Things to Consider When Looking to Buy

So you've got your mortgage loan blessing and are ready to look for a home. Here's a couple of thoughts to maintain in head when looking for the right place for you.

If you love gardening, you'll bask determination a place with a big yard, maybe something with cosmetic bushes or even a veggie garden. Existing gardens or not, a greenish pollex can do any pace beautiful. However, if you've got no clip for working in the garden, you'll prefer a low-maintenance, little yard. In fact, a town place with a pre-existing landscaping company may be more than your style. That manner you can simply pay for the service with the remainder of your fees. However, a landscape gardening company can easily be hired to cut down any yard, so if the place and location is perfect, don't allow the pace alteration your mind. The same thing travels if you love to garden, as even a little pace can convey rewards. Imagine turning the lawn into an English garden with rock walk-ways leading to a cardinal bird-bath.

Communication may be another consideration for you. In the less floorings of some condominiums and flats it can be difficult to acquire good cell telephone reception, just as it can be in far-out rural areas. This mightiness be a really large trade if you've given up your land line and trust on a cell phone. If this is the case, diagnostic test your telephone while you are viewing a condominium unit. If there are no or few parallel bars of power, you may be able to acquire more than with another type of phone, or another cell telephone company.

If you have got kids, propinquity to schools, and a safe vicinity will be a priority. If you are relocating to a new city, inquire your REALTOR® for an country map, and any demographic information you might happen relevant. If they have got one, bank check out a school's website. If you aren't certain about a place, it might be best to lease in the country before buying, so that you can be assured of investment in the best vicinity you can afford.

If you've got allergies, this is another consideration. If you are severely allergic to animals, do certain the house you are considering purchasing wasn't recently place to that animal. If it was, see if you can replace the rug that may still throw dander or fur, even after a professional cleaning. Alternatively, it may Eve be the rugs that cause your allergy. More and more than people these years are chemically sensitive, and chemicals in rugs and adhesive materials are often the cause. If this is the case, expression for places with existent hard-wood floorings and minimum Oregon no press-board or laminate, as merchandises that often incorporate formaldehyde. Some developers now are building places with low-emission paints and plywoods. Also check up on that your place have good ventilation, and if there's an air conditioner, that it be one with no CFCs. If chemical sensitiveness is a concern for you, inquire your existent estate agent about developers that specialise in greenish homes.

If you have got pets yourself, a pace again might be your priority. Although any pace can be fenced, if it's already done, all the better. See also the neighborhood. Are there domestic dog Parks nearby where Fido can run without a leash?

Whatever your demands are, there will undoubtedly be a place that is perfect for you. With forbearance and forethought, you're sure to happen it.

Stop Pushing The American Dream - Some "Homeowners" Are Destroying Home Ownership!

To own your own home is the American Dream. No landlords…no rent payments…no worthless rent receipts.

Sounds awesome, doesn't it? You can splash your own paint colors throughout the house and pound as many nail holes in the walls as you want.

It's your home…nobody can tell you what to do with your home.

Well, not quite. Ever heard of CCRs (Conditions, Covenants & Restrictions)…you agreed to abide by the "laws" of the community by signing on the dotted line.

Unfortunately, the American Dream implies responsibility...to oneself and to one's neighbors. Before buying a house, take a big breath and think: Are you willing to take care of your house? Are you willing to cut and water the grass? ...pull weeds? ...trim the hedge? ...change the AC filter?

You see, home ownership is not for everyone. That's right. Some people don't deserve to be homeowners. Before you choose to buy your own home, take this simple and short quiz:

1. Are you prepared to care for your home's grass and plant material? In Florida, I cannot even count the number of times I've helped buyers purchase their dream home, complete with manicured and healthy landscaping when they receive the keys. A few months later, the grass and plants are dead. The neighbors are upset and the Homeowner's Association (HOA) is sending violation letters.

In most deed-restricted communities, the property management company hired by the HOA will remind you with violation letters of your responsibilities. Water the grass…replace dead plants and grass…pull the weeds…trim the shrubs.

Landscaping requires regular maintenance. You can do it yourself or you can outsource it.

Yes, you will have to water the new grass and plants…you will have to treat the grass for pests (in Florida, chinch bugs and ants)…and you will have to fertilize. And if you allow crab grass and wild Bermuda to invade your green carpet, you will have to cut out the entire area and lay down new sod.

Both are invasive and will destroy a yard almost as quickly as voracious chinch bugs. To replace damaged grass, expect to spend ~$2,500 on grass and installation and another ~$600.00 on water for an "average" yard. No exaggeration. In Sarasota, Florida, for instance, the local water utility doubles the water bill for watering grass.

Neglecting your landscaping violates the Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CCRs) and alienates your neighbors whose property value suffers as a result of your negligence or ignorance.

2. Are you prepared to change the AC filter? If I had a dollar for every AC filter not regularly changed, I'd retire welthy on this money alone. A dirty AC filter increases the electric bill, shortens the life of the AC system & exposes your children to allergens.

