Secrets To Getting the Most House for Your Money!
Get "Pre-Approved" Not "Pre-Qualified!"
Make sure you are in the strongest negotiating position possible.
Price is only one element in the negotiations, and not necessarily the
most important one. The strength of your offer and closing dates might
be the most important things to the seller.
The way to make the strongest offer today is to get "pre-approved".
Pre-approval occurs after all of your personal information has been
verified. You are actually APPROVED for the loan and the only thing
left to do is the appraisal on the property. This process takes
anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on your situation.
It's VERY POWERFUL and a weapon I recommend to anyone interested in
serious negotiating.
Sell First, Then Buy
If you have a house to sell, sell it before selecting a house to buy!
Contingency sales aren't nearly as strong as one that comes in with a
ready, willing and able buyer. If you are asking a seller to accept
your offer contingent upon the sale of your property, then you are now
not in a strength position and, the seller is in the position of
possibly by-passing an offer not contingent on the sale of property.
You will not be in a strong negotiating position and the seller wont be
as comfortable with the deal. Buying before selling might cost you
thousands of dollars.
If you're concerned about the availability of homes for sale, then you
may want to do some drive bys. You can identify homes and locations.
This may make you confident enough to add your house to the market.
DonÕt Rush into Anything
Your agent should show you everything available that meets your
requirements. Make sure that you have found the right house before you
make an offer.
In a hot market it is well advised to make a timely decision on your
prospective home. However, in todayÕs market there isn't this
pressure, unless a home is well under-priced, and your agent will know
that it is.
Don't forget to check into the SCHOOL DISTRICTS of the area you're
considering. Information is available on every school; such as class
sizes, % of students that go on to college, etc. You can get this
information from my web site.
Get an Agent in Your Corner
A professional agent works with his clients, not only
telling them tips like these but providing useful expertise towards
helping meet the goal of owning a new home. So whether you decide to
work with me or not, pick an agent you feel comfortable with and enlist
the services of that agent as a buyer agent. Then you become a client
and you're no longer just a shopper. When your agent hears of a great
buy, he will be bound to call you, his client, because you are working
together, and you are no longer just another phone call from someone
that is tire kicking. I always recommend that you hire your own agent
to get the most out of your home buying position.
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