Real Estate Information | Let us create a 3d Digital eBook for you! DigyCat.com |
|
Avoiding A Bad Investment Is Easier Than You Might Think
Human nature being what it is, none of us can get serious about the idea of buying a house without experiencing at least a few small twinges of worry. What we fear, of course, is making a mistake. And the mistake we tend to fear most is buying a "lemon" - a house that doesn't simply fail to satisfy our hopes but turns out to have so many flaws that it's a disastrously bad investment. The good news is that the danger of getting stuck with a lemon of a house is one of the most easily avoided dangers in the whole universe of personal finance. Prospective homebuyers are protected in many ways, and they can further strengthen their defenses by taking a few simple, commonsensical precautionary steps. The first of your protections is the fact that in many places sellers are required by law to make problems known to potential buyers - and are liable under the law if they fail to make adequate disclosure. For obvious reasons, however, most of us prefer to steer clear of legal entanglements even when the law is on our side. In the housing market we do this by identifying problems before closing the deal. And identifying problems isn't necessarily all that difficult. Even a person who's not an electrician or plumber or construction expert often can identify areas of potential concern simply by being alert when visiting a house that's on the market. It's a simple matter, for example, to turn on faucets and showers to test water pressure. In a bathroom it's a simple matter to turn on the hot water both at the sink and in the shower at the same time and then flush the toilet and watch for drastic drops in pressure or temperature. This is highly likely to produce evidence of whatever problems are lurking in the plumbing system. Most homes should provides at least 200 amps of electrical power, and it's usually possible to confirm this simply by checking the numbers on the circuit-breaker panel. Check, too, for extra-heavy 220 -volt outlets where they're needed for a washer, dryer and other heavy appliances - and for the grounded three-prong outlets needed for computers and power tools. A house that's been standing for years but still has straight walls and ceilings and remains free of cracks and the stains that indicate leaks is likely to be structurally sound. Are the basement walls damp - or even wet? Have termites left their calling cards - tubes or tunnels where the walls touch the ground, or wood debris around baseboards? Wherever you see such things, things that you wonder about because you don't understand them or wouldn't expect to find them in a completely sound structure, you can be confident that it's time for further examination. Keep an open mind about what that further examination might lead to, however. Things that can look like big trouble to the amateur eye sometimes turn out to be quite trivial when an expert checks them out. The word "expert" is a crucially important one to remember. Ultimately, before closing on the house of your choice, you should have it inspected by a professional - one who has solid credentials and a solid reputation and whose work is guaranteed. Your purchase should be contingent on the results of the inspection. Your realtor can help you make all this happen, thereby reducing your risk to the vanishing point. About The Author W. Troy Swezey is the author of "AVOIDING A BAD INVESTMENT IS EASIER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK." As a Realtor at Century 21 Paul & Associates, he has helped many individuals with their real estate needs. Visit his web site to download his free e-book, "REAL ESTATE SECRETS EXPOSED." http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com or mail to: TroyC21@usa.net
MORE RESOURCES: |
RELATED ARTICLES
Real Estate Investing - The Job Escape Real estate investing is pretty unusual in lots of ways. Real estate investing is creative. Do You Know What Design/Construct (or Design/Build ) Means? I Think You Should! These real questions on 'How To' build are answered by a US Master Builder and myself from the development viewpoint, after I received them from readers of my e-book, "Residential Development Made Easy."Question 1. 11 Steps Away From Buying a Home There is no doubt that the market for houses has been on fire recently. More and more people are taking advantage of low interest rates and easy mortgage loan terms to go from being renters to being home owners. What to Look for in a Real Estate Agent Real Estate Agents play an essential, critical role in the process of buying and selling a home. You just simply cannot afford to work with an agent that does not exhibit top-scale professional values. How To Find Your Dream Home In Belize Shopping for property in Belize is not as simple an undertaking as you might initially expect!Firstly, estate agents as we know them are non existent! Real estate brokers that do exist are likely to be unlicensed, unregulated and certainly not trained or insured.Secondly, the majority (and I mean the majority) of property for sale is not advertised!But with property prices remaining affordable, the quality of property available attractive, the climate