Today’s opportunities aside, here are eight time-honored reasons why those considering homeownership for the first time should make their move.

1. Pride of Ownership
Owning your own home adds to your own sense of self-esteem and personal pride. The satisfaction that comes from feeling connected to the land you occupy and the home in which you live is ages-old.

2. Security of Tenancy
With homeownership comes stability. When renting, you never know when you may have to move because of new ownership, rent increases or other changes. As a homeowner, you decide when and if you want to move.

3. Privacy
While there are usually some limits on the access landlords have to property, almost all landlords can access your property for necessary inspections and maintenance. For many renters, this lack of privacy is a significant discomfort. Homeowners on the other hand generally have much stronger property rights and experience an increase in perceived and actual privacy.

4. Decorating
Homeowners are free to decorate, remodel and accessorize a home any way they want. Not only do you have the right to make improvements, but the value of those improvements becomes yours as well. Having your living space and exteriors just the way you want them can significantly increase your satisfaction with your living environment.

5. Financial Predictability
When you buy a home with a fixed-rate mortgage, you have more predictability over future housing costs. Because your interest rate never changes, the amount of your payment never changes. Financial planning and credit are more easily managed with a fixed-rate mortgage compared to renting.

6. Building Equity
When you own your own home, you pay rent to yourself instead of a landlord. Most homeowners pay for their purchase by obtaining a mortgage. As you pay off that mortgage, your equity builds and you gain an increasingly larger share in a valuable asset. Over time, that asset can work for you in many ways, such as home equity lines of credit. And of course, a home is a wonderful asset to pass along in an estate.

7. Investment Appreciation
There are certainly no guarantees of property value appreciation. In the long-term, however, real estate valuations almost always increase. This means that when you decide to sell your home, its value may be significantly higher than when you purchased it. The difference in value is called appreciation. You can reinvest that appreciation in other real estate or you may wish to downsize and keep the value of that appreciation for retirement or other purposes.

8. Tax Benefits
In the United States, the cost of home mortgage interest and property taxes are usually tax-deductible. Depending on your circumstances, thousands of dollars in taxes can be saved each year. These tax savings are not limited to federal taxes either. Many states and localities either base their tax system on the federal system or offer similar incentives to homeownership. Some additional benefits are designed specifically for first-time homebuyers. See your tax advisor for additional information.

If you still have doubts, contact me! I can answer questions you may have about homeownership and explain the buying process to you.

You may also be interested in:

1. Selling your Berks County Home home for

   Getting Top Dollar For Your Home

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Here is the problem, and the opportunity!  Commissions are almost completely paid by the seller to the listing brokerage firm, who splits the commission with the buyers agent’s brokerage.  The buyer rarely pays a commission to an agent’s brokerage, and in rare cases when this may be occur, it is discussed up front prior to showing the home.  That being said,  if a buyer can choose to work with one agent exclusively at little or no cost to them,  why would the buyer not jump at the chance to do that?

After all, an exclusive buyer’s agent will really understand their clients needs over time, their likes and dislikes, understand and help establish the financing planning (which is important in today’s economy), and will really be much more effective in matching future properties to that particular buyer, rather than meeting numerous agents based on an ad, or multiple property websites, and going through the fact finding questions over and over and over again.

Here is a great video that further expands on this concept.   The bottom line is that the smartest move a buyer can make is to choose just one agent to work with, and partner with that agent. Let that agent work his/her magic, learn your needs, learn your  likes and dislikes, and he/she will help guide you throughout the whole process.  If you do, you will find the home buying process MUCH easier and much more effective.  I work hard to earn that privilege with my clients, and when you are ready to take the next step, I will strive to earn your trust too! Give me a call and lets discuss your needs!

You may also be interested in:

1. 

   Why List With Bill McCue?
2. So, you are here because you are either

   Choosing Your Agent Wisely
3. Before you start visiting property, ther

   Before Visiting Property

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Save all your favorite listings for future reference

My map search technology is provided to you free of charge. You do not need to register to use the map search feature, however by registering for free, you are able to login, and create saved searches, and save your favorite listings for future reference! It’s easy to do and makes your searching efforts easier!

Save all your search criteria for future reference

You can also save your search criteria to make it quick an easy to find properties based on searches you have done previously!

Community, Schools, and local stores information!

While viewing an individual listing, under the “tools” tab, you have access to school information, neighborhood demographic information, and a powerful search to view how far stores and restaurants are located from the desired listing.

Mortgage Calculator

Calculate your estimated mortgage payments based on the figures you provide!

View aerial pictures of each Berks County property!

Are you interested in seeing the lot for a home that interests you? While viewing an individual listing, be sure to view the maps on each listing! This could save you a lot of wasted gas and showing appointments if the lot does not work for your needs.

When you are ready to view a property, please contact me!

I are here to help you, and can show you any property you find, and most importantly, I will represent YOU in the transaction! Best of all, my services are FREE for buyers! Search Berks County Pa MLS listings now. Happy searching!

You may also be interested in:

1. 

