5 Strategies for Navigating Buying a Home at a Good Price

Home prices are low, interest rates are low - real estate is basically having a summer clearance sale! But unlike buying a clearance-priced car or computer, making the wrong move in this real estate 'sale' can have disastrous effects, from losing your dream home due to a bad bid to ending up with a money pit of a property.
Here are a few money-saving, pitfall-avoiding tips and tricks for buyers who want to do some smart home shopping this summer.

1.  Have a vision in place, before you start your house hunt. Actually, have several visions in place.  Have a financial vision, complete with a clear picture of what your total income and expenses look like, in the  “after homebuying”  view, including what you pay out for your home and related expenses, like HOA dues and homeowners’ insurance.  Have a vision of your life in your new home, including what you want to do, with whom and where you want and need to go - in the work, family and recreation areas of your life.

If you kick off your conversations with your mortgage broker and real estate agent with a clear understanding of the lifestyle you are looking to create, you’ll be much less likely to get derailed. With a clear vision in place and, ideally, on paper, you can clearly communicate your wants, needs, goals and financial boundaries to your professionals, telling them what you can afford, rather than trying to shoehorn your financial plans into one-size-fits-all mortgage guidelines. With a vision, the temptation of an uber-low-priced, but completely inappropriate, home will not lure you into buying the wrong place for your needs. (Nor will an amazing home that is simply out of your personal price range - no matter how great a value it is for the money!)

2.  Don’t let affordability get between you and reality. High affordability doesn’t necessarily mean you can get every single thing you want  - and name your price. The fact is, even people who are spending millions for their homes don’t get everything they want!  I’ve seen buyers insist that they need X number of bedrooms and Y number of bathrooms in move-in condition for a price that is just not going to happen, even in this clearance sale climate, and end up looking and looking, ad infinitum.

If your agent has shown you home after home that is what you want, but has sold for more than you want to spend, and you’re confident that you can find or cut a better deal because the market is down and you just os happen to be a brilliant negotiator (!), you might be at risk of falling into this trap.  There are deals to be had, but if you don’t stay grounded in reality, you’ll end up chasing your tail and missing out on the tax and lifestyle advantages of homeownership.

If you’ve been house hunting for months and months on end, your agent keeps trying to tell you that you should search in a lower price bracket, you have repeatedly gotten overbid or you just can’t seem to find the precise home you seek in the location and price range you seek, at least consider the possibility that you might have an outsized wish list for your budget. Take a step back, revisit your vision, and remind yourself what’s really important.  It’s okay to save some “must-haves” and “deal-breakers” for your next home purchase!

3.   Get a local expert to brief you on the local market, then screen out the noise.  Now more than ever, it’s essential to have laser beam focus on the information and strategies that will get you what you want - whether it’s an amazing deal on the home you’ve always wanted or simply success at becoming the owner of your first home at a price you never thought would ever be possible. Otherwise, you’ll end up all over the place, spending your time, money and sanity attending auctions, getting worked up over distressed properties that aren’t yet for sale, trying to negotiate deals with sellers who are in no position to cut them and having your lowball offers on bank-owned properties rejected time after time.

Don’t let a news story about a guy in Minnesota who got a home for $3.27 be the basis for your entire home buying strategy. Instead, ask around and get referrals to a local broker or agent who has a track record of helping the people you know.  Read their answers on Trulia Voices and ask them your own questions to get a sense for whether they might be a good fit for you - if they are, and you trust them, then consult with them on the dynamics of your local market.  The market is down everywhere, relative to 2006.  But some markets - and some neighborhoods within markets - are still seeing multiple offers and home prices which are relatively recession-proof, compared to what you’d expect from the national news.  

Once you have a strategy in place, work it - don’t let your acupuncturist or shoe repair guy convince you that your strategy is wrong, that you could get the place for cheaper or that the bank should absolutely do every single repair, or you should walk away from the deal.  Many would-be buyers lose out on great homes because they take negotiating advice from their holistic veterinarian over that being offered by their broker or agent.

4.  Read everything. Good faith estimates. Contracts. Disclosures. Inspection reports.  There is a long, long list of multi-page documents that are very easy to “just sign” when you’re in the heat of the hunt and think you’re on the scent of an amazing deal. I’m not suggesting you ask for a week-long pause button to read every document, either - rather, read them when you get them, ask questions, and keep asking until you understand the documents.

