Home Selling In Texas-Which repairs need to be made?

July 23rd, 2010 by tariq

When it comes to selling a home, one is confronted with countless challenges and unavoidable problems. Most often, this simple process turns into a horrible experience since the people are unaware of the effective strategies to handle the critical issues relevant to home-selling. And among all these problems, the “repairs and improvement” is the part that needs most of the seller’s attention.

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Women Home Buyers

June 17th, 2010 by tariq

Tips for Women Home Buyers

Most of the female home buyers are safety-conscious and therefore want to be fully prepared for home ownership security and safety. Today, I’ll share with you, effective home buying tips for women who take the security concerns very seriously.

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Should I Buy a Small House in Texas?

June 1st, 2010 by tariq

When it comes to buying a new home, most people are confused whether buying a smaller home is better than living in a luxuriously spacious Bungalow. Therefore, it’s important for all potential home buyers to understand, both the pros and cons associated with buying a moderately smaller house.

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Mortgage Mistakes in Texas

May 4th, 2010 by tariq

Below are some pitfalls that you would definitely want to get rid of when searching for a mortgage:

Not completing your homework 

It is a common perception among borrowers that a thirty year fixed loan is the best loan. The reason behind this perception is that until the past twenty to twenty five years, the only loans available were the fixed-rate ones. Today, a large number of loans are available; therefore, you should do away with any pre-conceived concepts about loans.

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Home Refinancing

May 4th, 2010 by tariq

Americans in recent years, seeking to get benefited by low rates of interest, have assembled to refinance mortgages. According to the US Mortgage Bankers Association, in 2003, refinancing was very high, and it remained high in the year 2004 and 2005.

It is true that refinancing helps you to reduce the costs that are linked with borrowing money in order to have a home; however, it’s not essentially a strategy which is sensible for every person in every circumstance. Thus, before making a commitment for refinancing your mortgage, it is very important to complete your homework and decide if this is the right move for you.

According to an old rule of thumb, a refinance simply seems sensible if you can decrease your rate of interest by a minimum of two percentage points, lowering it from 9% to 7% for instance. It is very important to ensure that you are comfortable with and understand the time taken for all of your savings in order to pay for the refinancing cost.

Making a mistake to choose a mortgage based on the agreed annual percentage rate (APR) only, can be disastrous because a variety of other key variables are there that should be considered, such as:

The mortgage terms – The terms of the mortgage describe the time taken to pay off principal amount of the loan and the interest. Though short-term mortgages normally offer interest rates that are lower than the long-term mortgages, they typically require higher monthly payments. Conversely, they can bring about a significant reduction in the interest costs in due course.

The variability of the rate of interest – Basically, mortgages are of two types: the first type includes the ones in which the interest rates are fixed and the other type comprises the ones in which the interest rates vary. In case of variable interest rates, after the expiry of the predetermined amount of time which could be one or five years, the rate of interest changes. Although usually, an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) offers an introductory rate which is lower than a  mortgage with fixed-rate having a similar term; the ARM’s rate might go up in the future with the rise in the rates of interest. Opting for the security and predictability of an unchangeable rate would be sensible for a person who plans to stay in his/her house for long, whereas an ARM may seem right when planning to put the house for sale before allowing its rate to go up.

Points – Points are also called “discount fees” or “origination fees”. Points are the amount which you give to a broker or lender at the time of closing your deal. Although a “zero points” or “no-cost” mortgage doesn’t carry the up-front fee, it could turn out to be pricier if rate of interest charged by the lender is higher. Therefore, you will be required to find out whether savings from a rate which is lower justify the additional costs of disbursing  points.

(One point is equivalent to one percent of the value of the loan.)

Lastly, remember that your present lender might make refinancing cheaper and easier for you than a new lender, as it is probable that your present lender already has all of your financial information at hand, reducing the resources and time that are essential for  processing  your application. In order to make an intelligent decision, you will have to consider a number of possibilities.

So, what’s going on in the buyer’s mind?

May 4th, 2010 by tariq

When a buyer has visited and thoroughly inspected the home, most sellers feel hesitant in asking for the buyer feedback which certainly holds great importance in determining what’s being done right and what still needs to be done. If you’re one of those home sellers who’re confused with what to ask and what not, you may find this information helpful.

A good way to ask about the feedback of the buyer is to say, “So, what do you think about this place?”As a result the buyer will give his/her opinion about your house. Remember, whether the response is positive or negative, your job is to simply thank the potential home buyers for their input and for making the visit. You may also ask the buyer to give his opinion in comparison with the other homes being considered by him/her.

Most people prefer starting this conversation by asking which home features most appealed to the buyer. This will possibly give you an insight into certain attractive qualities of your place that are really important from a buyer’s view point. The conversation could further be continued by discussing the things/issues that the buyer didn’t like or say, least liked about the place.

Then comes, determining the “pricing” factor. All you have to do is say, “So, what do you think about the price?” Well, if the buyer considers the price too high, determine whether it’s in his/her price range or not. Lastly, you could ask, “Do you see this house going well with your lifestyle?”In case, the buyer discusses with you the small adjustments he would like to have such as moving the sofa, the buyer is certainly interested in making the purchase.

