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Top 10 things to know when buying a home.

1. Don’t buy if you can’t stay put. 

If you can’t commit to remaining in one place for at least a few years, then owning is probably not for you, at least not yet. With the transaction costs of buying and selling a home, you may end up losing money if you sell any sooner – even in a rising market. When prices are falling, it’s an even worse proposition. 

2. Start by shoring up your credit. 

Since you most likely will need to get a mortgage to buy a house, you must make sure your credit history is as clean as possible. A few months before you start house hunting, get copies of your credit report. Make sure the facts are correct, and fix any problems you discover. 

3. Aim for a home you can really afford. 

The rule of thumb is that you can buy housing that runs about two-and-one-half times your annual salary. But you’ll do better to use one of many calculators available online to get a better handle on how your income, debts, and expenses affect what you can afford. 

4. If you can’t put down the usual 20 percent, you may still qualify for a loan. 

There are a variety of public and private lenders who, if you qualify, offer low-interest mortgages that require a down payment as small as 3 percent of the purchase price. 

5. Buy in a district with good schools. 

In most areas, this advice applies even if you don’t have school-age children. Reason: When it comes time to sell, you’ll learn that strong school districts are a top priority for many home buyers, thus helping to boost property values. 

6. Get professional help. 

Even though the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings, most new buyers (and many more experienced ones) are better off using a professional agent. Look for an exclusive buyer agent, if possible, who will have your interests at heart and can help you with strategies during the bidding process. 

7. Choose carefully between points and rate. 

When picking a mortgage, you usually have the option of paying additional points — a portion of the interest that you pay at closing — in exchange for a lower interest rate. If you stay in the house for a long time — say three to five years or more — it’s usually a better deal to take the points. The lower interest rate will save you more in the long run. 

8. Before house hunting, get pre-approved. 

Getting pre-approved will you save yourself the grief of looking at houses you can’t afford and put you in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house. Not to be confused with pre-qualification, which is based on a cursory review of your finances, pre-approval from a lender is based on your actual income, debt and credit history. 

9. Do your homework before bidding. 

Your opening bid should be based on the sales trend of similar homes in the neighborhood. So before making it, consider sales of similar homes in the last three months. If homes have recently sold at 5 percent less than the asking price, you should make a bid that’s about eight to 10 percent lower than what the seller is asking. 

10. Hire a home inspector. 

Sure, your lender will require a home appraisal anyway. But that’s just the bank’s way of determining whether the house is worth the price you’ve agreed to pay. Separately, you should hire your own home inspector, preferably an engineer with experience in doing home surveys in the area where you are buying. His or her job will be to point out potential problems that could require costly repairs down the road. 

Article Source – CNN Money 

Get the Straight Facts About What Can Make or Break the Sale of Your Home. Choose a Top Real Estate Agent. 

Selling your home is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. How much is it REALLY worth? How long will it take to sell? How do you handle buyers making undesirable offers? 

As top Burbank, Sun Valley and Shadow Hills area real estate agents with years of experience and a proven track record, it is our job to guide you through this complicated process, from beginning to end. We want you to get the maximum value for your home, within YOUR time frame. Here are just some of the things that we will do to market and sell your home: 

- Buyers want to buy your home for as little as possible! Through detailed comparisons between your home and recently sold homes, and other properties currently on the Burbank, Sun Valley and North Hollywood market, together we can determine, What Your Home is Really Worth in today's market. In the industry this is called a Comparative Market Analysis or CMA. We will do this for you, for free. 

- Buyers have their own timelines, which might not be yours! We make sure they don't waste your time by qualifying them as to their real ability to afford your home. 

- More buyers interested in your Burbank, Sun Valley and Shadow Hills home means more money in your pocket when it is sold. Our extensive marketing of your home assures you of maximum value. For example, This web site will market your property all across the web. It will appear on Google,Yahoo Real Estate, Microsoft MSN HomeAdvisor, and other top national sites. We can place your home on our web site within a few minutes time! 

- When we begin marketing your home, we will immediately notify all the buyers that we are helping find their ideal home. We'll also notify all the real estate agents in this area that we work with, who quickly tell their homebuyers. It is a powerful way to jump-start the sale of your home! 

- You and a member of our team or we will walk through your home together. We will advise you how to present your property to maximize its selling price. Some improvements are worth it, and some are not! Be careful. 

- Contracts are complicated, and intimidating. You don't want to go to a closing with some doubts. You will have the full benefit of our Burbank, Sun Valley and North Hollywood real estate experience and knowledge for a smooth and successful closing. We recommend that you do not sign on any dotted lines without asking us first. 

You pay no up front costs for our services! So you can bet that we will work hard to get your home sold, for as much as this market will possibly bear. We will also work within your time frame and your needs. For example, sometimes it can be hard to sell and move out of your current home, and buy and move into a new home, all at the same time! We can help smooth this out. 

Call or email us. Ask for a Free In-Home Presentation. We will come to your Burbank, Sun Valley and North Hollywood home or office, and present you a plan that details exactly how we will market your home. There is absolutely no obligation so don't let this opportunity pass. It is part of our job as top real estate agents to offer you this service. 

Grace & Lucas Miranda 

Ask us ANY question about selling your home or property. Or request our FREE in-home presentation of how we would market your property in Burbank, Sun Valley and North Hollywood! There's no obligation, and we promise to get back to you quickly...