Many buyers this summer will make offers on more than one home before they get into contract on “the one,” and many of those properties will be short sales or foreclosures.  With distressed properties, every contract is different, so it behooves you not to go on autopilot, just skimming the papers as you might otherwise. Also, inspection reports might reveal red flags and condition issues that you’d normally expect to see in the seller’s disclosures.  It’s especially critical, in these situations, to fully understand as much as you can about the property, your loan, and your obligations and due dates under the contracts.

5.  Stop your mental accounting and do the actual math - on paper.  In the field of behavioral economics, mental accounting refers to the tendency we humans have of doing math in our heads, separating things like easy money (e.g., the so-called “instant equity” from buying a home for less than it’s supposedly worth) from hard-earned wages and salary, and making spending decisions differently from these different mental accounts.

On the scent of a good deal, and in the heat of the hunt, even the most meticulous homebuyer can go up a few thousand in offer price to beat out other buyers.  No problem, right?  Well, but then when the inspector uncovers a few needed repairs, they make a mental guess as to what they’ll cost, and add that in - again, mentally. Then, when the lender requires a few extra thousand bucks than expected to close, that goes on top, but again, only mentally.  And mental money tends to stretch a bit longer than real money does! 

So, you can see how it’s  possible to break the bank when you thought you were in great shape because you scored such a great purchase price for the property itself.  

Even if you hate budgets with every iota of your being, buck up on this one project, pull out the calculator or open up a spreadsheet and keep track of every line item. Get actual repair bids during your inspection period, to the extent possible, and get your math mojo on. It’s fine to buy and incur these overages here and there, but keeping track of them is key.  You know what I like to say - surprises are for birthday parties, not for real estate transactions, and not for your bank account, either! 

Keeping a strict tab on the expenses you incur during the transaction - or will need to incur afterwards -- will save you so much drama later.

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson 

6 Tips for Buying a Home in a Short Sale

6 Tips for Buying a Home in a Short Sale

By: G. M. Filisko

Published: March 19, 2010

By preparing for a real estate short sale, you can emerge with a great home at a favorable price.

1. Get help from a short sale expert

A real estate agent experienced in short sales can identify which homes are being offered as short sales, help you determine a purchase price, and advise you on what to include in your offer to make the lender view it favorably. Ask agents how many buyers they've represented in short sales and, of those, how many successfully closed the transaction.

2. Build a team

Ask agents to recommend real estate attorneys knowledgeable in short sales and title experts. A title officer can do a title search to identify all the liens attached to a property you’re interested in. Because each lienholder must consent to a short sale, a property with multiple liens, like first and second mortgages, mechanic’s and condominium liens, or homeowners association liens, will be harder to purchase.

A title search may cost $250 to $300 up front, but it can help weed out less desirable properties requiring multiple approvals.

3. Know the home’s fair market value

By agreeing to a short sale, lenders are consenting to lose money on the loan they made to the sellers to purchase the home. Their goal is to keep those losses as low as possible. If your offer is dramatically less than the home’s fair market value, it may be rejected. Your agent can help you identify the price that’s good for you. The lender will determine whether approval is in its best interest.

4. Expect delays

There are two stages to a short sale. First, the sellers must consent to your purchase offer. Then they must submit it to their lender, along with documentation to convince the lender to agree to the sale.

The lender approval process can take weeks or months, even longer if the lender counteroffers. Expect bigger delays if several lienholders are involved; each can make a counteroffer or reject your offer.

5. Firm up your financing

Lenders will weigh your ability to close the transaction. If you're preapproved for a mortgage, have a large downpayment, and can close at any time, they’ll consider your offer stronger than that of a buyer whose financing is less secure.

6. Avoid contingencies

If you must sell your current home before you can close on the short-sale property, or you need to close by a firm deadline, your offer may present too many moving parts for a lender to approve it.

Also, consider ordering an inspection so you’re fully informed about the home. Keep in mind that lenders are unlikely to approve an offer seeking repairs or credits for such work. You’ll probably have to purchase the home “as is,” which means in its present condition.

This article includes general information about tax laws and consequences, but isn't intended to be relied upon by readers as tax or legal advice applicable to particular transactions or circumstances. Consult a tax professional for such advice; tax laws may vary by jurisdiction.

5 Bedroom Home in Great Bridge! $265,000!! $122,000 under assessment!

5 Bedroom Home in Great Bridge!

$265,000

$122,000 under assessment!

