For those who want to buy a house, it helps to consider your options closely. That way, you can make an informed home purchase.
Now, let's take a look at three factors to consider as you prepare to conduct a home search:
1. The Local Housing Market
Assess the local housing market before you dive headfirst into a home search – you will be glad you did. If you analyze the housing market in towns and cities where you want to live, you can determine if a buyer's or seller's market is in place. Then, you can map out your homebuying journey accordingly.
To differentiate a buyer's market from a seller's market, you should find out how long recently sold houses were available before they were purchased. You also may want to track houses as soon as they become available and see how long it takes them to sell. If residences linger on the housing market for many weeks or months, the real estate sector likely favors buyers. Or, if houses are purchased shortly after they become available, the real estate sector may favor sellers.
2. Your Home Must-Haves
Think about the features you want to find in your dream house. This will help you hone your house search to residences that match your expectations.
Oftentimes, it helps to enter the housing market with a list of home must-haves. This list can be updated throughout your house search and may help you simplify your quest to find your dream residence.
As you craft a list of home must-haves, be sure to include any house amenities you simply cannot live without. For instance, if you require a home that boasts a state-of-the-art air-conditioning system, you can search for a residence that offers this amenity. On the other hand, if you need a home that is located just minutes from your office in the city, you can search for a house in or near the city itself.
3. Your Homebuying Budget
You may have only a finite amount of money to spend on a house. If you get pre-approved for a mortgage, you will know precisely how much money is at your disposal. You then can search for a house that corresponds to your budget.
To get pre-approved for a mortgage, you should meet with a variety of banks and credit unions. These financial institutions can teach you about your home financing options and help you select a mortgage that suits you perfectly.
Lastly, as you get set to embark on a house search, you may want to hire a real estate agent. This housing market professional can offer expert insights into the homebuying journey. Plus, he or she is ready to respond to your homebuying concerns, at any time.
If you want to streamline the process of finding and buying a wonderful residence, it helps to plan ahead for the homebuying journey. Thanks to the aforementioned tips, you can review your options and boost the likelihood of enjoying a successful homebuying experience.
When everyday people take out a homeowners' insurance policy, there is an expectation that you enjoy secure coverage in the event of a loss. That sigh of relief many people experience when signing off on a policy may be an illusion, to some extent. That’s because not every severe weather event is covered in standard policies.
If you are not mindful of what losses are covered, as well as those that are not, you could find yourself paying to repair catastrophic damage out-of-pocket. In order to avoid a personal financial tragedy on top of a damaged home, consider the following facts about severe weather damage, and promptly check your policy.
1: Severe Wind Damage Usually Covered
Standard homeowners policies generally cover damage caused by high winds. This may include tornadoes and hurricanes in many areas of the country. Policies often include structural damage, such as roofs and siding, among others. And, most will pay for losses such as personal items, fencing and even automobiles if you bundle your insurance. The caveat is that areas prone to hurricanes and tornadoes, such as the Gulf Coast and Southwest, frequently charge a premium to include a severe wind rider.
2: Damage From Hail Can Be Tricky
Although the majority of policies routinely cover hail damage, it’s not unusual to have an additional deductible on such claims. That’s because hail damage to roofs, automobiles and others rank among the most prevalent claims. Insurance companies are acutely aware of profits and losses.
3: Lightning Strikes Tend To Be Standard
Although the odds of you personally being struck by lightning are approximately 1 in 280,000, the chances of your home being hit are far greater. Upwards of 25 million lightning strokes touch ground in the U.S. each year, from about 100,000 thunderstorms. According to some math whizzes, the calculable odds come in at 1 in 200 homes annually. In reality, a reported 77,898 claims were filed in 2018, averaging $11,668 in losses. The good news is that insurance overwhelming covers lightning hits and any fire damage that ensues.
4: Consider “Flood Insurance” A Catch-All Phrase
If you live in a flood plain or nearby one, adding a flood insurance rider can be a significant additional expense. Even policies for homes outside a flood-prone area generally do not cover such damage without a rider. But what’s unique about flood insurance is that it may be lumped in with damage caused by water pipes that burst in your home. In terms of the way people generally think about “floods,” that is not a common understanding. It’s also important to note that insurance adjusters may reject such claims if they find evidence that proper upkeep measures were not taken.
5: Sewer Backups Caused By Heavy Rain May Not Be Fully Covered
Although plenty of policies cover the damage caused by the sewer backing up, they often do not cover replacing sewer lines and other items associated with the system. Replacing a sewer can routinely cost upwards of $20,000. It may be in your best interest to review that area of your policy and increase coverage.
Obviously, severe weather coverage can be complicated, and it’s difficult for the average homeowner to wade through the technical language used in today’s policies. Yes, they are widely written by attorneys and rife with legal jargon. But it’s crucial to your home, family and financial future to have the secure severe weather coverage you deserve. It may be time to dive into that policy and ask questions about what’s in it and what’s not. After that, you may genuinely be able to enjoy that sigh of relief.
