While some first time home buyers are couples who have chosen not to marry, and others are not able to legally marry, still others have just gotten married and haven’t started a family yet, there are many families with one or more children who are looking to purchase a house.  These families will have slightly different priorities than families without children.  If you’re in the market for a house and have children, you’ll need to keep these things in mind: […]

When you set out to buy a house, you might want to see every home you come across.  However, that’s not really practical.  Even with a realtor helping you, you may still end up with a huge list of houses you want to take a look at.  Some people start out looking at one or two homes, but by the time they settle on one, they’ve been inside dozens. The problem really only comes when you’ve found two or three […]

If you’re looking for a new home, especially if you’re a first-time homebuyer, you may not know exactly what you want.  Buying a home in a huge investment, though, and once purchased, it’s not like you can simply return it or trade it in like a used car.  Selling a house takes a good amount of effort, time, and even money, so you need to make certain the house you buy meets your needs.  Many first-time homebuyers end up selling […]

Looking at a house involves a lot more than just looking.  Any great realtor will tell you that you need to do more than a cursory once-over of a home before you buy it.  In fact, many will tell you that you need to look at a house at least a few times before signing on the bottom line.  If you’ve never bought a home before, though, you might not know what all you need to look for.  While a […]

If you’ve never bought or sold a house before, you may only be somewhat familiar with the term “closing.”  You’ll hear people say that they are closing on their house on a specific date or that they’ve got to figure out what their closing costs will be, but those terms in and of themselves aren’t very descriptive.  So what exactly is a closing? The closing is, in the simplest terms, the final transaction that results in you taking ownership of […]

When you’re shopping for a new house, it’s very easy to get caught up in the excitement.  You see the gorgeous crown molding, beautiful hardwood floors, and amazing built-ins and forget about anything else.  But there are a few things you always need to check before you decide that the house you’re looking at is destined to be your future home.  Here are five key areas that you always need to check before you make an offer.  If you don’t, […]

So you’ve decided it’s time to put down roots and buy a house.  That’s a big step!  It’s also a step that many people don’t realize is actually a lot of small steps.  Buying a house is more complicated than simply finding a home, getting a loan, and buying it.  Here is a brief outline of the process of buying a house that will give you an idea of just what becoming a homeowner entails. First, take a good, hard […]

Selling your home is a big deal, especially if it’s your first home.  There are a lot of different things that go into preparing a home for sale, and that’s where a good real estate agent can really help you.  A good realtor will go over your home carefully and help highlight areas that will need to be repaired before the home can be sold.  This will help you make your home more attractive to potential buyers and help ensure […]

If you’ve put your home on the market, one of the first things your real estate agent should do is give you an honest, objective opinion of your home.  This isn’t because he or she wants to point out all the flaws in your house or imply that you haven’t taken good care of your home.  This appraisal is because first impressions are absolutely vital in the real estate market.  If a potential buyer steps out of the car and […]

Many first-time homebuyers aren’t prepared for the amount of time, work, and energy it takes to get a mortgage. They think that finding the perfect home is the hard part, but that’s actually the fun and easy task. Once you sit down to start getting your financing in order, you may be shocked at what it takes. Here are a few tips that will help you be better prepared for getting your first mortgage. • Ask your friends, family members, […]