3400 Sq Feet

SPACIOUS HOME LOCATED IN WELL ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOOD IN DESIRED AREA OF CHESAPEAKE.CLOSE TO SCHOOLS,SHOPPING,RESTAURANTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT.SPACIOUS BACKYARD WTIH INGROUND POOL AND HOT TUB GREAT FOR ENTERTAINING. CAN'T BEAT THE SIZE AND LOCATION OF THIS HOME, ENDLESS POTENTIAL.

Click here for more details!

Home Details

This home is a foreclosure being sold "as is".

Call or email me for more details or additional photos

This Home won't last long!!!

Sue Tanea

Keller Williams Greenbrier

757-635-2333

suetanea@verizon.net

http://www.suetanea.com/

listing courtesy of Remax

Check out Which Hampton Roads City is Rated Safest in America from Natural Disasters and what other Cities Rank in the Top Ten Safest

10 Safest Cities in America from Natural Disasters

After the recent earthquake in Japan that triggered tsunamis from Japan’s northeastern coast to the northern coast of California, it’s no wonder that people are concerned not only about the safety of the people in Japan, but also about the safety of the area in which they live. After all, it seems that devastating natural disasters have been occurring with increasing frequency in recent years. So where are the safest cities in our own country? Here is a list of ten U.S. cities that have a low likelihood of being struck by a major natural disaster. (See also: Do You Need a Disaster Survival Kit?)

The Methodology

From a list of American cities with populations over 100,000, those cities that had a higher likelihood of being struck by tornadoes (in Tornado Alley) were eliminated, as were those cities that were more likely to be hit by a hurricane (Gulf Coast cities and some Atlantic Coast cities). Cities that had a higher probability of experiencing a tsunami (Pacific Coast cities) or that were located near active volcanoes (concentrated in the Pacific Northwest) were also eliminated. Finally, cities in areas most likely to experience earthquakes (according to the U.S. Geological Survey) were removed from the list.

Once the list was narrowed down from 276 to under 100, the top ten were picked based on low violent crime rates — although not a natural disaster, crime rates are also a relative measure of safety.

1. Chesapeake, Virginia

Population: 222,455
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 158
Best Known For: The Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge, whose northeastern corner is located in the boundaries of the city. Chesapeake is also known for its location on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

2. Erie, Pennsylvania

Population: 103,571
Violent Crimes per 100,000 Residents: 219
Best Known For: Presque Isle State Park, an arc-shaped peninsula in Lake Erie that is a popular destination for hiking, swimming, fishing and boating.

3. Fort Wayne, Indiana

Population: 255,890
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 184
Best Known For: The Fort Wayne Daisies, which is the town’s professional women’s baseball team featured in the movie A League of Their Own.

4. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Population: 193,710
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 395
Best Known For: Its location on the banks of the Grand River. Grand Rapids is also known for its Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, a 132-acre attraction that hosts the largest outdoor sculpture collection in the Midwest.

5. Green Bay, Wisconsin

Population: 101,412
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 215
Best Known For: Its location at the mouth of Fox River on Lake Michigan, and the Green Bay Packers Football Team. Green Bay is the second-oldest franchise in the NFL.

6. Henderson, Nevada

Population: 256,445
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 111
Best Known For: Its proximity to Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.

7. Phoenix, Arizona

Population: 1,593,659
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 286
Best Known For: Its subtropical arid climate and near-constant sunshine.

8. Provo, Utah

Population: 119,775
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 68
Best Known For: Brigham Young University and its conservative culture.

9. St. Paul, Minnesota

Population: 281,253
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 341
Best Known For: Its status as one of the Twin Cities, along with Minneapolis, and its unusually cold winters. St. Paul is also known for its Winter Carnival, an event attended by over 350,000 people each year.

10. Stamford, Connecticut

Population: 121,026
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 137
Best Known For: Its highly educated population and its status as home to several Fortune 500 companies, including WWE, Pitney Bowes and UBS.

