Buying a Home

A variety of options and steps exist for the first-time home buyer. Indeed, in many metropolitan cities, you won’t be buying a traditional, single-family, detached home. Depending on your lifestyle and location preferences, purchasing an apartment, condominium or townhouse might be your only choice. However, each option carries with it a particular benefit that includes building equity and, generally, an increase in resale value over time.

Traditional Single-Family Homes

When most people think of buying a home, the traditional single-family...

There's a lot that goes into buying a home beyond what anyone who's never bought a home before knows, and because of that, buying a first home can feel like being buried in a mountain of forms and paperwork. Despite how overwhelming the process may seem at first, long-term preparation can ease the process and make it that much more gradual, helping Millennials reap the benefits of buying a home. People can make their lives a much easier by taking a few small steps to prepare themselves and gather required information ...

Knowing when it’s time to transition from being a renter to a homeowner is an individual decision based on different, yet interconnected, factors that can determine if you’re able to get ahead with real estate. As with most financial decisions, the foremost consideration is cost. Can you afford to make the transition? As it stands now, the median home price is $258,300, and conventional loans generally require a 20% down payment. This equates to $51,660 just for the...

Depending on which birth year cut-off one uses, millennials are one of the largest generational segments for home buying in terms of population size. Given this generation came of age during the Big Data boom, it’s not a huge leap to conclude that their buying habits have been analyzed to a dizzying degree. In a world where “content is king” and marketers vie for the attention of a particular segment, myths and rumors begin to materialize. The purpose here is to address some of those myths and, hopefully, set the record straight.

Millennials Prefer to Rent

False. If we use the 1981...

Homebuyers who make down payments less than 20 percent on a home often must purchase private mortgage insurance (PMI) before lenders will approve a home mortgage loan. PMI protects lenders from losing thousands of dollars if borrowers fail to make house payments and foreclose on their homes. Private Mortgage Insurance is also required if borrowers refinance mortgages that have less the 20 percent equity.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed mortgage or home loan...

Homeowners Associations (HOAs) can be found nearly anywhere across the US. In some cases, they're easy to spot due to their gated barriers or pre-planned layouts. However, some Lakeway home buyers stumble onto HOAs without even realizing it. Those interested in what HOAs do and how they work should know more about the basics before committing to anything.

For informational purposes only. Always...

When searching for a new home to buy, many home buyers look for a good layout, nice lighting and lots of storage space. However, in all of the excitement of finding a new home, some people forget to watch for signs of a problem. Knowing the most common red flags can help a home buyer to avoid serious problems when purchasing a home.

Water Damage

Water damage can be indicative of many things, depending on where it's located and where it originates. Water damage on or near the ceiling could...

Building techniques and materials have been evolving for thousands of years, and they show no sign of stopping. Today, building technology is more high-tech than it’s ever been, and breakthroughs in this technology are being made every day. Round Rock home buyers who are looking for a new construction home should be familiar with the different types of building technology out there. Here are some pieces of cutting-edge technology being used in homes and why home buyers should know about them.

Solar-Thermal Cladding

Solar-thermal...

Sustainability trends are everywhere today. From media to local businesses, it seems as though everyone is urging people to pay attention to their environment and how they can affect it. However, one thing that isn't always so evident is how these trends are affecting the new homes being built or old homes being retrofitted.

Unless people are interviewing the local construction teams in their neighborhood, the overall progress may feel like a mystery. For Kyle homeowners who want to know more, now is a good time to note the larger trends are impacting everything from homeowner's wallets to their larger carbon footprint.

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Although it seems similar, buying and selling vacant land is quite different than other real estate transactions. In fact, the differences can feel quite jarring at first, wiping out confidence in navigating that process. Thankfully, all it takes is learning just what to expect to restore confidence and navigate this process with ease. Here's what everyone needs to know to get started.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

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As Georgetown TX home buyers work toward getting a mortgage, their creditworthiness will come up many times throughout the process. By analyzing credit scores and their underlying factors, lenders can assess risk and determine if the homebuyers qualify for the mortgage loan. The credit scores also come into play as lenders calculate the terms of the loan for qualified homebuyers. Understanding the role of credit in the homebuying process can help everyone navigate this process with much less stress and frustration. Here's what everyone needs to know.

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