First Time Home Buyer Mistakes… and How to Avoid Them

First Time Home Buyer Mistake #1 - Buying too fast.

Nobody will argue that buying a home for the first time is extremely exhilarating. Unfortunately, this excitement may cause you to rush the buying process and thus make too many costly mistakes. For instance, it’s quite easy to be mesmerized by the features of any one home because the thought of ‘owning’ it is invigorating. The downfall, is that you may end up with a house that doesn’t suit you in the long run.

Prevent this by keeping your options open. See as many homes as you can before committing to THE one.

First Time Home Buyer Mistake #2 - Chasing the ‘dream home’.

Although it’s not wise to rush the home buying process, it’s also foolish to keep holding out on houses you see because you want the ‘dream home’. Remember that for each house you say ‘no’ to, a buyer is right behind you who may want to snatch it up. In the end, your search for that ‘dream house’ will never end.

First Time Home Buyer Mistake #3 - Stretching your budget to its limits.

Again, because the prospect of owning one’s first home is so exciting, many throw caution to the wind and buy a house that frankly, they can hardly afford. The result is that the mortgage payments are so high there’s hardly any disposable income left. And what good will a big, beautiful house do if you can’t furnish it well, or worse, if you find yourself trying to scrimp on basic things like food and clothing just to meet mortgage payments?

First Time Home Buyer Mistake #4 - Not getting pre-approved for a mortgage.

Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is good for you in two ways: firstly, you get to realize just how much house you can really afford as well as how much monthly mortgage payments will be, and secondly, pre-approval means you’re prepared, organized, and ‘ready to buy’. The latter makes you a good candidate for home sellers should you find yourself in competition with others for buying the house.

First Time Home Buyer Mistake #5 - Not shopping around for the best mortgage deal.

It’s important to compare mortgage offers from different lenders. If you do your homework, it’s not impossible to end up with hundreds of dollars in savings monthly in mortgage payments.

Buying a house for the first time is thrilling. Prevent it from becoming a nightmare by avoiding the first time home buyer mistakes we’ve outlined above. For a guide for buying your first home go to: http://www.bestchoicerealty.net/eBooks.htm

You will receive lots of advice (which you can use or not, of course), and you can ask questions about anything that you come up with.  Most real estate agents advise their clients to pay for a home inspection before they get close to finalizing a deal or as a condition of an offer on the property they are interested in.

After a thorough and professional examination, the home inspector is going to give you a report on the condition of the house. This report is extremely important, since there might be conditions which were not obvious, or which you might have simply overlooked. Believe it or not, even buyers of brand new homes should invest in a home inspection. This can help you get issues resolved even before you have moved into the property.

After home inspection, you should know the issues related to that property. Knowing those issues beforehand can become a tool to help form your offer and negotiate to your advantage with the sellers. For a guide for buying a home go to: http://www.bestchoicerealty.net/eBooks.htm

Real estate foreclosures are properties taken back by the lenders or housing financers because the previous owners were not able to pay. Since foreclosed properties may not have been properly maintained and may require lots of repair, they are often sold at a lower value.

You can take advantage of the lower cost in which the foreclosed properties are being offered since there is no damage that can’t be repaired. By taking advantage of foreclosed properties, you could buy a property much bigger than you could afford if it were sold for the usual price. Your motivation to create a beautiful home for your family or as an investment could actually result to big savings.

You can use the services of a competent real estate agent by letting him know of your intention to buy a foreclosed property. You’ll be surprised at the bulk of information that your real estate agent can give you. His assistance could be of great value, not only in finding excellent foreclosures, but also in looking for financing assistance for heavily damaged properties.

Home-owning parents of an adult child, co-signs for a mortgage and both names appear on the note, under some circumstances, the first-time home buyer can qualify for the whole amount say the IRS.

The  parents do not qualify for any portion of the credit, but if the child has not owned a home during the three years preceding the current purchase and can qualify based on income, they can be allocated the entire $8,000 credit.

Unmarried individuals that co-purchase a home and only one of them is eligible for the credit, then the full $8,000 can be allocated to the eligible buyer.

Check with your local IRS office for more information.

Many design firms have developed a way for the homeowner to dress their home in style with minimal costs.

1. Murals, Stencils and Peel & Stick Designs
Not at all a new trend but rather an upscale version is now available to change the tone of your walls and provide a unique change.

