14 Things to Avoid Before Buying a House
Many first-time home buyers are surprised to discover just how many ways you can mess up a home purchase. You may have got your pre-approval, found a home you loved and made an offer. But if you want to avoid messing up the transaction, you will need to be extremely careful until the sale has closed.
Keep reading as I tackle what not to do before buying a house. Many of these items are mortgage mistakes that can be easily avoided. If you have an exceptional mortgage broker or real estate agent, more than likely a few of these points have already been mentioned.
Use the following tips to protect yourself and your home purchase. In fact, be sure to check out what you should do before buying a home. These twenty tips will help you make the best buying decision possible.
Making mistakes is easy when you have never bought a home before. Avoid these home buying mistakes to keep the stress out of your life!

Don’t miss loan payments.

You must keep . ...

Key Questions for Owners Thinking of Selling
For many cities throughout the U.S. real estate markets, today undeniably favor sellers. With those markets that are particularly competitive, it can be very tempting to list your home even when you haven't made a concrete decision to sell. Taking the plunge and listing can be an exhilarating decision, but doing so without asking yourself some important questions could leave you scrambling to figure out what you're going to do should your home be a highly sought-after property.
If you're toying with listing, ask yourself the questions below before you make your final decision.
How much is my home worth?
Unless you consistently check real estate prices in your area or are comparing comparable homes in your neighborhood, it's likely you may not know the true value of your home. If you're thinking of selling, it's important to find out how much your home is worth. If you are dreaming of a new neighborhood, with the hopes that you'll make a good! ...

The Ultimate Truth About Housing Affordability
There have been many headlines decrying an “affordability crisis” in the residential real estate market. While it is true that buying a home is less affordable than it had been over the last ten years, we need to understand why and what that means.

On a monthly basis, the National Association of Realtors (NAR), produces a Housing Affordability Index. According to NAR, the index…
“…measures whether or not a typical family earns enough income to qualify for a mortgage loan on a typical home at the national and regional levels based on the most recent price and income data.”
Their methodology states:
“To interpret the indices, a value of 100 means that a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced home. An index above 100 signifies that family earning the median income has more than enough income to qualify for a mortgage loan on a median-priced home, assuming a 20 percent down paymen ...

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So, you’ve been searching for that perfect house to call ‘home,’ and you’ve finally found it! The price is right, and in such a competitive market, you want to make sure you make a good offer so that you can guarantee that your dream of making this house yours comes true!
Below are 4 steps provided by Freddie Mac to help buyers make offers, along with some additional information for your consideration:
1. Determine Your Price
“You’ve found the perfect home and you’re ready to buy. Now what? Your real estate agent will be by your side, helping you determine an offer price that is fair.”
Based on your agent’s experience and key considerations (like similar homes recently sold in the same neighborhood or the condition of the house and what you can afford), your agent will help you to determine the offer that you are going to present.
Getting pre-approved will not only show home-sellers that you are serious about buying, but it will also allow you to make your offer with confidence because! ...