Baltimore HUD Homes Blog

Nash’s fourth real estate book working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer-centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC-TV, CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, CNN-TV, Chicago Sun Times & Tribune, Fidelity Investors Weekly, Dow Jones Market Watch, HGTV.com, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Realty Times, Universal Press Syndicate and USA Today.

First Time Home Buyer Grants
Buying your first home needn’t be like alarming as exhausting as you Think. The process is very much like a recipe …..

Savvy tips from someone that knows first-hand the questions home buyers and sellers want answered in a just-the-facts-please format for time-starved consumers. No millionaire in this books title which features all the nuts and bolts of residential real estate from surfing Internet home sites to closing or escrow. A handy desk reference for buyers and sellers who need a go-to resource.

The author is a contributing columnist to www.realtytimes.com, www.realtor.org, www.brokeragent.news , and www.principalbroker.com . His to-the-point tips stretch from “What’s In, what’s out with homebuyers in 2006″ to “Bank Foreclosure - REOs are not the next generation for property flippers”. Not shy to address the changing brokerage world or advise home sellers to have a new attitude concerning pricing their home in 2006, Nash is known as “Hints by Heloise of Real Estate.”

A sample of Nash’s just-the-facts for home buyers and sellers in 2006.

-Low-ball offers. Offer over 87% of list if you serious, otherwise you will alienate the seller early on in negotiations.

-Homebuyers looking to purchase in over-heated markets should consider how much current prices have risen over the last year, two-years and five years. Contrast those rates with the potential pool of buyers to pay future prices along the same rates in the same markets. Will the local economy and personal income increases support spiraling home prices? Here�s the bottom-line, are you willing to pay your projected appreciated sale price when you go to sell?

-Foreclosed homes are not always bargains. According to industry sources foreclosed properties don’t sell for significantly less than other homes in most U.S. markets. If your in a high demand market don’t expect steep discounts. Don’t forget to factor in major repairs and minor improvements that foreclosed homes need. If owners couldn’t pay the mortgage, they couldn’t afford the maintenance, and often trash the homes in retaliation.

-Rooms need design basics for functional elegance. Group accessories together. Don’t spread like-kind decorative objects around a room. Place collections together to give them more visual power. If you have a chair it needs a table next to it and a lamp, so it is a cozy reading station. Artwork should be streamlined and focused for impact. Hang artwork close together instead of scattering around a room. Keep the range of colors in a room tight. Too many colors is distracting and not inviting, you want buyers to linger.

-Place a classified ad on your local Craig’s List. Many first-time buyers search this popular directory of rental and purchase homes. You’ll be amazed at how many inquiries you receive from devotees to this list.
-Sellers set home prices. Wrong, not in 2006. Sellers and their real estate agents can set value parameters, but sold comparable’s are based on what the buyer perceived as a fair market price.

-Off-beat locations such as busy streets, corner lots, noisy trains and jets will be more difficult to sell to choosy buyers. Buyers want quiet, middle of the block locations away from busy intersections and train tracks, both commuter and freight lines. You might get a discount when you buy for a second rate location, but it’s one thing you’ll never be able to improve.

-The certificate of occupancy. All new construction and any renovation that requires a building permit must have a certificate of occupancy issued before it is habitable. Your mortgage lender will require one from the developer if you are purchasing new construction prior to closing on your loan.

-Cracked heat exchangers on furnaces indicate that it’s a health issue and time for a new furnace. Home builders, owners and developers can put in lower-quality and under-sized furnaces that can have prematurely cracked or damaged heat exchangers. If your home inspector finds one, you better plan on replacing the furnace. From a safety standpoint cracked heat exchangers emit dangerous gases into a home.

-Acquire a blank copy of the local real estate contract and review before you sign one. Most local real estate boards have a form contract that has blanks for contract price, terms and conditions. You will feel more confident if you review a real estate contract long before you are asked to sign one. Ask your real estate agent for a blank contract after your first meeting. If you have questions about the contract ask your attorney to review it with you.

-Before your open house ask your agent or visit some other open houses in your community to see how many people attend. It’s hard to predict how many will show and what they’ll eat or drink. The weather and time of day will surly impact how little or much you need to prepare.

-Don’t gossip about the previous homeowners, you might not know if the new owners still talk with them. Or gossip about others in the neighborhood. Let new owners make their own decisions.

-Feel free to open cabinets and closets. Homeowners and realty agents expect open house guests to investigate built-in cabinets and closets, built-in being the key word. If your in doubt remember built-in yes, otherwise no. In doubt ask the host or hostess.

-Existing home cost versus new construction. Research by residential real estate industry sources concur that a newly constructed home can cost up to 20% more than a comparable existing home. The added cost reflects current land, building materials and labor costs versus the cost basis for a home even one year old. Study appreciation and market conditions to determine if you sell your home within two years or less if these factors will cover your sales costs. Buyers looking at your home might consider it over-priced relative to a home built as recently as 3-5 years ago based on square footage comparisons and original cost basis.

-Forget high-heels. Spiked heels on shoes can easily dent bamboo and other softer wood floors. Plus if you got into the yard to take a look at the roof you might end up aerating the lawn.

*Best L..A. Real Estate Blog, Podcast, “Easy Way to Review”-New York Times, Featured on HGTV.com

Mark Nash’s fourth real estate book, “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home” (2005), and working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer-centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC-TV, CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, CNN-TV, Chicago Sun Times & Tribune, Fidelity Investors Weekly, Dow Jones Market Watch, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Realty Times, Universal Press Syndicate and USA Today.