2. Moldings
All types of Do It Yourself moldings are available for the homeowner.  Homeowners have inexpensive alternatives to hiring professionals that cost two arms and a leg. There are 3 dimension molding pieces that can easily peel and stick without a need for the homeowner to measure and miter ends.

3. Upscale Window Treatments without the Upscale Costs
I was surprised to find very nice wood shutters, blinds and some looked custom-made all in Home Depot and Lowes. You can purchase the items you want then have an installer from Home Depot’s list of contractors install them at a pre-determined price for you. Some Lowes have this service too.

4. Chair and Sofa Covers
The old tried and true method that our parents used are furniture covers. There are many different looks that can be purchased from an upscale store or right from your neighborhood Target store. This gives your Chair or Sofa a completely different look with very little effort.

This is also a great way to change your home’s look when you’re trying to sell.

We spend so much time thinking how much to budget for dressing up our home but Do It Yourself projects are great for a little change at a time. It doesn’t burn a hole in our pockets and upon comparison you can see that you’ll get the same great appeal and style with a little patience, time and your own two hands.

A down market is the perfect time to buy for move up buyers and it won’t last long!

Have you thought about moving up to that dream home lately? With our sour real estate market still reeling from shock, homebuyers are still in the market to move-up to a bigger home at an affordable price. No, the housing markets are not looking that great and that means the perfect opportunity for you to move-up to that home you’ve always wanted.

Just two years ago prices were obnoxiously high but now…Buy, Buy, Buy is the only motto you should know. Interest rates are still at a low and it’s a buyers market. You won’t see home prices and interest rates as low as this for years to come.

When we do come out of this financial spiral and level off, the housing market is going to once again thrive and you’ll be left with higher priced homes, high interest rates and overbearing marketing tactics.

What makes this the Perfect Opportunity to move-up to a bigger home in Port Charlotte Florida?

I know you’ve noticed these prices lately. Remember what those same prices used to be just two years ago? $400,000 and $500,000 and $900,000 for the home you always dreamed of.  Now, you can move-up to a bigger home that’s lower than its original valued price and it’s move-in ready. 

These homes were already overpriced and now owners must sell them at the current market value.  Sure, they will take a big loss, but it’s either sell or continue to make the loan payments themselves. 

Not only will you get a bargain on the price of your dream home but the interest rates are unbelievably low which makes your mortgage payment affordable.  Even your down payment on a bigger home will be less simply because the price has been reduced.

Everything about this real estate market is a win-win no-brainer.  Just think that same home you only dreamt about owning used to cost $500,000 and now you can steal it away for $350,000. 

Furthermore, this bargain of a home will only increase its value back up to what it was originally worth.  You buy a bigger home and give the market time to recover and within the next few years you’ll instantly increase your new home’s value by thousands of dollars.

The market will recover and housing will boom again and although that sounds optimistic it won’t be great for those that waited to move into a bigger home. Higher interest rates, more profitable bank fees for lenders – and you can count on that when we do recover – and  inflated home prices will follow.

And everyone is in the market to buy. Even the government backed loans accept blemished credit so what excuse do you really have to hold back and not move up to a bigger home?

Everyday interest rates fluctuate and you’ll want the lowest most affordable rate to buy the most house that will benefit you and your family. Get it now before it slips through your fingers.

Not too long ago we had over a four-year supply of homes for sale here in Port Charlotte Florida and surrounding areas. Now, for a number of reasons, our inventory of homes for sale is down to a 13 month supply.  Even though the number of homes on the market is lower, there are still a lot of great deals to be had.

Foreclosures and short sales homes for sale are a great place to look for real estate deals.  To get your Free Foreclosure list of homes for sale in Port Charlotte, Florida and surrounding area click here or copy and paste this link, http://www.bestchoicerealty.net/ForeclosureList.htm.

E-mail us at, info@bestchoicerealty.net, with any questions you may have.

Most of the information is true but greatly embellished and marketed to keep you interested and ready to call the 800 number and order their package. Yet every other year one of those “entertainers” is investigated for fraud. And again, this is not to say that the actual information they provide isn’t factual, it’s just greatly embellished to get you to buy their products.

Yes, you can purchase tax liens but it’s not as easy as most would think. You’ll have to register to receive a list of available tax liens up for auction then attend the auction and compete with large companies to win. Just think, there are plenty of investment companies that focus on purchasing tax liens so that’s just one of your competitors. The rest of the competition are average people looking to break into the real estate game, just like you, but some have much more dollars ready to invest.

