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buying your first home - what you should know

If you are considering buying your first home, there are a lot of things that you may have failed to consider. Having gone through the first time home buying process just a year ago, I have learned quite a bit about buying, maintaining and protecting my own home. On this blog, you will find tips for buying the home that you can afford, lists of things that you may not have accounted for in your budget and advice for protecting the big investment that you will spend the next several years paying for and living in. Hopefully what I have included will help you.

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2016

Roll Up Your Sleeves And Get These Outdoor Jobs Done Before Your House Hits The Market
Prior to putting up homes for sale, many homeowners will take the time to declutter, paint rooms, and upgrade fixtures. While it's certainly true that these visually appealing changes can help the house sell faster and for more money, you shouldn't forget about the condition of your yard, too. Making a number of outdoor changes can make your house listing even more appealing. Some of the jobs that you'll want to do can be done yourself, while others might involve hiring a professional.

Use These Strategies To Find Tenants Before Advertising Widely
Getting tenants for your rental property is a big priority as soon as you prepare the unit for rent, but you should attempt to find tenants through a few different strategies before you advertise the vacancy widely. It's ideal if you can rent your house to someone you know or to the acquaintance of an acquaintance. When you're concerned about how the tenants will take care of your house, you'll feel better when you actually know the people who will be moving in.

3 Tips For Finding Your First Ever Apartment
Moving into your first apartment is very exciting, but it's also a huge responsibility. Your name will be on a legal lease document and you will need to make sure you make timely payments each month for rent and utilities. You also must decide whether or not you'll have a roommate, which part of town you'll live in, and which amenities are must-haves. Here are a few tips for making this process easier:

Flipping Your First House? 3 Things You Should Do Before Bidding
Are you thinking about investing in real estate? Although reality television shows love to make house flipping look easy, buying low and selling high can only happen if you know how to find the right property. Here are three things you should do before putting in an offer on a home you plan to flip and why: 1. Invest In A Home Inspection With the increasing popularity of house flipping, finding properties that need a little TLC can be difficult and competitive.

4 Reasons to Look for a Townhome That's Not Subject to a Homeowners Association
When you are looking to buy a townhome, the last thing that may be on your mind is whether the house is in an area that's governed by a homeowners association. After all, you probably are looking at things like how many bedrooms a townhome has or how close it is to the best schools in the area. A homeowners association, or HOA, is designed to protect the property values of the homes it governs.

Ask for These Physical Documents When You List Your House for Sale
Listing your home for sale can feel like a bit of an uncertain time, especially if you haven't previously gone through this process. You'll feel much more confident by hiring not only an experienced listing agent but one who will also provide you with a series of physical documents before your house officially goes on the market. By having access to these documents, you'll be able to regularly read up on the process of selling so that you feel properly informed from the time the house hits the market to when the paperwork is signed on your sale.

Buying A Condo: What To Know
Buying a condominium unit can seem like a great choice over a single family home for a number of reasons. The units are typically cheaper than a house, so you can free up other money for personal pursuits. You will no longer be responsible for raking leaves or mowing grass, and you don't have to worry about maintenance and repairs on the appliances and structures inside your unit. However, you need to be aware of some things before you buy a condo so that you are comfortable and happy with your new home.

How to Help an Aging Parent Solve Their Housing Problems from a Distance
Watching a parent decline and become unable to continue living in the family home alone due to age-related health issues is heartbreaking for any child, but when you are forced to watch this happen from a distance of hundreds or thousands of miles, it is even more troublesome. If you must live in another area, yet feel the need to assist your aging parent or parents with their housing situation, the following tips can help you find the best possible solution for all parties.

Look Into These Travel-Related Issues Before You Buy a Home
When you have your focus narrowed to a home or other piece of real estate that you wish to buy, it's important to think beyond just that residence's amenities. You should also spend some time learning about travel-related issues in the area. This is especially important if you're moving to a new part of the city or a new city altogether and don't have a grasp on the local travel situation.

2 Features To Look For That Can Save You Money In A New Home
One of the concerns that you should have when looking for a new home is what features to look for that can save you a bit of money, which only makes sense when you consider that you will probably be in your new home for years to come. Listed below are two features to look for in a new home that can save you money in the long run. Solar Panels