Your practical real estate guide

Home Warranty

April 28th, 2008 Kurt Wilde

A new buyer wouldn’t want to worry about what will break or fall apart after the losing.  Since accidents like these could happen, it’s a good idea to get home warranty from the seller.  Sometimes, real estate agents give buyers a home warranty during closing as a gift.  A home warranty is relatively expensive, with prices that range from $250 to $350, depending on the coverage.  Most home warranties work like this: if an appliance or homesystem breaks down, the home owner calls the warranty company, who then contacts a provider.  The provider calls the home owner for an appointment to fix the problem.  The home owner pays a small fee of less than $100 for the provider’s services.

More Home Buying Tips for Single Women

April 24th, 2008 Kurt Wilde

Check bedroom locations. Although second floor bedrooms may seem safer, their distance from the first floor makes it soundproof. If somebody breaks in, you might not be able to hear it.  It’s also more difficult to escape from the second floor if the threat is a fire.

Get a condo unit in a higher floor. Thieves and crimminals won’t bother taking the elevators or the stairs since they’ll be noticed by people in the building.  Units that face the street are also more safe than units located in the back.

Don’t get an apartment located on an alley.  Alleys are dark and quiet at night, which provides the best conditions for crimminals to creep into your home, unnoticed.

Custom and Semi-Custom Homes

April 17th, 2008 Kurt Wilde

When you build your dream home, you are free to choose everything you want in terms of the style and design, from the carpet up to the cabinets. Having everything brand-new and according to your liking is main advantage to building a home. Besides this, you can analyze the building materials yourself and make sure they comply with the latest in safety standards.

However, building a custom home comes at a fairly high price. If you can’t afford that, the best alternative is to go for a semi-custom home. This allows you to select some of the features you want but without going over your budget. With semi-custom homes, the building shows you several floor plans and house styles you can choose from. You’re free to choose your flooring, lighting fixtures and locations, cabinets, and appliances. You also have the option to add more rooms and structures like attached garages.

Finding Your Dream Home With a Small Budget

April 14th, 2008 Kurt Wilde

When it comes to buying a home, first-time buyers usually carry the misconception that they need to have a large amount of money right away. This is not true. In fact, if you do your research, you can find a good home in a nice neighborhood at a price you can afford. All you need is to have the right resources and to know how they fit together. One good place to look at homes is at areas where there are foreclosures. Homes that are foreclosed have owners that were unable to pay on time and were forced to move out. The bank is the one paying the house and they are usually more than happy to sell them at bargain prices.

If you don’t know where to find these deals, browse through your local real estate listings or ask around. Whenever you see a “for sale” sign, stop and talk to the owner. When the owner is forced to sell the house because of financial problems, he or she is usually more willing to negotiate.

Buying Abandoned Property

April 10th, 2008 Kurt Wilde

If you thought that properties held by the government are not for sale, think again. Abandoned property kept by the government are usually auctioned off. In fact, not only is buying these properties is a fairly easy task; they can also be purchased at major discounts. The common misconception is that the kinds of abandoned property at government auctions are usually decrepit and undesirable houses and bungalows. Most of the time this is true, but other structures like warehouses and office buildings are usually auctioned off. A property is considered abandoned if its owner does not meet tax payments and other obligations.

Since any property bought from government auctions can be resold, this is a simple way you can be a real estate speculator. Many people have made millions buying and selling abandoned property, even if they haven’t visited it after the initial evaluation.

Increase Your Property’s Value by Renovating

April 7th, 2008 Kurt Wilde

If you want to increase your property’s value, consider doing a renovation. Although major changes can get expensive, this is never a waste of money since the investment will end up coming back to you. The renovation will pay for itself once you sell the property. If you don’t know what kind of renovations to do, ask your real estate agent to evaluate the home and point out aspects that may increase its value. To get an idea of how much renovation you should be doing, look at the real estate listings in your area so you’ll see how similar homes in your neighborhood compare to your property. You can start renovating by changing small things that will make a big overall impact, like getting new carpets for your floor, new kitchen countertops, or changing the paint.