, but I do know that now is a great time to buy a home. With record low home values and record low financing options it’s an obvious choice if you are in the market for a home. With these record high home sales it’s no doubt that home values and interest rates will soon start to climb. Don’t miss out on a great time to buy a home or even a rental property.