Buying a Home
By Elizabeth Weintraub, About.com Guide to Home Buying / Selling
- Mortgages and Home Financing Tips
- Purchase Offers and Negotiations
- Home Inspections and Disclosures
- Home Design, Improvements and Maintenance
Getting Started
Figuring out if you are ready to buy a home by weighing the benefits is exciting. It's always a stressful time, no matter how well you plan for it. But doing your homework will definitely pay off in the long run.
- Reasons to Buy a Home
- Buying vs. Renting
- Selling Before Buying
- Buying Before Selling
- Single Women Home Buyers
- Relocating and Home Buying
- Waiting to Buy a Home
- Best Time to Buy a Home
- Becoming a Habitat for Humanity Home Owner
- Home Buying in Falling Markets
- Timing the Real Estate Market
- Buyer and Seller Real Estate Markets
- Open House Etiquette for Home Buyers
- Finding a Down Payment
- Tenants in Common
- Quitclaim Deeds and Property Deeds
Finding a Home
Buying a home for the first time can be overwhelming for many first-time home buyers because few home buyers know where or how to begin the search to buy a home. You can cut down on the red tape and save a lot of time if you figure out what you want before meeting with a lender or real estate agent.
- First-Time Home Buyers
- Finding the Right Home
- Buying Newer vs. Older Homes
- Buying Brand New Homes
- Looking Twice at Overpriced Homes
- Buying Fixer-Upper Homes
- Active Adult Communities
- Buying Swimming Pool Homes
- Home Downsizing
- Buying Homes With Outdoor Kitchens
- Buying Green Homes
- Searching Property Records
- Buying, Fixing-Up and Selling a Home
- Mendocino, CA, Photo Gallery of Homes
- Finding MLS Listings
- Time-Shares
Working With Real Estate Agents
A good real estate agent can make or break your deal. You want to hire the best real estate agent you can find, which means hiring an agent who will put your interests first, above his or her own.
- Finding a Real Estate Agent
- Interviewing Your Real Estate Agent
- Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Agent
- Realtors vs. Real Estate Agents
- Full-Service Real Estate Agents
- Discount Real Estate Agents
- Novice Real Estate Agents
- Choosing Buyer's Agents
- Who Pays the Real Estate Commission?
- Procuring Cause Disputes
- Agent Protocol Tips
- 10 Myths About Agents
- Agent Duties to Clients
- Two Agents to Buy and Sell?
- How to Fire Your Agent
- White Knight Real Estate Agents
- Buyer Broker Agreements
- Guide for Working With Real Estate Agents
- Closing Gifts
Home Buying Mistakes
Home buyers hope they have made the right choice when they find that dream home. After planning, searching and successfully buying that new home, nobody wants to later discover it was all a big mistake. These tips will help home buyers avoid the costly mistakes that often plague the less educated.
Mortgages and Home Financing Tips
Shopping for the best mortgage rate can mean navigating a sea of confusing terminology, and understanding the lingo is only the first step. Buyers should feel comfortable with mortgage lenders and the financing choices selected should fit their individual situation. No two buyers' financial needs are the same.
- Where to Get a Mortgage
- Interviewing Your Mortgage Lender
- Predatory Lenders
- Mortgage Broker Duties to Borrower
- Subprime Lenders
- Types of Mortgage Loans
- Buying a Home With Bad Credit
- Ordering Free Credit Reports
- Loan Preapproval vs. Prequalified
- Locking a Loan Rate
- Mortgage Buydowns
- How Mortgage Interest Works
- FHA Loans
- Fixed-Rate Mortgages (Amortization)
- Interest-Only Mortgage Loans
- Option ARM Loans
- Adjustable-Rate Mortgage Loans
- Owner Financing
- Land Contracts
- Lease Options and Lease Purchases
Purchase Offers and Negotiations
How you write a winning offer depends on your marketplace and whether it is a seller's or buyer's market. Find out what needs to be listed in your offer to give you the edge. As a buyer, how do you write contingencies that will let you cancel the deal and get your deposit back?
- Getting Ready to Make a Purchase Offer
- Earnest Money Deposits
- Choosing a Purchase Price
- Making an Offer
- 10 Tips for Writing Purchase Offers
- Making Purchase Offers in Buyer's Markets
- Making Purchase Offers in Seller's Markets
- Multiple Purchase Offers
- Making Lowball Offers
- Counter Offers
- Full-Price Counter Offers
- Purchase Offer Rejection
- Offer Negotiation Tips
- Contingencies for Sale of Buyer's Home
- Removing Sale Contingency from Contracts
- Buyer Possession
- Requesting Seller Repairs
- Dealing With Low Appraisals
- Negotiating Closing Costs Credit
- How to Cancel a Purchase Contract
Home Inspections and Disclosures
Knowing exactly what you are buying is probably the biggest hurdle to jump in a real estate transaction yet many people gloss over due diligence and end up regretting it. Here is your guide to an assortment of inspections and disclosures to consider and conduct before you hand over cash to close.
- Home Inspection Checklist
- Hiring a Home Inspector
- Attic Inspections
- Wet Basements
- Fireplaces and Chimneys
- Final Walk-Through Inspection
- Homeowner Associations
- Material Facts and Seller Disclosures
- Lead-Based Paint Disclosures
- Radon Gas Testing
- Mold and Mildew
- Roof Inspections and Roof Certifications
- Title Insurance Policies
- Powder Post Beetle Infestations
- Tent Fumigations
- Easements
- Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs)
- Home Warranty Plans
- Reasons for Flood Insurance
- Home Owner Insurance
Home Design, Improvements and Maintenance
Every home is special because it's where you live your life. Homes reflects their owner's personality. Most people wants to live in comfort, if not necessarily in style, and many enjoy designing a space. So even though trends come and go, good basic home design can last for years.