What You Should Know About Bankruptcy

May 4th, 2010 by tariq

The most common question that you may come across is how long it takes for the clearing up of a bankruptcy, and after a bankruptcy, how long it would take to buy a house in Texas. The answer is that bankruptcy remains on your record for around ten years. However, you do not require waiting a decade to obtain a loan. You will probably obtain a loan if:

  • You are able to explain the causes of your bankruptcy filing, like unemployment, unforeseen events, divorce, illness, etc.
  • You’ve since kept a tremendous credit record.
  • Some years have passed from the time when you declared bankruptcy.

In case you have recently gone bankrupt and have been married since, your combined earning is $85,000, and you’ve around $60,000 for down payment, your wife and you’ve little debt, both of you’ve been working in the same companies for over ten years each, and you both have credit cards, which are current. Then, you might perhaps think if there are lenders who will grant you loan.

Well, if this is the case, then the chances of obtaining a mortgage are good, as you can put $60,000 as a down payment towards the home. Lenders feel confident about your ability to pay the mortgage, in case you put down twenty percent or more towards purchase price. But, your recent bankruptcy may still make it hard for you to obtain a prime loan, also known as an “A” loan. You may be required to pay some more points or interest rate that is higher.

A few ways for financing a home purchase are given below:

  • Use a no-document loan.
  • Take a look at an assumable mortgage.
  • Try seller financing
  • Pay in cash.

Beware of Real Estate Scammers

May 4th, 2010 by tariq

We’re living in a world where nothing can be trusted. You need to think a thousand times before making any decision. Polished scam artists are just about everywhere, in almost every field. And as far as the world of real estate is concerned, a great number of individuals fall victim to scams, each year in Texas.  Therefore, in order to make sure that you don’t fall victim to any of these scams, there’s a need to have essential knowledge relevant to this critical issue.


Now, one of the most common scams is equity stripping where the lender makes you believe that a home equity loan can be achieved, despite the fact that your monthly income isn’t sufficient for keeping up with the required payments. You are encouraged to falsely show higher income on the application for the approval of the loan. Remember, if any lender does the same, he’s actually after your equity. In case, you fail to make payments on time, you have to face foreclosure, losing both your home and equity.

Another lender scam scheme is to encourage individuals for loan refinancing on a frequent basis. The lender makes sure that all consecutive loans are for a considerably greater amount with fees being rolled into the accumulated amounts of the loan. The scam works on the principle: a loan flip= an increase in the victim’s debt.

Then, there are other forms of scams that most people find themselves trapped in. For instance, an individual agrees to a line of credit home equity loan on the most reasonable terms. However, papers given to sign at closing, take account of credit insurance charges along with additional “benefits” that weren’t even demanded by the particular individual. Once the lender succeeds in convincing the victim to make the insurance purchase, the victim has to make payments for benefits he’d never wanted to have.

Deceiving servicing of loan is yet another scheme to befool the innocent individuals. You are not provided with precise account payoff information, which makes it really difficult to specify the amount you have already paid and further need to pay. In such cases, the victim is unknowingly forced to pay more than he actually owes. On the other hand, there are these home improvement loans. You are approached by a contractor for improvement purposes, offering to make an arrangement for financing for the work. Once you are convinced, you are given papers to sign or else, the work will be stopped. This means, you have unknowingly agreed to an unreasonably priced home equity loan, offering you something you never wanted.

No Payment Plan For Unemployed Homeowners?

May 4th, 2010 by tariq

Recently, Bank of America has come up with a new program which is still pending regulatory approval.

Despite the fact that the plan has specifically been developed to offer relief to under pressure homeowners enjoying unemployment advantages, it has a couple of drawbacks.


In case, the homeowner fails to land a job within the period of nine months, there would be a need to provide the bank with a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure which certainly isn’t a good sign. Furthermore, the proposal won’t apply to individuals who aren’t receiving unemployment benefits. Since the self-employed individuals aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits, they can’t benefit from this program. Besides, homeowners with equity would never agree on offering a deed to the bank.

Moreover, for many people, a short sale is comparatively a much better option than a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. How could one ignore the fact that a short sale seller is likely to purchase another house in two years whereas it takes around four years under a deed-in-lieu?


Marketing Your Property Online

May 4th, 2010 by tariq

The trend of posting online home listings is becoming increasingly popular throughout America, particularly in the state of Texas. So, here’s some credible information relevant to the topic.

As far as the internet listings are concerned, it’s extremely important to include each and every chief element in the description of the listing. These mainly include the residential address, sales worth of the property, details about the number of rooms, the age of the house,  appliances, square footage along with styling information, size of the lot, flooring type and garage details, upgrade and most importantly the contact details of the person selling the property.

Moreover, a well-organized description of the property features and advantages need to be provided. It’s very important to remember that the Fair Housing Act shouldn’t be violated at any cost. Lastly, addition of proper and well-photographed views of the house in the e-flyer or the online posting is of great value. A wide-angled digital camera should be employed to do the job. Photos focusing on features including tile work, chandeliers etc will most likely draw the attention of more buyers.