Have you visited Florida in the summer? It's hot and humid, making AC absolutely essential. Don't neglect your AC filter…replace it with the right size. When I walk into a house with dirt surrounding the AC vents, I instantly detect neglect.

Just wait, neglect will cause your AC system to fail prematurely while enduring the sweltering heat and paying the $3,000-$6,000 replacement cost. If you're lucky, you'll get off paying $400.00 to have the evaporator coil cleaned by an AC contractor. Neglect is expensive.

3. Does your car leak oil? Don't let the oil drip onto your driveway. It's nearly impossible to remove even fresh oil from concrete. Do not attempt to remove oil spills by power washing. Doesn't work. Power washing chews up concrete as you drive the oil deeper into the concrete, only to have it seep back in a day or two.

With fresh oil stains, use dish detergent in warm water. Lightly scrub and rinse. Face it, the damage is done, marking you as just another careless homeowner or renter. Your neighbors will notice…any future prospective buyers will notice.

The American Dream comes with implicit responsibilities…you must be accountable to your neighbors if not to yourself. You must be willing to maintain the outside of your house.

What was careless as a renter is civil as a homeowner. Disregard your responsibilities as a home "owner" and you may face a lien on your property, while facing the wrath of your neighbors.

Think carefully before you pursue the American Dream. Are you ready to accept the responsibility of home ownership?

How to Find the Right House with the Right Layout Design?

Buy a home with a layout design that suit your needs and be comfortable for you is important. Unfortunately, some homes simply do not have the best layout designs. In fact, some homes have a layout design that is actually bad. More than one homeowner; however, has found himself in the position of owning a home with a bad layout design because they simply didn't know how to spot it when they first toured the home before buying it. After moving in; however, they quickly learned that the flow of the house layout design just didn't work.

While you could certainly correct a bad layout design, this often involves quite a bit of expense and work. It generally means moving walls and that can result in more expense than you may be prepared to spend. In addition, it is important to understand that in some cases, you may not be able to move walls at all in order to correct a bad layout design if the walls in question or load-bearing walls.

Therefore, it only makes sense to learn how to spot a bad layout design before you make the important financial decision to purchase the house. In fact, the floor plan may be one of the most important features to consider in a prospective home. This is because the room layout will ultimately affect the ways in which you use spaces in the home. If the home is laid out well you can maximize the use of each space within the home. On the other hand, if the home has a poor layout you may find that many areas in the home are simply unused and wasted, even if the home is technically large in terms of square footage.

Stairway and Hallway

One of the most common layout design problems is a stairway that faces the front entrance. This can be a problem for a number of reasons. Some people object to it because it's simply bad Feng Shui but in another sense it is not practical. Along the same lines, a hallway that faces the front entrance is also quite impractical. It does not present a warm, welcoming appearance and the space it takes up can often be a waste.

Dining Room

Buyers should also be wary of homes that have a dining room located in the center of the home. While this type of design layout may have been popular sometime ago once you have lived in the home for awhile, you may quickly discover how inconvenient it can be. With this type of design layout you may find yourself having to walk through the dining room, and around the dining table, to get from one room to another.

Adjoining Bedrooms

You may also want to steer clear of homes that feature adjoining bedrooms. This is a matter of convenience and privacy as well as value. In fact, some real estate appraisers won't even count the rooms as two bedrooms; they will be counted as one room instead and that can affect your property value.

Bedrooms

Bedrooms which are located just off the living spaces of a home can also prove to be problematic. There is certainly a reduced level of privacy in addition to the fact that noise from the living areas tends to seep in the bedrooms. Try to avoid homes that feature a floor plan which has been sliced up into smaller rooms.

What is good home layout design?

The best layout designs will feature a large separation between secondary bedrooms and the master bedroom along with a central living area where family members can congregate, such as a family dining area, living area and kitchen. A central hallway that works as a sort of hub for other rooms in the house is also highly desirable. Not only does the hallway allow for excellent flow of traffic from one portion of the house to the other but it also allows for good circulation as well. In addition, try to look for a home that offers a good combination of private as well as public spaces.

Other key features that are important to look for in a good design include large windows. Homes with smaller windows tend to let in less light not to mention are more unattractive. If you ever decide to sell your home you could find that small windows make the process difficult. Finally, don't forget to look for other highly desirable features in your new home such as an attached garage that opens into the kitchen, ample storage space, a laundry room that is conveniently located and a bathroom on every level of the home.

Before seriously considering the purchase of any home be sure to analyze how the home stacks up in terms of your needs and how you can use each space within the home. A second or even third walk-through of the home may be in order to help you determine whether the home's layout will actually meet your personal needs.

Remember that finding your ideal home is not only a matter of finding a house layout design that will suit your needs and provide comfortable living space but also a matter of holding its own in terms of resale value.