beautiful, the people welcoming, the quality of life incredible and the opportunities in Belize plentiful, more and more people need to know HOW they can go about procuring themselves their dream home in Belize. Joint Ventures In Real Estate Development; So How Do They Work? There are many reasons why you would consider joining with another person to undertake a development project in Joint Venture. Usually the most basis reason reveolves around something you don't have. Coming to Las Vegas - the Las Vegas Real Estate Boom Nobody seems to be 'Leaving Las Vegas' anymore - in fact just the opposite is true. Just as in the time of the rush Las Vegas real estate has been drawing the attention of investors and new citizens alike. Should You Use a Property Management Company or Manage Your Real Estate Investment in Florida? When considering investment properties, first of all, it must be determined that it is profitable and a good idea to purchase rental properties. Let's talk about this aspect. San Antonio Texas Real Estate The San Antonio, Texas real estate market is still going strong even after several years of growth.San Antonio ranks as one of the most affordable cities in the nation to purchase a new home. How to Buy a Property in Bulgaria The CostAlthough the property prices in Bulgaria are quite low compared to the other European countries, there is still a wide variety of prices depending on the property type and location (as a rule the properties in Sofia and at the Black Sea are more expensive). The first thing you will need to figure out is how much you can afford to spend and thereafter to determine the price range for your purchase. 10 Easy but Essential Steps for Home Selling Success They say that the whole process of selling up, buying new and moving on is one of the most stressful series of events any of us goes through in a lifetime: and yet with careful planning, attention to detail and a clear focus, the whole process can be relatively stress free.While there will always be factors outside the control of any home seller, those factors that fall within their control sphere can proceed fluidly and smoothly when they take the time to plan and think one step ahead. Sell Your Home Without Paying Any Commissions All of us know that real estate commissions can work out to quite a bit of money - anything from a few thousand dollars with discount brokers to 6% in commissions with full-service agents. That's a substantial sum of money to be paying for something you could very well do on your own. Escrow Accounts - Are You Paying Too Much? Money in escrow is "dead money". It doesn't earn interest for you and it doesn't reduce your mortgage interest payments. Real Estate Negotiation Secrets When you bought your home, you offered less than you were willing to pay, right? That's the most common negotiation technique. For experienced investors, however, that's just one little secret among the many more powerful ones. Is Housing and Real Estate Bubble Hype Irrational Exuberance? Not so, says the author of this article and four real estate books including the recent "1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home". The upside of the hype is for real estate consumers and investors. How Much Home Can You Afford In Todays Market? If you haven't figured your credit worthiness and borrowing power lately, you might be surprised at how much home you can afford to buy in today's market! Mortgage Lenders are very optimistic about the future of the real estate market and as a result they are willing to loan more on properties than you might expect! And, lenders are making loans at rates not seen since the late 1960s.We,as your Realtor, will be most willing to align you with one of our favored lenders for a private and complete analysis of your borrowing power. Are You Tired of Tenants, Toilets, and Trash? Wouldn't you rather go to Tahiti? Are you a landlord with rental property whose value has significantly appreciated? Are you ready to cash in those profits and take that trip to Tahiti?Before selling your property, check with your accountant whowill tell you that you will be paying $60,000 in CapitalGains Tax to Uncle Sam. Your accountant will also tell youthat adding another $20,000 to your income by that sale iscalled recaptured depreciation. Real Estate Investing with No Cash and No Credit Lots of folks think it can't be done.How in the world can you buy a piece of real estate property without cash or credit? How is it possible to buy a $50,000 house or a $1 million dollar house if I don't have an abundance of cash or an excellent credit rating?Nothing stops a would-be investor cold in his tracks like "no cash or credit. Buying a Home: The 5 Biggest Mistakes that a Home Buyer Makes As a Professional Real Estate Inspector I get to see and hear the right and wrong things people do when buying a home. These 5 tips will help you choose the right Real Estate Agent the first time. Fixing Houses: Mixing Your Own Paint for Savings and Harmony To make the maximum profit on your investment properties, you'll need to save money wherever you can. One way to save significant amounts of money is to mix your own paint. |
List4Sale Domain Is For Sale - $10,000 For Enquiries eMail Us © www.List4Sale.biz 2012 |