Real Estate Information

When your purchase or sell a home in Lake County California, what exactly are you paying for?  Do you truly understand what all the fees are for?  And- how can you keep your purchase at a minimum?

The simply answer is this…look at your HUD statement.  If you are just starting out, any knowledgeable agent will be able to walk you through what most costs are associated with purchasing or selling a home.  And, truth be told, most of the fees are non-negotiable but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a good bang for your buck.

When you apply for a mortgage, you go to the lender or mortgage broker and either of these may actually benefit you especially in cases where getting a traditional mortgage may not be a good solution for you.  There are always great financing programs for purchasing a home and any good broker or lender will have answers for you.  Your lender will provide you with a preliminary HUD which will estimate all the fees associated with purchasing a new home so you can keep your costs low.

So, the next step is finding that perfect home and we have a variety of homes to suit any need and budget so go ahead and sign up for a free new listings alert where homes that match your criteria will be sent to you automatically.  Any of the homes you find interesting, I will be happy to provide you additional information and schedule as showing so just contact me now and we can get started.  A knowledgeable agent will help you negotiate the best possible offer and even ask for incentives from the seller.

Now we are heading in the right direction…you have your mortgage approval and we have found a home, your contract is accepted so all we have to do is close.  Now, the Title Company and lender will work with us and together make your home purchase a seamless transaction and after it is all said and done and right before closing, you will receive your HUD-1 statement that will include all of the fees associated with purchasing your new home.

This should be pretty accurate based on your preliminary HUD and your closing should go smoothly without a hitch.  So, if you are looking to purchase or sell your home and want a knowledgeable agent that puts their clients first and knows real estate inside and out, then contact me now and I can help bring you closer to owning your new home.

I'm often asked if this is a good time to buy a home. Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already. They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy. The problem with this approach is that you don't know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you've missed it!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.