10 Steps to Choosing and Purchasing Your Home (PART 1)

So you are ready to buy a home.  It’s a big decision and there’s a lot to learn.  But with these 10 quick steps, choosing and purchasing your home will be easier and more seamless than ever before. This guide provides 10 key steps, information and tools in order for you to find, purchase and finance a home that meets your needs and preferences. 

Below are the first 5 steps to get you started.  Stay tuned for PART 2 where I will unveil the next 5 steps to keep in mind when choosing and purchasing a home! 

STEP 1:  Find a Qualified Buyer’s Representative

How often do you purchase real estate?  Once, twice, three times in your lifetime?  So you can hardly be expected to know all the ins and outs of such a major transaction complicated by so many details.  That’s when a qualified buyer’s representative comes in handy.

What is a buyer’s representative?  A buyer’s representative (also known as a buyer’s agent) is an advocate for the buyer--not the seller--in a real estate transaction. 

Why should you use a buyer’s representative?  A buyer’s representative can provide the expertise you need throughout the entire transaction, greatly improving your buying experience and potential results.  Plus, retaining a buyer’s representative seldom adds any expense to your transaction! 

Why choose an Accredited Buyer’s Representative?  A REALTOR with the ABR designation has completed Accredited Buyer’s Representative training, specialized education offered by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC).  REALTORS with the ABR designation understand the special needs of buyers.  They have additional knowledge and experience that takes them a step beyond an agent who only concentrates on listing property for sellers. 

What issues should you discuss?  After narrowing down your favorite ABR agents, be sure to ask some questions.  This will help you make your final decision.  Topic questions include experience and credentials, references, knowledge, representation, services provided, compensation, finding properties, personal support, negotiating, financing and related service providers. 

 Once you’ve found your ABR, you can discuss compensation (usually commission to the buyer’s agent) and then you may begin working as a team! 

STEP 2:  Assess Your Credit and Finances

Financial considerations and preparations are central to any home purchase.  In addition to helping you make better decisions about what you can afford in a home, a buyer who already has financing in place is in a better negotiating position when it’s time to make an offer. 

Assessing your credit card and finances can be broken down into 6 steps.  Be sure to check off each step before you purchase a home:

• Determine credit status
• Select a lender
• Determine interest rates and duration
• Pre-qualify for a mortgage and get pre-approved before you find your home
• Determine how much you can affordOffer down payment and mortgage insurance

STEP 3:  Asses Your Wants and Needs in a Home

Deciding what you truly want, need and can afford in a home can be challenging.  But your ABR can play a key role in helping you sort out your options.  The following preferences should be discussed with your ABR before you purchase a home:

• Basic criteria (i.e. ideal price, total square footage, type of home, number of bedrooms, number of garages, number of bathrooms, etc.)
• Other home preferences (i.e. age of home, style of home, energy efficiency, floor plans, high priority home features, specialty rooms, storage needs, etc.)
• Location (preferred areas/communities, commuting considerations, proximity to desirable features, views, etc.)
• Lot characteristics (size and shape, landscaping considerations, home orientation)
• Life at home: Take children, pets, live-in parents and others into consideration  
• Trade-offs: If you can’t find what you want, how much are you willing to invest to pay for improvements? Are you willing to consider other neighborhoods that offer better affordability?
• Resale: How long do you plan to live in this home?

STEP 4:  Search for Your Home

Your ABR can direct you to helpful sources of information for evaluating neighborhoods (although due to Federal Fair Housing Laws, they can’t tell you everything you want to know).  When evaluating a neighborhood, keep the following in mind:

• Neighborhood Profile: Research population density and level of commercial development
• Household Data: Family type, average household income and homeowner education level/occupation
• Crime Rate
• Quality of Schools
• Amenities (i.e. shopping, transportation, parks and recreation, restaurants, nightlife, etc.)

After selecting a neighborhood, it’s time to view houses!  You can view homes on your own (at Open Houses, for example) or with help.  Remember that your ABR will help you refine your search if you can’t find what you’re looking for.  To get started, I suggest searching my website on the Home Search page to find your next home.  Another great resource is REALTOR.com.  This site provides online information on millions of properties, neighborhoods and other topics.

STEP 5:  Negotiate Terms

You found your home.  Now it’s time to make an offer.  Lucky for you, your ABR can provide valuable assistance on this regard--counseling you on market conditions, price ranges and negotiation strategies.  

How do I start to negotiate?  First, your ABR will perform a comparative market analysis (CMA) on the property. This will give you a better sense of whether the seller’s listing price is higher or lower compared to other properties.  Other negotiation considerations include if you’re an all-cash buyer, if you are pre-approved for a mortgage and if you do not have to sell your current home before you can complete the purchase.

