When you’re stuck in traffic, you have time to think. Should I have left home earlier? How bad will my commute be in five years? Would life be easier and cheaper if I found a job someplace the roads aren’t as crowded and the homes aren’t so expensive.
These are all things you should consider when buying a new home. Always do a trial commute during rush hour before you make an offer on a home. Time the ride and estimate your gas consumption. If you’re thinking about taking public transportation, price out the weekly expense.
As you size up neighborhoods, take the time to figure out whee you will worship, buy groceries, go to the movies, enroll the kids in dance class or pick p an extra gallon of milk. Is bus or rail service available, even if only as a backup for days when your car is in the shop? Will your children be able to ride bicycles to the pool, or does a six-lane highway make that too dangerous?
It’s easy to underestimate your total transportation budget when you househunt on a quiet Sunday afternoon. And misjudging your travel needs can derail your after-purchase budget.
Source: Elizabeth Razzi, The Arizona Republic 6-8-08
Categories: AZ · DC · Real Estate
Tagged: buying, commute, costs
A recent HGTV show hosted a panel of experts that counted down the 25 Biggest Real Estate Mistakes people make. Here’s the list:
- Failing to showcase your property and make small cosmetic changes
- Setting too high of a sales price
- Buying what you want, not what you need
- Overlooking the extra and hidden costs
- Buying a property without a professional inspection
- Falling in love with the first property you see
- Skipping the loan preapproval
- Doing major renovations/remodeling before selling
- Not being proactive at closing
- Visiting the property only once
- Not setting a realistic budget
- Buying the most expensive property on the block
- Not hiring a REALTOR
- Not knowing your REALTOR
- Trusting everything a real estate advertisement says
- Buying without seeing the property
- Not thinking about resale
- Failing to market your property in different ways
- Looking at the real estate market as the stock market
- Waiting until spring to sell your property
- Tyring to make the “hard sell” while showing
- Losing money with auctions
- Not researching the neighborhood
- Not providing easy access for showings
- Buying the property for its decor
Categories: Real Estate
Tagged: advice, buying, Real Estate, selling