4 Signals it Might Be Time to Buy (vs. Rent) Your Home

To rent or to buy:  what used to be a given – that you would buy a home as soon as you could afford to – has become an agonizing conundrum for many a would-be homebuyer, in the face of the housing market’s big bust and super-slow recovery.  Low prices seem to create a wide-open window of opportunity, but they also create the concern that prices will keep falling after closing.  And that Catch-22 has hundreds of thousands of buyers-to-be stuck on the fence.
Fortunately, there are handful of life, mortgage and local market signals which indicate that the time *might* be right to hop – scratch that – leap off the fence and into homeownership:

Mortgage rates are going up.  Home prices have been low for the last several years, and in fact are currently looking like they’re heading back down to the same levels they were at the depths of the real estate recession. During this same time frame, interest rates have also been low – this one-two punch has created record-high affordability for the last four years running, causing buyers to believe that this window of opportunity won’t be closing anytime soon.
While prices don’t look like they’ll be skyrocketing anytime soon, interest rates are another story. Rates have been on a rollercoaster over the past few months, and with inflation and Fed rates set to spike later this year, today’s low interest rates might be as good as they’re going to get for a long time to come.  And I mean a very long time – in the next few years, governmental intervention in the mortgage markets is likely to wind down, and that means higher mortgage interest rates are not only inevitable, they’ll probably be here for a long, long time. 
Mortgage rates on the rise are one signal that now might be the peak of home affordability, and the peak of the opportunity to buy.

Rents are going up.  Rental rates in many areas are also on the rise – in fact, the foreclosure crisis has acted created additional demand on many markets’ rental housing inventory in several different ways. First, former homeowners who lost homes to foreclosure now need to rent; as well, buyers in foreclosure hot spots have been hesitant to buy, many electing to stay renters far beyond when they would have otherwise. On top of all that, super-tight lending guidelines have stopped even some who would like to buy homes from doing so.  As a result, rental homes are in high demand – and rents are rising.
Rising rents at a time when the prices of homes for sale are low and, in some places, falling?  One more signal that now might just be the time to buy. (Of course, where foreclosures are high, the chances of continued depreciation are, too – to offset this risk, have a long-term plan, to minimize the possibility that you’ll owe more than your home is worth when you need to sell.  Read on for more on how to plan for the long term and minimize your homebuying risk.)

Your income and career are stable for the foreseeable future.  The smartest homebuyers look to their lives, not just the market, for signals about when the time is right to buy. Homebuying is a long, long-term endeavor these days. The goal is to be able to commit to staying in the same place, geographically-speaking, for 7 to 10 years before you buy (more in a foreclosure-riddled market, less in an area that has been more recession-resistant). Most lenders will require that you’ve been at your job – or in the same general field of work – for at least two years before you buy. But that’s the bare minimum – beyond that, you don’t want to be barely beginning a career in which you think you may need to move sooner than that, nor do you want to buy when you’re advanced in your career, but in an industry which is dying or downsizing the workforce in your region (unless you have a strong Plan B).
When you get to the spot in your career where you can realistically project a stable income 7 to 10 years out, life might be giving you a green light to move forward on your homebuying dreams.

You can reasonably predict the home you’ll need in the years to come.  Since successful homeownership requires that you be ready to be in the place for a good number of years, best practice is not just to buy a home with the space and number of rooms you need right now – rather, you should aim to buy the home you’ll need 5, 7 or even 10 years down the road (to the best of your ability to predict, of course). You might be a newlywed with no kids now, but you plan to have them in a few years. Or maybe you’re a newly minted empty nester right now, but can project that you’ll want to retire - and might not want to climb two flights of stairs to get to and from your bedroom - 10 years down the road. Before you buy, you should be in a position to buy the home that meets your future needs – not just your current ones; and that requires that you have a reasonable idea of your life vision and plan for the future.
If you’re able to predict – and afford, at today’s prices – a home with the space, amenity and geographic location you’ll need 7 to 10 years from now, you might be in a good phase of life to get off the rent vs. buy fence.

With that said. . . buying a home is a massive decision and includes multiple, long-term financial and lifestyle obligations, so if one or more of these signals are present for you, that doesn’t mean you have the green light to run out and buy a home tomorrow – rather, it’s a good sign you should begin down that path, if you’re so inclined. You’ll still need to do the work to make sure your personal finances and holistic life picture are also in alignment before you buy, as well of the work it takes to ensure that your real estate and mortgage decisions are sustainable and smart, over the long-term.

It’s not overkill to check in with a mortgage pro, a tax pro, a local real estate broker or agent and a financial planner to make sure all your ducks – not just one - are in a row before you make your move.

Sue Tanea

Realtor

Keller Williams - Greenbrier

757-635-2333

suetanea@verizon.net