Tips For Buying A New Home
|
My wife and I recently purchased a new home in Tennessee. Here are some helpful hints we picked up along the way:
1. Use all of the online resources available. Almost every state and local government has a website where you can research real estate information. The data on home sales, taxes, and neighborhoods is invaluable when you are shopping for a home. We were able to find out the most recent sale prices in the neighborhood we selected, and we didn't have to rely on a real estate agent to get the data for us. Doing the research yourself will make you more knowledgeable about the market, which is key to making a good purchase.
2. Be realistic about how much you can spend. Try to buy a home in a price range that allows you to put down 20%. If you put down less than this, you will have to pay PMI (private mortgage insurance) to protect the lender in case you default on the loan. I know that 20% is a lot, but it's not unrealistic. You may not be able to do it on your first home, but hopefully you can on your second home. The profits from the sale of my condo enabled my husband and me to have more than enough for the 20% down payment on our home. But we didn't put it all down on the home - we saved some of the profits for the unexpected expenses that come with buying a home. We suggest that you do the same.
3. Shop for a home in the winter, preferably around the holidays. Since most people just aren't interested in buying a home when they are trying to deal with the holidays, you can pretty much be one of the few buyers out there. We bought our home right before Christmas, and it was definitely a buyers market. We had our pick of homes and were able to underbid on the asking price, even though we live in one of the hottest real estate markets in the country.
4. Use a smaller mortgage company that can offer personal service. People tend to go with large, well-known mortgage companies, since that's all they know. But the smaller, regional companies provide excellent customer service, and can often give you better rates than the big companies. Since they don't advertise and instead rely on word-of-mouth, they have to be good in order to get your service. We started off with a big-name company, but in the end, we went with a regional company because they had better rates and better customer service.
5. Always have a home inspection. I think most people know this fact already, but it is really important in areas with a hot real estate market. It can be easy to get caught up in bidding wars, and to want to get a house at all costs. Some friends of ours wanted a house so badly that not only did they overbid, but they also waived the home inspection. They got the house - and right along with it they got several thousand dollars worth of damage that would have been found in an inspection. As a final note, try to remember that buying a home doesn't have to be scary. It's very exciting to own your own home, so think of all the good things that will come once you have made it through the home-buying process. If you follow the advice above, then you should be well-equipped to make it through unscathed.
6. Save money and shop for your home insurance the easy way! Yeah, I know this is a shameless plug for our web site, but seriously, whatever web site you do use, get online and shop around for your home insurance. You can get multiple home insurance quotes from HometownQuotes.Com or any of a dozen or so reputable companies online. Go to a search engine, like Yahoo! and type in 'home insurance quotes.' This is the best way because if you get
Matt McWilliams is one of the co-founders of HometownQuotes.Com, an online insurance quotes web site. He is originally from Pinebluff, NC and graduated from Middle< Tennessee State University in 2002. He is considered an expert in the field of online insurance and finding new ways to help consumers save money on their insurance.
|
|
|
What Price For Your Health?
How do you put a value good health? For many it is priceless. So how much are you prepared to pay to seek the best medical advice available?Private health insurance is one of those lifestyle choices all us of face.Do you go with the system and use the health safety net that the public health-care program provides to all Australians? Or seek the extra security and choice provided by private health insurance?About a third of all adult Australians have private health insurance with the industry worth $5 billion dollars a year.But that figure is likely to incre...(related: Insurance)
Travel Insurance Might Be Just What You Need!
Travel insurance is something that many people haven't considered. Sure, it's possible that you may never have to access your travel insurance, but just having it can really give you peace of mind. As it so often happens, there are many different circumstances or situations that could cause you to cancel your trip, interrupt your plans and possibly return home early or force you to seek emergency medical treatment while traveling. To demonstrate the importance of purchasing travel insurance, and emergency travel services, here are a few common examples of what might go wrong:It's 8:00 p.m. and your family arrives at the airport for a connecting flight, only to find that your flight has been cancelled. How do you get your family home? ...(related: Insurance)
Term Life Insurance Help
Life insurance can be a very scary thing. If you buy insurance when you're 30, but don't die until you're 90, chances are you're going to come out on the loosing end of insurance. ...(related: Insurance)
Compare Car Insurance Companies Before You Commit
If you want to save money on your car insurance, compare insurance companies before you sign up for an annual premium. Car insurance premiums can differ as much as 300% between carriers for the same coverage. Comparing quotes is the only way to find the best deal. Fortunately, online insurance sites have made this easy.Compare the Same ServiceInsurance companies may shout that they have the lowest prices, but that may only apply for "no accident" drivers with high deductibles. To have a realistic idea about prices, compare the same deductible and coverage amount with several different insurance companies. Free online insurance sites can easily do this fo...(related: Insurance)
Term Life Insurance And Permanent Life Insurance
Term insurance and permanent insurance are two basic types of life insurance. Term life insurance is temporary, and it covers only a specific period of time called the relevant term. Permanent life insurance is the type of insurance where the policy is for the life of the insured and the payout is assured at the end of the policy. Term life insurance builds on cash value while permanent life insurance accrues cash value.Now l...(related: Insurance)
Disaster Decision - Do You Need Insurance?
