House and Land – 8 Tips For Ensuring Your House is a Good Buy
January 27, 2010
Buying a house or apartment is exciting. But don’t let your excitement blind you to the real value or the problems you may encounter.
Many people when they purchase property let their imaginations run to what the property could be like if they renovated rather than what it is like now.
1. Ensure you hire a proficient building inspector to thoroughly check every aspect of the building. Best to get someone who has been recommended. Areas of concern are wet areas, check adjacent walls to bathrooms. Look for any water damage near dishwashers.
2. Can you really afford this home. The sub-prime debacle taught us that not everyone who wants a home can really afford to buy one. Ask yourself honestly can I afford the repayments. As I write this interest rates are near their historical lows. Currently they are around 6%, but 20 years ago they were 17%. How did we survive? Simple the average home loan then was around $70,000 now it is $350,000. But our incomes weren’t 5 times less, we were actually much better off.
How much would interest rates have to go up before you couldn’t make the repayments?
What happens if you lose your job, get sick, or die what insurance do you have in place?
3. Check how old the stove top, oven, hot water system and dishwasher are. Check to see they work? If they are near the end of their life can you afford to replace them?
4. Have a look in the ceiling to see if there is insulation.
5. What kind of roof does it have? You may be prepared to buy an older house with a asbestos roof, but it will affect resale and will cost about $20,000 to be replaced.
6. The condition of the wall and floor coverings that you accept will depend upon your level of resources to replace them. They may prove to be a negotiating point.
7. Don’t accept the asking price. Did you know that someone who buys a home under $500,000 is far more likely to accept the asking price than someone who buys a $1,000,000 home. Why because wealthy people are more comfortable with negotiating then lower income earners. You need to get over this and stand your ground.
8. Sure you may have less roof to move on a lower priced home but you never know the circumstance of the seller, so you don’t know what you can buy the house for. We attended an auction for a home, they had listed it for $570,000 a few months earlier. They dropped it to $530,000 as the market fell. It was passed in at auction.
We knew the buyer was leaving the country the next Monday so we made an offer of $430,000. We got the house, painted it inside put new carpet in and a few months later it is valued at $530,000 and the market is still fairly flat. This was still a good profit as the owner had been in the house many years, but they could have got $500,000 earlier if they weren’t greedy.
And now for your free information on house and apartment buying go to http://www.livingwellpublications.com/home/selling/. This is sellers information which gives you the buyers an insight into what they are doing to get a better price from you!
For my regular blog on many aspects of health plus many fun and interesting topics. go to http://livingwellpublications.com/blog/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Newton
Finding The Best Real Estate Agents in Scoltand
January 13, 2010
Looking for a dream home and still struggling to find one, then the answer to all your woes related to home search lies with Scotland real estate agent. Yes, he is the one who will help and assist you in finding your perfect home. All you have to do is, approach Scotland real estate agency in your area or neighborhood and provide him or her with details about the area in which you are looking for a house on rent or planning to buy a newly built house. In fact, details including the budget and the time period will also help in finding you a new home quickly.
You can hire Scotland real estate agent for home buying, selling, and leasing according to your needs. They are well qualified and offer loads of experience in selling, buying, or renting a home to their customers. However, it is also advisable to check their details before hiring them for a job. It is good to ask for references and contact details of people they have served in the past or are presently serving. This exercise helps in building a good and trustworthy relationship between you and the agent.
Before you place your home for sales have at least three full-time agents give their opinion of price, property marketing strategy, and current market conditions. In addition to receiving three perspectives on your property, you will also have two agents who won’t receive your property listing but will be familiar with your home when it goes on market and can promote it to their clients and other agents in their company and office.
When looking for a property to live in or for investment purposes, it is good to ask about the owner of the property and the reasons for his selling or leasing from the agent. And you should also check out the details of how old the house is and what type of renovations or changes it would need in case you take the house, as it helps in making decision and also prevents you from spending too much money on renovations.
Okay which area in Scotland or England has the most beautiful landscapes?
January 4, 2010
Like if you were to buy real estate there, what would you recommend. Figuratively speaking money is not an object. Yes, I know Scotland is majestic, but I need the name of a town or district.
England, The English Lake District, The Yorkshire Dales in England, The Peak District in England, Northumberland, England, Cotswolds, England,
Historic Grinnell Farm -Derry, New Hampshire real estate
January 4, 2010
Where first six families from SCOTLAND/IRELAND settled! NEW kitchen & baths.INCLUDES 2 home sites(2.811 & 2.022acres).IDEAL FAMILY COMPOUND, Equestrian or FARM /Facility. Guest Wing w/BA&laundry; 60×80 BARN. Info: http://www.ImagineWorldRealty.com
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I am an American who wants to buy a vacation home in Scotland. What are some potential issues?
January 4, 2010
The real estate site I looked at said that as Scottish law is different than U.K. law, it’s best to consult a lawyer. I’m hoping to first get an idea of how difficult the process would be. I’ve never bought a house before; I would use this house as a vacation home…or maybe rent it out until I can afford to move there myself.
There are no issues. If you have the money and you get a good solicitor to iron things out you can buy property. OF course, you will have to declare all earnings and dividends as a result of this property to the USA tax office (IRS). ALL AMERICANS NO MATTER WHERE THEY RESIDE HAVE TO DECLARE ALL WORLDWIDE EARNINGS TO THE IRS. Happy property hunting!
Real estate for sale in King William VA – 2925264
January 4, 2010
Real estate for sale at 1123 Scotland Landing Road, King William, VA, 23181 – for more info visit http://love4realestate.com –
Beautiful river front home, 330′of river frontage on the mattaponi river in king william county! located 45 minutes from richmond and williamsburg. this 3,000/+ sq foot home has upgrades through out i.e. granite in the kitchen, hardwood floors, tile, new carpet in bedrooms, 2 fireplaces, master bedroom on 1st floor w/jacuzzi tub, sunroom w/tile floor, surround sound, central vac, skylights, 5500 watt generator, master on 2nd floor w/balcony, 2nd floor game room open to living room & river views, patio, 55 ft dock/pier, water is 8′deep at mlw, jet ski ramp, boat house/lift. you can enjoy the river life of boating, skiing, fishing and just relaxing year around and still be conveniently located! – For other real estate listings in this area visit http://www.longandfoster.com.
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