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Before Buying Homes (Homes For Sale)
How to screen properties before buying homes (Before Buying Homes) |
 
When you (or anyone else) have found propective properties when buying homes, you must screen out any unwanted prospects. Always drive by before you actually make an appointment to see the home. This will save you a lot of time by eliminating any obviously bad neighborhoods or homes. Besides the obvious observation of the home you are thinking of buying, also look at the neighborhood around it. The condition of other homes on the block will tell you a lot about the neighbors. Look at the cars parked in the driveways, are they new and shiny - or rusty junkers? Take note of the parking situation on the block as well, you may want to drive by at different times on different days of the week. Is there sufficient parking, or will you have to park a mile away from your new house and walk it home? The homes immediately next to and around your prospective new home should be scrutinized, are they well maintained and worthy of living next door to? If a home is too delapilated, it is possible that it will be knocked down and rebuilt in the near future - do you want to have to live next to a construction site? And worse, what monstrosity will they build in its place? 
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You should also walk around the neighborhood, up and down the block, side streets, and especially behind the home you are thinking of buying. Visit at different times, during quiet periods as well as when you would expect it to be a busy time. Do you feel safe walking around, remember you will be living in that neighborhood for a long time should you buy the home. How is the traffic around the area, is it noisy, a racetrack, buses puffing fumes, is it easy and safe to cross the streets? Avoid buying homes on corners or on main roads, just pulling out of your driveway into traffic could be a daily nerve wracking affair. Watch for bus stops, where there is a bus stop there will always be buses - and hordes of bus passengers. Do you want to live next to an incessant line of exhaust emitting buses, and an unending line of bus commuters (most of whom will be tossing their coffee cups and lunch wrappers on your lawn)? Are there any schools or parks or other public places around, that could attract excessive crowds and cars and noise? Is there a police station or firehouse within earshot? Emergency vehicles are very noisy, and they tend to be noisy around the clock as they respond to emergencies. It is good to have emergency services NEAR the home you are buying, just not NEXT to it. 
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Are there any shopping centers or stores in the immediate vicinity of the home you are buying? This could create traffic and noise problems, as well as parking issues, patrons may block your driveway or hog your parking spaces in front of your home. Train stations and train tracks are the worst possible thing, both in noise and traffic - as well as vibrations. Trains are huge, heavy, and travel around the clock. Even several blocks away the vibration from a passing train will rattle the home you are buying. Commuters tend to drive to train stations and park in its vicinity, this could generate parking headaches during work hours if you are thinking of buying the home. Airports are by far the worst noise makers - even as far as 10 miles away. Be aware of any airports, even small commuter or private airports, in the area when buying homes. Airports often change flight paths of their air traffic, so even if it appears to be quiet when you check out the home to buy near an airport - it is more than likely that at some point airplanes will in fact pass over your new home. You really do not want to be anywhere near an airport.
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If you have friends or family members that live in the area, or are familiar with the area, you should talk to them before you buy homes there. As local residents, they will know about any safety/crime issues in the area, as well as other important things such as flooding during heavy rains. They will also know about traffic conditions, parking issues, transit (such as bus routes, distance to train tracks, airport, etc). And you will also be able to find out about schools, parks and shopping in the area - after all you are thinking of buying a home and moving into that neighborhood. Most importantly, they may know something about the people who will be living next door to you - especially if that neighbor has a sensational past. The last (but not least) thing to find out about the neighborhood before buying homes - if there is any planned road expansion, highways, or other major development in the area. Road widening could gobble up your new lawn (eminent domain) leaving you with less property than when you buy the home. Road rebuilding or new sewers/water mains will bring years of noise, dirt and grief in the new home you are buying. A new highway or entry/exit ramp on your doorstep will really ruin your remaining days. So be sure to check out the area before buying homes there, life can be full of surprises but at least you can try to eliminate some of the obvious problems before buying the home.
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Buying Homes (Homes For Sale)
Homes for sale and buying homes (Buying Homes) |
 
Buying homes is something almost every person will do at least once in their lifetime. The home buying process is neither simple nor easy, especially for first time home buyers. Choosing the right home from the myraid of choices in homes for sale can be nerve wracking. Home purchase loans are something every person will have to deal with - unless your last name is TRUMP (or you hit the lottery). After going through the home buying process (suffering would be a better way to put it); I have decided to put together this website with information on buying homes. Click on the navigation menu on the left to read all the pages on this site. The information on this home buying website is written for US residents, if you are in another country you may still find the buying homes information useful. This information is a collection of my experiences with home (a residential unit built on a plot of land, or an apartment in a building that is built on a plot of land) buying and opinions on buying homes, use it at your own risk. There are many factors to consider when you are thinking of buying a home. Some are obvious (can you afford the mortgage?); others can provide nasty surprises during or after the home buying experience. This website offers information on everything that the author encountered during the home buying process, some opinions may be borderline insane - but hey, they worked for me.
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Buying a home is generally better than renting, a whole section is devoted to the benefits of buying your own home instead of renting. The real estate market behaves like a roller coaster, it has ups and it has downs. Generally when mortgage interest rates are low, more people are likely to buy a home and this pushes prices up. When mortgage (where you make monthly payments on a home purchase loan) rates go up, less people are inclined to invest in real estate and supply exceeds demand, lowering prices. Other factors such as unemployment rates, inflation, natural (or un-natural) disasters can also affect the real estate market. The decision to buy homes is something you will live with for the rest of your life; so think, plan, and execute the home buying process intelligently. There is some contention between choosing a NEW home (just built, or custom built); versus a USED home. Opinions vary, and tempers flare - both camps swear by their choice. Personally, I bought a 40 year old home - in my opinion they don't build things like they used to. Then again some friends own brand new custom homes they had built, and damn, they are good homes. New homes tend to be more expensive, materials cost more today than they did 40 years ago. Some of the new materials are better, some you just can't get anymore (like natural oak wood floors). Used homes can be cheaper but they will require more maintenance. The end result is usually the same - you either spend more money up front for a new home; or spend less buying the home and then spend on home improvement and repairs. So if you have the means, a new home may make sense - if budgets are tight, an older home will be cheaper to buy, but anticipate that you will be spending money on it in the future.
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The home buying process is usually in this order:
Getting a mortgage is simpler than getting a personal loan, there is a whole section on credit and home purchase loans with more detailed information. Property is a chunk of land and it (usually) doesn't wander away - so banks always have a way to reclaim (repossess) the property in case of default on the mortgage. This makes it easier for the banks to take a risk and offer you a home purchase loan. However, your creditworthiness is an important issue to get the best loan rates.
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Though this may seem obvious, location is the single most important thing to consider when buying homes. I am often surprised when I visit people who have just purchased a home and find:
So before buying a home, read on and think about all the little things mentioned on this site. Then go out and buy your dream home! And yes, owning a home is definitely worth enduring the home buying process!
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