The expenses involved with owning a home can be overwhelming at times - routine maintenance, repairs, seasonal preparations, improvements. Not to mention taxes, fees, and all those monthly bills. Some homeowners, in trying to reduce their expenses, wonder if they really need disaster insurance.Disaster insurance is typically defined as additional homeowner's insurance to cover events like hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods. Home insurance policies typically cover hurricanes and tornadoes (review your policy to be certain in covers damage from such events). But often damage from floods and earthquakes isn't covered. This extra insurance, if desired, must be purchased in addition to your standard homeowner policy, and it can be expensive, depending o...(related: Insurance)
Eleven Money-saving Auto Insurance Tips For Senior Drivers
Following a few simple tips and taking these measures will ensure that you are getting the lowest rates possible on your auto insurance policy.1. Avoid more Accidents, Pay Close Attention at Intersections. Auto accidents involving seniors often occur at intersections. Make sure to look ahead if you plan to quickly change lanes after an intersection. Pay attention to protected left turn lanes with their own arrows, and always keep your tires pointed straight ahead when stopped, so that a rear-end accident doesn't push you into oncoming traffic.2. Follow the flow of traffic, Drive at the at or near the speed limit. Driving too slowly can be just as dangerous as speeding, especially when entering or exiting interstates or freeways. It can also trigger dangerous "road rage" in less pat...(related: Insurance)
Canadian Funeral Insurance: Our Final Gift To Those We Love
Most of us don't like thinking about our own funerals, but no matter how much we ignore the inevitable, the truth is that when the time comes someone will be responsible for those expenses. The question is will it be our grieving loved ones who f...(related: Insurance)
Why Boats Are A Pleasure... But You Still Need Boat Insurance
One of the greatest pleasures that a man can have is owning his own boat. It goes back to the days of adventure on the high seas when a man was absolute monarch of his realm as a captain of his ship.Today there are very few places that the average man can be master and comma...(related: Insurance)
Tips For Lowering Your Auto Insurance Quote
Do you have many claims? If so, you should do all you can to reduce them or even endeavor to file no claims at all. Why do I bring this issue up in an article about lowering your auto insurance quote? Because the number of claims is the single factor that to the highest degree influences the cost of your insurance premium. Let me give you an example: Let's say you have 5 years of no claim. Most companies will then give you an unbelievable discount of your premium, some of them even 75%! It goes without saying that this is the most powerful way to get che...(related: Insurance)
How To Shop For Individual Health Insurance
If you find yourself in the position of shopping for anindividual health insurance policy, there are certain thingsyou'll want to keep in mind. Whether you are coming out of a job that covered you before, or are at the end of yourCOBRA benefits, or simply have never had coverage beforethere are things you can do to get coverage on yourself andyour loved ones.The basic thing to know is that if you have a shot a grouphealth insurance, whether through a job or an association you're a member of, that is usually much more affordablethan buying individual health insurance on your own. Firstyou need to figure out your health insurance goal...(related: Insurance)
Life Insurance Basics
One of the most important things you can do as parents is to ensure the financial welfare of your children in the event of your death. Life insurance is the best way to be rest assured that your children will be taken care of if you die. Although we never like to think of that ki...(related: Insurance)
Life Insurance Whole Life Or Term Life - Find Affordable Life Insurance
Life insurance, whether you need term or whole life, can be a major expense. We all know the importance of having adequate life insurance. The protection of loved ones is the major thing on the minds of millions of people. If you are among the many who are looking for term or whole life insurance, a quote is easily obtainable and you may find lower rates t...(related: Insurance)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Insurance | All Rights Reserved. | Insurance