How do I make an offer?  An offer must be a written contract.  Your ABR will help you use a standard form that is up-to-date with changing real estate laws.  Your ABR will also help you structure your offer and negotiation strategy.  Purchasing offers contain a lot of information.  Keep in mind that the more you demand, the less favorably the sellers may look on your offer.

What about contingencies?  A contingency is a term that must be met for an offer to become a binding contract.  They always weaken the offer, but some are considered normal.  Common purchase offer contingencies include approval of agreed-upon third-party inspections, obtaining specific financing terms, securing a specific job or selling your current home.

What about earnest money?  Earnest money is a cash deposit you make when submitting your written offer on a property to show your “good faith”. 

What are seller disclosures?  Many areas require sellers to disclose any known material defects.  Be sure to ask just in case.  Read and understand all documents.

What if there are multiple offers?  Don’t panic and immediately withdraw your offer.  It is quite possible that you have submitted the winning bid.  Stay involved for at least one round of negotiations, but also establish your maximum price.

What can a seller’s response be?  A seller’s response will either be:

• Accept:  You will have a binding contract as soon as you are notified of the offer’s acceptance.
• Reject:  You are released of any obligation.  The sellers cannot change their minds.
• Counteroffer:  A seller may present a written counteroffer that includes the changes they want to make.  You are free to accept, reject or make a counteroffer to their counteroffer. 
• These 5 steps will help you choose and buy your new home.  But wait!  There are 5 more steps to the home-buying process coming up next in PART 2 of this blog series.  Stay tuned for the next 5 steps including obtaining a mortgage, preparing for closing day, closing, moving and (of course) celebrating!

To receive your own home buyer’s toolkit or to schedule a private consultation to begin your search, visit www.toddohlde.com and click on the Contact Me page.  I look forward to hearing from you! 

What is the 3.8% Tax on Investment Income?

It’s enough of a shock that 2012 is nearing its end.  Where did the year go?  As we finish up the last few months of this year, it’s important to note a new tax that will go into effect on January 1, 2013.  It’s a brand new 3.8% tax on some investment income—and trust me, it’s a bit complicated.

How will this new tax affect your day-to-day life?  What should you prepare for?  And what do you really need to know about the 3.8% tax on investment income?  Team Ohlde is here to answer all of your questions.

What is the 3.8% tax?
It’s a misconception that the 3.8% tax will be imposed on all real estate transactions.  That is not the case.  In fact, the tax that will begin on January 1, 2013 will impose tax on “unearned income” such as investments, rental income and home sale profits over a certain exemption amount.

Myth vs. Fact
Recently, MSN Money put together a list of myths and facts about the 3.8% tax.  Read on to find out what’s true and what’s false:

• MYTH:  Tax will affect all homes or even most home sales.  FACT:  It is not a tax on total sales price.  It is also not a sales tax. 
• MYTH: The National Association of Realtors is working to get the tax repealed.  FACT: The association, instead, is trying to counteract what people call “grossly inaccurate” rumors about the levy.
• MYTH: The tax will only affect the very rich.  FACT: In some circumstances, the tax could affect people who are not considered extremely wealthy.  

Does the 3.8% tax apply to everyone?  
No—in fact, the tax will only fall on individuals with an adjusted gross income (or AGI) above $200,000.  It also affects couples filing joint returns with more than $250,000 AGI.

Why is the 3.8% tax going into effect?
In 2010, Congress passed the 3.8% tax in order to generate an estimated $210 billion (over 10 years) to help fund President Barack Obama’s health care and Medicare overhaul plans.

So how will this affect me?
As mentioned earlier, the 3.8% tax will only affect those with over $200,000 AGI (or $250,000 AGI for couples).  In addition, it will only tax income from interest, dividends, rents and capital gains.  To view various scenarios of how this could potentially affect you, please read The 3.8% Tax: Real Estate Scenarios & Examples, distributed by the National Association of Realtors.  The brochure will give insight to those looking for more information on capital gain, securities, rental income, sales of second homes, etc.

What should I do?
If you think you (or even your parents) could be subject to this new tax, it might be smart to sit down with a tax professional to talk about alternatives. Consider closing a home sale before December 31, 2012—or selling investments that could trigger the tax—that could save some money.  The best next step is to meet with a tax professional to determine if action is necessary.

What is the real estate industry’s view on the tax?
As a matter of fact, the NAR expressed strong objections against the tax when it was first proposed in March of 2010.  Legislation decided to pass the tax due to the party line vote.  It's not true that the National Association of Realtors is working to get the tax repealed. In fact, the association has been trying to counteract what a spokeswoman called "grossly inaccurate" rumors about the levy.