Here are some of the costs that you will have when purchasing a home in Florida.
Home Purchasing Costs & Fees
Advantages of Selling Your Home During the Holidays
Many of us think that the best time to sell a home would be in the spring and summer. This is true that the majority of buyers are looking to make a purchase during those months. But not all buyers disappear after Labor Day.
In Florida, your home may get a lot of interest from all the snow birds that are flocking down to Florida. This is a great time to take advantage of the holiday season and show off your home to 2nd home buyers or buyers that are looking to make Florida their home.
Your Home Looks It’s Best
This is a great time to make your home look cozy and family friendly. Most people shopping for homes during the holidays are very motivated. This is great time to capitalize on this by creating an atmosphere of family with tasteful decorating and minimal clutter.
Show off your home’s greatest assets and enhance it by using tasteful christmas decorations.
Lack of Competition
Many sellers are debating on taking their home off the market during the holidays. You may find that you have little or no competition during the holidays. New sellers may want to wait for the new year to list their home or prefer to get it ready for sale during spring or summer.
This is an advantage to you because you have less competition for buyers looking for homes like yours. When you have less homes on the market it means that you get tons of buyers focusing on your home. Talk to your realtor and make sure your home is priced correctly.
Buyers are more Motivated
Most people don’t decide to move during the holidays. If you have a buyer shopping for a home during the holidays usually it means they have to move. This involves a job or other reason to buy a home during the holidays. People shopping for homes around the holidays tend to be serious buyers and are very motivated. Keep the holiday cheer on when you meet with these folks and you’ll be sure to sell your home.
Things to Know about FHA Appraisals
In order to use an FHA loan to purchase a home, the property will have to be appraised and inspected by a HUD-approved appraiser. This is to ensure that the property meets HUDS’s minimum property standards.
WHAT IS AN APPRAISAL?
Only an expert can assesses or determine the value of your home. You get an appraisal to determine the value of your home in today’s market. The appraiser usual has a check list of HUDs requirements for FHA.
Things You Should Know About FHA Home Appraisals
- HAND RAILS – handrails should be installed along open staircases, and in accordance with FHA/HUD requirements.
- RAILINGS – has to be installed around, decks, patios, porches and balconies.
- PAINT – all interior and exterior paint should be in good condition. There should be no distressed paint eg. peeling paint.
- WINDOWS – all windows should be fully operational and not broken. If it is, it has to be replaced.
- DOORS – doors should be functional and hanging properly.
- ROOF – If the roof has leaks it must be repaired or replaced.
- UTILITIES -utilities must be on and functional at the time of the inspection.
These are just some of the things that will be addressed with an FHA Appraiser. To get more information visit FHA APPRAISAL
If you are looking for more information on selling or buying a home please call/text 727-422-9340 or email: arona.mcginley@gmail.com or fill out the contact form.
Price To Sell
This can be one of the most difficult part of the selling process for most homeowners. This is the home that you may have raised your family in and with that comes all the memories. How can you put a price tag on that? If you are selling by owner then it’s up to you to figure out what will be a fair price.
Take a look at your home and realistically write down the square footage of the home, number of bathrooms and bedrooms, any updates, example maybe you added a new roof, new kitchen or bathroom remodel. These things will be important when comparing your home to ones that have sold in your area. If your price is too high you may find that your home will sit on the market for months and if it’s too low, then you end up losing money.
Buyers Handbook
Preparing For Your Purchase
Have a talk with your bank / lender and get one of these.
Home Ownership for 1st Time Home Buyers Tips
Are you a first time home buyer?
When you are ready to buy your home a lender will basically evaluate your overall financial picture as well as other financial factors to see if you qualify for a mortgage. Here are some tips to help you get your loan.
- Do not quit your job while you are in the process of getting a mortgage, nor change jobs or decide that this is a great time to become self employed.
- Don’t go out and spend money on huge ticket items like a new car that you would need financing for. If you do this it will increase your debt to income ratio and this then decreases your chances of getting approved for your loan.
- Do not go on a shopping spree for new furniture to decorate your new home before you close on your home. You maybe tempted if you found the perfect furniture but please hold off on buying any major purchase until after the closing.
- Do not ….do not lie on your loan application. Do not omit any debts, if you do this it is considered to be fraud to lie on your loan application and you will be denied the loan.
- Don’t use your credit cards excessively during the process. And please do not forget to pay your bill. Any changes to your spending habits may just prevent you from getting your loan.
- Put aside money for your closing costs. You can contact the closing company to find out what your closing costs will be.
- Do not go out and co-sign loans for anyone. This means that you are assuming debt, even if it is someone else that is making the payments. This will also increase your debt to income ratio.
- Do not make large deposits into your bank account. You may have had an estate sale to get rid of things in your home before you move and made a good chunk of change. Talk to your lender before you deposit that money into your account or any large deposits while you are in the process of getting a loan.
- Do not change bank accounts during the process of getting a loan. The lenders are looking at your financial stability.