Photo by bruce mars from Pexels
Moving locally might not seem as stressful as a long-distance move, but it can still be hectic if you’re not well-prepared for it. Whether your local move is just down the street or to another part of town, make sure you start getting ready for it early. The following tips can help make your upcoming move a bit easier.
Start Sorting & Packing Early
Even though it won’t take as long to get to your new home when you move a short distance, you should still get started on sorting and packing your belongings as early as you can. Waiting to begin may mean you’ll feel rushed and opt to skip the sorting process. Instead of donating or tossing items in order to downsize, for example, you might end up bringing everything with you to your new home. If you’ve closed on your new home and know your moving date, you can begin sorting through your household items.
Label Your Boxes
Being as organized as possible can help your local move go smoothly. As you go through your belongings and pack them up, put labels on each box or container. Your labels should let you know what’s inside and where each box or container should go. You can either write the room on the label or use color-coded labels for different rooms. Having all of your boxes and containers clearly marked makes it easy for you or your movers to know where to put them at your new home.
Switch Your Utilities
As your move gets closer, keep in mind that you’ll need to change your utilities over to your new home. Since you’re moving locally, you might not have to deal with switching to new utility companies. Instead, you might just have to contact each company to provide them with your new address and let them know when to shut off services at your current home and turn them on at your new home.
Make Multiple Trips
Since your new home isn’t far away, you should be able to make several trips back and forth instead of having to move everything in one trip. You can load up your car with smaller items and boxes for these trips, and unload them in your new residence. For larger items, such as your furniture, make plans to rent a truck or hire local movers to handle these for you. Moving into your new home a little at a time through multiple trips helps make your actual moving day less stressful overall.
If you’re looking to make changes to your home in a big way but don’t have the time or the budget, there’s plenty of things that you can do in order to bring your home to another level without breaking the bank.
Look From The Outside In
Enhancing the landscaping and curb appeal of your home can be an easy project to add value and comfort to your home. Whether you’re getting ready to sell or you just want to feel more at home, making your home look more inviting from the outside is a worthwhile project.
Open Some Space
Just knocking down a wall can make a huge difference in your home. Once a wall is removed, it can really transform your space. Be careful though, as knocking down a wall where plumbing is or electrical work is can disrupt a lot. This can become very costly, so you may not want to undertake such a big project. Also be mindful of reconnecting floors or moving features like a kitchen island. Be sure to get a few quotes from contractors for these jobs before you settle with one.
Get New Windows
Putting in new windows is a great project that can add a lot of value to your home. You should really replace the windows in your home every 20-25 years. Updating the windows in your home not only changes the look of your home but makes it more energy efficient as well. The extra insulation can also help to keep out noise disturbances and keep your home a quiet place to live. If you live near a main road, new windows are a must.
Upgrade Appliances
There is nothing more attractive to buyers and homeowners alike than new appliances. These are fairly cheap investments considering their returns. You can replace one appliance or go for a whole new kitchen if you’d like. It all depends on the condition of the appliances. Even simply replacing the washer and dryer can make your life easier and also make your home more attractive to buyers when you decide to sell.
Change Up The Floors
Simply switching your carpet or ripping up carpets to put in hardwood floors can be a huge game changer for your home. The costs of these improvements can vary greatly. The size of your rooms and the type of materials that you choose can affect the costs as well.
Get Organized
Putting in shelving or other organizing systems to help you and your family keep organized can be invaluable. Not having to deal with constant clutter can reduce stress and make your home look more presentable. This is another improvement project that is totally worthwhile for you to complete.
Photo by Light And Dark Studio via Shutterstock
In a seller’s market, comparable sales and competition can drive up a home’s price. This is especially true in a seller’s market where offers from multiple buyers try to outbid each other. And, while this sounds like a fantastic deal for the seller, a low appraisal can kill the deal.
Many variables affect appraised values. Some of these include artificially inflated prices from seasonal activity, rising market values, foreclosures or short sales among the comparable properties, increased or decreased supply and demand, overlooked pending sales data, mistakes made by or inexperience of the evaluators, etc.
What do you do?
- The seller can lower the price. While this is the least preferable by home sellers, if it means the deal goes through and if time is of the essence, it’s certainly an option. The seller can offer this in exchange for the buyer paying some of the closing costs.
- The buyer can increase their down payment. The lender typically cares about loan-to-value, so if the buyer can increase their cash in, you might save the deal.
- A seller might offer to carry a second, approved mortgage on the difference.
- Dispute the appraisal or order a new one. The seller can request a copy of the appraisal from the buyer. Then, you or the buyer can contact the lender and dispute the appraisal. Only the lender can require and insist on a new appraisal. Ask your agent to supply a list of recent comparable sales to justify your price and submit it to the buyer’s underwriter for a review.
A well-written contract requires the seller to release back to the buyer any earnest money deposited at the time of the contract. You can then put your home back on the market. As long as the appraisal was not for an FHA loan, you can hope for a better appraisal next time. FHA loans connect appraisals to the property, so any new FHA buyer would end up with the same appraisal as the first buyer.
The best way to avoid this is to follow your professional real estate agent’s advice when setting your home’s price. They follow the market trends, know the neighborhood, and have the pulse of what the market can bear.
