Buying Real Estate? – Watch These 5 Steps! LOL
Buying Real Estate? – Watch These 5 Steps! LOL Step 1. Knowing When You’re Ready Buying a home is so grown-up and impressive, but there are a few things you should think about before you start telling everyone how grown up and impressive you are. Step 2. Mortgage Lending 101 Unless you have a boatload of cash under your mattress, buying a home usually costs more money than you currently have. First, you’ll need a competitively-priced loan. Step 3. The Home Search You’re really doing it! You know what you can afford and you’ve got your pre-approval letter. But before you buy the home of your dreams, you’ve gotta find it first. Step 4. Making The Offer Here you are, ready to make an offer on your first home! And since you’re about to part with an insane amount of money, it’s time to get close to your REALTOR®. Step 5. Closing the Sale – YES There is nothing more awesome than taking ownership of your new dream home. But before you do that, you better loosen up your writing hand. Did someone say paperwork? Written by Ruby Miranda on September 29, 2018. Posted in Buy A Home, Buyer Tips, First Time Home Buyers, Home Loan Process, Raving Fans, Real Estate Knowledge Video Series, Testimonials / ReviewsTags: Buy Your Home, Buyer Tips, Financing A Home, First Time Buyer, Home Appraisals, Home Inspections, Home Loan Process, Real Estate Knowledge Video Series Trackback from your site. Leave a Reply
Why Your Pre-Approval Should Not Determine Your Home Buying Budget
Why Your Pre-Approval Should Not Determine Your Home Buying Budget Just because you’re pre-approved for a certain amount doesn’t mean that you can afford it. Here’s what I mean. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access Today I wanted to talk to you about a very common question I am asked, “Why am I shopping for less than my pre-approval amount?” When you are looking to purchase a home, there are a few different things you need to realize. The first one is that the amount that you are pre-approved for is not necessarily the amount that you want to spend on a monthly basis. This little pointer will help make sure that you stay on budget and do not get overwhelmed by payments. The max pre-approval amount is unimportant. The max monthly mortgage payment is what you really need to look at. You should be comfortable with the amount you are spending each month on your home. You may be able to get approved for $300,000, but you may not want to deal with the payment that goes along with that price. Find out what you are comfortable spending on your mortgage on a monthly basis, and ask your lender what home price that equates to. This little pointer will help you stay on budget and make sure that you do not get overwhelmed by your payments. If you have any questions about this or have any other real estate needs that I can help you with, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Written by Ruby Miranda on September 24, 2018. Posted in Buy A Home, Buyer Tips, Financing A Home Tags: Buy Your Home, Buyer Tips, Financing A Home, Ruby Miranda Trackback from your site. Leave a Reply
How to Keep Your Home Cool Without Cranking Up the A/C
How to Keep Your Home Cool Without Cranking Up the A/C Want to keep your home cool this summer without having to pay an arm and a leg in utility costs? Here are three alternative ways to cool your home. Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access Temperatures are rising and so are your utility bills, courtesy of that big power hog: your air conditioner. If you want to cut down your cooling costs without having to crank up the A/C, here are three tricks you can try instead: 1. Fans and ice. You can easily make a DIY air conditioner, with nothing more than a box fan and some ice. Simply put the ice into a bowl and place it in front of the running fan. As the ice melts, it cools the air around it. The fan will then disperse that wonderfully cool air all around your home. Fans can do more than that, though. Another cooling trick is to run your ceiling fans counterclockwise—this will pull up the hot air, leaving you sitting in a cooler space. And installing a whole-house fan can literally pull out all the hot air from your home and siphon it up and out at minimal cost. 2. Green cooling. Plants do a wonderful job absorbing sunshine and reducing the summer heat. If you’re planning to stay in your home for a while, it might make sense to plant several deciduous trees on the south side of your home. Another option is several potted sunflowers, which grow quickly but have large leaves. Climbing vines or foliage on a trellis can keep the front of your home cool, while a green roof will both increase your comfort and reduce your energy bills year-round. Some of these will actually boost your home’s value. 3. A summertime schedule. For this natural trick, simply open up the windows in the early morning and shut them before you go to work. This will allow you to suck in some cool air and to keep out the hot air later in the day. For even better results, draw the shades during the day and consider getting a heat-blocking blackout curtain These kinds of simple heat-busting tricks can be effective at reducing the heat during the summer months and lowering your energy bills by 30% to 50%. Plus, small investments like planting a tree or installing a whole-house fan can also boost the value of your home. I bring this up because the summer is also when the real estate market gets hot. If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home any time in the near future, don’t hesitate to reach out and give me a call or send me an email today. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Written by Ruby Miranda on September 24, 2018. Posted in Buyer Tips, Home Maintenance, Seller TipsTags: Home Maintenance, Ruby Miranda Trackback from your site. Leave a Reply
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