Home Buying Tips

• Does Bankrupcy Automatically Preclude Me From Getting a Mortgage?
  

  No Continue article...

• Low price not always best value
  A home at a low price may be no bargain at all if the maintenance costs are prohibitive Continue article...
• Home seller credit could save real estate deal
  No one likes to give money away, but a monetary credit from the seller to the buyer can solve a problem that might otherwise derail a home-sale transaction. Here's a typical scenario where a seller credit could save the deal. Continue article...
• Property Lines Not Always As They Appear
  Fences do not always follow the boundaries of the property. This will only be the case if the seller had the property surveyed and had the fences built on the property line. Often, sellers do not go to the expense of having surveys performed when they put in fences. The fences end up where the owners think the property lines end. Sellers may replace old fences that were built by previous owners who may not have known the location of property lines. Continue article...
• Mortgage disclosure amendments do more harm than good
  "The grapevine says that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is seriously considering a proposal by the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) for amending mortgage disclosure requirements. Is their proposal good for borrowers?" Continue article...
• Over Improving May Hurt Resale
  Resale value is very important if you plan to refinance or sell soon. Many factors affect it, including economic and housing market conditions, quality of the house, and desirability of the neighborhood. One measure of a home's resale value is the length of time it spent on the market before you bought it. To improve resale value, consider improvements such as landscaping or an updated kitchen. But be careful not to over-improve for the neighborhood. You may scare off buyers and you aren't likely to recoup much of your improvement costs. Continue article...