Dawn Martini - Helping Families Live the American Dream

Free Buyers Report

Listed below are several helpful tips to remember when you are considering buying a new home, looking for a realtor, and getting ready to move. Click Here to check out "10 Question to Ask a Realtor."

Top 10 Signs That It's Time to Own Your Own Home

1. Your're ready to stop paying your landlord's mortgage payment, and essentially financing his retirement.
2. You really need the tax deductions associated with property taxes and mortgage interest.
3. You want to have a vested interest in your community.
4. You can not longer tolerate waiting a week, in the middle of summer, for your landlord to send a repairperson to fix your air conditioning unit.
5. You are working at a job where you aren't required to relocate out of the country every three years.
6. You want to provide your family with a sense of stability and plant roots.
7. The number of members of your household outnumber the number of bedrooms in your current residence.
8. You want your home to be your castle, your domain, your own property, which you can improve in any way you please.
9. You are tired of saving all your quarters for the laundromat.
10. When you say you are "going home," you want to really mean it!

Should I Work With a Buyer's Agent? A Seller's Agent? A Dual Agent?

You should understand from the beginning of your relationship with your real estate agent what type of relationship exists. In most states, real estate agents (both brokers and sales associates alike) ar required by law to let consumers know whether they represent the buyer or the seller, in writing.

In the past, real estate agents represented the seller exclusively, whether the agent helped a seller to market and sell the home or helped a buyer find and purchase the home. In other words, agents were at one time legally bound to represent the seller in a residential real estate transcation. In that same scenario, the seller paid both the listing agent and the agent who brought the buyer.

However, in today's real estate market, you may find that you can choose between a wide variety of options for representation, If you want to sell a home, you can work with a "seller's agent." If you are purchasing a home, you can work with a subagent of the seller's agent and, in many areas, you can engage an exclusive "buyer's agent."

An additional situation in some states is dual agency. This type of agency exists when the buyer decides to have the seller's agent prepare the offer on the buyer's behalf. A buyer who elects this dituation, and all additional parties to a transaction, should receive full disclosure of representation. In some states, dual agency also affects the real estate professional's fiductiary responsibilities to both the buyer and seller.

Keep in mind that real estate laws differ from state to state and even from locale to locale. And within this framework of variety, laws can change. For more in-depth answers for your specific dituation, talk with a knowledgeable real estate professional and ask about local practices. Be sure that you understand and are comfortable with the options involved when you engage the services of a real estate agent.

How to Make Your Move Easier on Your Family

People generally have two kinds of needs during a home purchase. First are the transactional needs, such as searching for a home, obtaining financing, negotiating the terms of purchase, completing paperwork and legal documents, and arranging the move. The second are emotional needs that are involved in a home purchase, which can be where the most stress occurs in a home purchase. The following are just a handful of tips to help you and your family ease the stress of moving.

Prepare Your Children

Although you may have lived in your current residence for just a few years, the same few years can be half the lifetime of a seven or eight your old, and can include all the years he or she can remember. Your current residence may be the only home your children have ever known, where they feel safe and comfortable. It may be the center of your childrens' world.
Be sure to announce the move in a completely positive way. You might talk about how beautiful the neighborhood is and how good the schools are. Bring your children to the new house, if you live close enough that it is possible to do so. Otherwise, positively describe the new house. Find out what your shildren's favorite things are in your current home, and the try to re-create them in the new home. Keep your children actively involved in the process. For instance, don't just promist that they can decorate their new rooms, but take them shopping for paint, bedspreads, carpets, and other items that will make the experience more fun and comforting.
Your children are bound to have worries, fears and sorrows during the move. They may be moving away from friends and family they have known their whole lives. Find ways to make parting pleasant. You can plan a going-away party and let your children invite their own guests. Take pictures of everyone and create a photo album. If your children are old enough, allow them to take pictures of the neighborhood that they will want to remember.

Gain Knowledge

You may feel a sense of being out of control, as though other parties to the purchase transaction are running the show an you're merely getting in their way. Your mortgage company, the appraiser, the inspector, and the seller all have certain powers to approve aor disapprove of your overal plan to purchase this home and move successfully. This is certainly not easy!
Although this can feel stressful, one of the best things you can do for your own peace of mind is to understand as jmuch of the purchase process a possible. Your Realtor will be able to prepare you for unknowns ahead of time and tie down loose ends as soon as possible. If you are feeling uncertain or nervous, talk to your agent. Ask questions or just explain how you are feeling. They have probably helped many people and will be able to help you, too.

Trust the Process

There can be so much to do that it's easy to panic. It may feel like you're taking a big risk, but the truth is that you're initiating a big opportunity for you and your family. Even though you can't predict what will happen every step of the way, your Realtor helps people buy and sell homes as a profession! Your Realtor has been there before and understands that this is a major upheaval in your life. Trust that your Realtor is looking out for you on your way to a successful closing and move.

Be Flexible

Knowing that your Realtor will do everything possible to prepart you for the various processes involved in your home purchase, and will tie up those loose ends quickly and efficiently, it's important for you to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect world. The property inspection may reveal areas of concern, or closing may be delayed for some reason. Try to take a deep breath and be flexible in your thinging. You will have a much greater chance of making your decisions based on logic and not high emotion.

Seek Entertainment

Whenever you feel that things are spinning out of control, find a diversion! Take a walk around your new neighborhood, go on a day trip out of town with your family, or take your family to a movie. Whatever diversion or outlet works best for you, this is a good time to engage in it! Remember to take one "move" at a time.