You're Fired
In a perfect world, you’d find the right people to help you buy a home from the beginning. You’d get the right real estate agent, the right lender and the right lawyer without skipping a beat. In the real world, though, sometimes things don’t happen so smoothly. Occasionally you might find the wrong person to help you navigate the home-buying process. Don’t just live with your mistake; these people are helping you make one of the biggest decisions of your life. Don’t be afraid to fire your team members to give you the best chance of finding the perfect home and getting the best deal you can. Continue reading “Don’t Be Afraid to Fire Your Team Members” »
Ask Questions
As a homebuyer, you can do a lot of things to prepare yourself for the home-buying process. You can read books and research information online. You can talk to friends and family about the buying process. But don’t forget to tap into the most important resources you have – your team of home-buying professionals. Don’t hesitate to ask questions if there’s anything you don’t understand during the home-buying process. Your team of professionals is there to help you make the right decision, and you can’t make the right choice without understanding every step in the process. Continue reading “Ask Questions and Understand the Home-Buying Process” »
Dont Be Forcd Into A Home Buying Decision
Buying a home is a difficult balance in so many ways. On the one hand, you don’t want to miss out on a great home deal, and may feel pressured to make a quick decision or snap offer to get the home you think you want. On the other hand, though, you may not want to bid on the first home you see for fear you’re missing out on a great home down the road. The pressure can be exacerbated by overzealous realtors or brokers. Take a stand for your rights, and don’t be forced into making a home-buying decision before you’re ready. Continue reading “Don’t be Forced to Make a Home-Buying Decision Before You’re Ready” »
Keep Finances Close To Chest
When you’re buying a home, you want to work collaboratively with everyone who is involved in the process. You expect to trust your real estate agent, your mortgage lender, your lawyer – everyone involved in your “team.” However, contrary to the attitude you may start with, it’s a good idea to play your financial cards close to your chest. In most cases, you can trust everyone on your team, but you may find in some circumstances that your trust is misplaced. If you start by keeping your financial information to yourself, you won’t have to worry about how to handle a breach of trust – and it won’t cost you any money. Continue reading “Play Your Financial Cards Close to Your Chest” »
Removing Obstacles
We all hope and wish that our home-buying process would go smoothly. We want to find the perfect house, make an offer, negotiate the cost, get a great deal, close on the loan and move into our new homes with no problems. That sort of dream home purchase isn’t a realistic expectation, though. In a real home-buying situation, obstacles can and do arise during the purchase process. Your job as an aspiring homeowner is to remove obstacles that come up during the home buying process. Continue reading “Removing Obstacles is Your Job in the Home Buying Process” »
Take Control of Home Buying Process
There’s a reason we hire professionals to help us through the home-buying process: the professionals have useful information that can help us get the best deal or make the right financial call when buying a home. However, if you’re not careful, the professionals could end up making all of the decisions and talking you into a home you don’t want, or preventing you from finding your dream home. When you’re buying a home, it’s in your best interest to take an active role in the home-buying process, or even take control of it. When you’re a back-seat passenger, you might miss out on a great home or you might not get the best deal you could get. Continue reading “Take Control of the Home-Buying Process” »
US Law Protects Against Minority Housing Discrimination
Legally, every resident of the United States has a right to buy a home. There are no laws permitting discrimination when minority homeowners want to purchase a home. However, many minorities do face discrimination during the home-buying process. African Americans face the highest rate of discrimination, although minorities of all ethnicities deal with this problem when buying a home. Know your rights when you decide to start shopping for a home. If a lender, landlord, real estate agent or other person violates your rights, you may want to pursue legal action. Continue reading “United States Law Protects Against Minority Discrimination When Buying a Home” »