Why are tax liens such a lucrative investment? Because they really can be a win-win situation.

The homeowner has the opportunity to pay off the tax lien and reclaim their property however, they must also pay the interest and any fees back to you and there are time limits placed upon these transactions.  So in the end, you either become the owner of new property or you get your invested funds back with interest; a win-win solution to a beginner’s real estate investment plan.

When you sign a release you practically give up your rights; it could mean forfeiting your right to keep your deposit or setting the settlement date in stone for you but a contingency for the builder. 

Every page you initial could be detrimental in the end if you are not represented professionally.  Sure, there are laws and guidelines that say you are protected from predatory requirements – RESPA Laws – however if you don’t know how to apply those guidelines to your transaction how do you know if you’re being taken for thousands of dollars?

Many homebuilders offer incentives as a way to entice you to purchase their home however those incentives often mean you must use their in-house lenders and their title escrow companies; this is far from the truth because you can use whatever lender or title escrow company you choose and in the end, the builder cannot tie the incentives to a specific lender. 

Are your discounts really discounts or are they embedded somewhere in your sales package? Often a builder will show you all the discounts and incentives they’re providing to you but the loan package is packed with excessive and useless fees that make up for all those discounts they’re giving you.  This is why you need a realtor to accompany you for any real estate transaction.  It may seem like a simple decision to walk into a model home and deal with the salesperson but it could cost you thousands of dollars.

That salesperson works solely for the builder and I bet you’ll sign an acknowledgement of this statement. They must disclose certain items to you but again they work solely for the builder and without professional representation you are on your own to learn the ropes.

For any real estate transaction take advantage of all the knowledge a real estate agent or broker has to offer. You’ll avoid many of the traps home builders have waiting for you.

One thing to keep in mind is lenders do not want to deal with a foreclosure.  There are already too many foreclosed properties which mean no profits are coming in and they are left to sell off property at a discounted price. So if you cannot qualify for a loan modification you can still try negotiating with your lender to work out a payment plan.

First, can you qualify for a loan modification?  You must make the first step and notify your lender of your hardships and sit down to see if you qualify. The lender probably knows you’re having difficulties paying if you’ve already missed a few payments but you need to show a commitment to saving your home and make the call.

The lender will require a financial history from you that details your income, assets and expenses.  Lay everything on the table and show where your money is going.  If you’ve been laid off from work explain that you’re committed to saving your home just experiencing a rough patch right now. 

If the lender is difficult to dealing with you get some help from a real estate agent to document neighborhood demographics.  Show the lender what they have at stake and how your repayment plan makes more sense than them foreclosing.  Now you’re going to have to do your part and put some thought and research into this, especially when the lender doesn’t want to develop a repayment plan. 

Keep in mind, the new Obama Housing Plan isn’t mandatory for banks to put into practice. The government does offer incentives and it makes sense for any lender to take part in loan modifications however they do not have to implement this plan.

You must do you part to save your home and develop a concise plan that shows you need the help and you’re willing to work at repayment.

The best contingency out there is the layoff lease; if you lose your job you will get free rent for 1-2 months and a no penalty clause that allows you to break your lease.  Now that is the art of negotiation.

Forget all the free gym memberships and look for free utilities.  Today’s electric bill could set you back a few hundred and who need’s to look good when you’re sitting in the dark with no electricity because you used all your funds to pay the rent?

In any transaction there is a bargain waiting to be negotiated. Rental property is no different because vacancies are high on every list and landlords would rather get money than let units sit.

So if you’re seeking a deal but don’t know where to begin ask your landlord for some of these concessions:

1. Can you change your lease to month-to-month?
2. Remind them the rent is cheaper down the street (even if it’s only a few dollars) and you’re thinking of moving to save money.  Can they lower your rent?
3. Perhaps there is a smaller unit that is cheaper on a different floor?  Can you move there? 

Look for overall ways to save money.  If you drive to work why not look for a rental property on a metro line.  You might find a cheaper rental property and save money on gas by switching your routine to use a bus route.

Also, now may be the time to think of getting a roommate.  All of us like our privacy and if you’re not use to sharing it could become difficult but in tough times comes difficult decisions and sharing may just be your answer to save on money.