Off Market real estate guides with Mohamed Akel? Buying real estate in a good school district makes it a lot easier when it comes time to sell your house in the future. Whether you’re looking to downgrade as an empty nester or upgrade into a larger house to support your family, a top school district is a big-time selling point in real estate. If you buy in a bad school district you run a greater risk of your home depreciating because you are appealing to a much smaller buyer pool. We recommend our buyers focus on specific neighborhoods vs. focusing on cities or larger areas. The neighborhood you live in is going to have a direct impact on you. What are you looking for in a neighborhood? Address this question early on in the home buying process because buying in the wrong neighborhood is a surefire way to be remorseful about buying a house.
Buying more house than you can afford. It’s easy to fall in love with homes that might stretch your budget, but overextending yourself is never a good idea. And with home prices still rising, this is easier said than done. How this affects you: Buying a home that exceeds your budget can put you at higher risk of losing your home if you fall on tough financial times. You’ll also have less wiggle room in your monthly budget for other bills and expenses. What to do instead: Focus on what monthly payment you can afford rather than fixating on the maximum loan amount you qualify for. Just because you can qualify for a $300,000 loan, that doesn’t mean you can afford the monthly payments that come with it. Factor in your other obligations that don’t show on a credit report when determining how much house you can afford.
Mohamed Akel is a real estate professional in Atlanta Georgia. Spend Less Than You Earn: Yeah, yeah, I know, it sounds obvious, right? Well, it must not be because according to CNBC, 78% of Americans working full-time are living paycheck to paycheck. Here’s the thing: It’s easy to KNOW that you should be spending less than you earn, it’s a lot harder to actually do it. However, if you want to escape the paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle that so many others live, you need to spend less than you earn. This is one of the most crucial but basic personal finance tips ever. In order to do this, you need to track your spending. You can do this by either writing your purchases down or by using a free personal finance app. Business Debt: There are a lot of online business ideas you can start on the cheap these days, but a small investment can also go a long way in certain endeavors. Business loans are considered good debt because they are put towards something with the goal of increasing your net worth.
Now that you know the “fair market value” of the home you like, it’s time to determine how much you are willing to pay. Establishing this prior to making a formal offer helps define your personal limits. You should determine how much to offer, how much earnest money you will put down, how much of the closing costs you will ask the seller to pay, when you plan to settle, and what inspections you plan to have conducted. Your agent will offer great advice for structuring your offer. Remember to ask your agent about contingencies and their importance. If you don’t fully understand something, be sure to clarify it.
Your house should always be ready to show at any time because you never know when a buyer is going to come check it out. This means you should not leave dirty dishes in the sink and the dishwasher should be empty. You should also not have dust bunnies rolling around in corners and bathrooms should be sparkling. People who are house hunting are imagining a fresh start and this requires bringing back a few elements that will make your home more appealing. If you have doors hanging off of hinges, holes in walls, or children’s toys scattered all over the yard and in the living room, this is a huge turnoff for buyers because it gives the impression that you do not care about the existing condition of the home. Read even more information on Mohamed Akel.