   Free Home Warranty Program!
2. Before you start visiting property, ther

   Before Visiting Property

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2. If you are “on the fence” about buying and are waiting for prices to potentially fall before taking the plunge, there is another factor to consider. Interest rates are low right now. Speculating that home prices will drop in the future may be offset by an increase in interest rates, so if you see a home you love, go for it! A fabulous home which is competitively priced will not stay on the market that long.

3. Don’t ask for too many opinions. It’s natural to want reassurance for such a big decision, but too many ideas will make it much harder to make a decision.

4. Very few previously owned homes will be an absolute “perfect” match unless it is custom built to your taste. Focus in on the things that are most important, the small details can be changed once you move in!

5. Don’t try to be a killer negotiator. Negotiation is definitely a part of the real estate process, but trying to “win” by getting an extra-low price may lose you the home you love.

6. Remember your home doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Don’t get so caught up in the physical aspects of the house itself—room size, kitchen—that you forget such issues as amenities, noise level, etc., that have a big impact on what it’s like to live in your new home.

7. Don’t wait until you’ve found a home and made an offer to get approved for a mortgage. Investigate insurance availability, and consider a schedule for moving. Presenting an offer contingent on a lot of unresolved issues will make your bid much less attractive to sellers.

8. Factor in maintenance and repair costs in your post-home buying budget. Even if you buy a new home, there will be some costs. Don’t leave yourself short and let your homedeteriorate.

9. Accept that a little buyer’s remorse is inevitable and will probably pass. Buying a home, especially for the first time, is a big commitment, but it also yields big benefits.

10. Choose a home first because you love it. Then think about appreciation. While U.S. homes have appreciated an average of 5.4 percent annually over from 1998 to 2002, a home’s most important role is as a comfortable, safe place to live.

Berks County Real Estate - Berks County Pa. Homes Search

1.) Check your credit

Before you apply for a home loan, regardless of your credit, it’s a smart idea to obtain a copy of your credit report from the three major credit bureaus and review the information. If there are errors or things that need to be addressed, it’s easier to address them before you have found a house, than after you have found a house and are trying to close your loan. If you know that there are a few blemishes on your credit, let your lender know what they are, why they are there, and why you are a still good credit risk. Lenders look at your credit to determine how likely you will pay back the loan. If you had extenuating circumstances -like a loss of a job or medical bills – let them know so that they understand that it is not likely to happen again in the future.

2.)Get approved before you buy.

An approval means that a lender has reviewed your credit history, verified your assets and employment, and has approved your loan before you have found a home to purchase. As long as the home appraises for at least the purchase price, the loan should close. Getting approved also gives you an advantage over other buyers. Your firm approval makes it easier for you to negotiate on the price of a home, than a person who is not approved or is pre-qualified. While getting pre-qualified may sound official, it is really just getting an idea of what you can afford. Its having a person plug in a few numbers that you give them – your monthly
income and your monthly debt – and getting an approximate payment calculated. From the payment, the calculator can approximate the house price range that you can afford. No information is verified. Because your assets, income or credit is not verified, a prequalification has little value when purchasing a home.

3) Find a great buyer’s agent

Traditionally real estate agents represent the sellers in a transaction. When you are not working with a buyer’s agent, they are less likely to negotiate the best price or contingencies for you. A buyer’s agent’s job and fiduciary responsibility (meaning legal duty) is to you, the buyer. Before working with an agent, establish if they are a buyer’s agent or a seller’s agent. After spending a lot of time with a Realtor, it’s natural to feel like you’re a team. But if they are not negotiating for you, then they are not on your team.

4.) Learn about the neighborhood

Often times the house you find may be in a neighborhood that you’re not familiar with, which is ok. It just means that you’ll have to do a little more research. If you find a house that you like, ask for a list of the neighborhood properties that sold in the last year. How does your home rank? Is it at the top of the price range? If so, it might be hard to resell. Is it average or on the low end? If so, great – as the other home prices go up in value, they will pull your home’s value up as well. Check out the schools – are they sought after? A good school district means your neighborhood will always be valued by families which is a great reassurance to purchase, not to mention the value-add if you have school-age children. Next, contact the police station and obtain crime statistics? Are they acceptable to you? Sometimes, if they won’t give them to you, it could be a cause for alarm. Talk to the neighbors. The more people you talk to, the better sense you will get of who makes up the neighborhood and how they will effect your time spent in it. Check out the location of the shopping, police and fire stations, schools, and air traffic overhead. These are all things that might affect your property value or quality of your life.

5.) Protect Yourself

Ask your Realtor for a copy of the documents you will be asked to sign if you decide to buy the house. Read them ahead of time so that you’ll understand the questions that you will be asked, the things you need to know, and the decisions you will need to make.

6.) Have reasonable expectations

There is a lot of money at stake. No house is perfect. Understanding and remembering these two statements will help diffuse the negotiation stage, the inspection stage and the closing stage. Emotions are high for both buyers and sellers. – The seller may have loving memories and years of sweat equity in the house. Maybe they are being relocated and don’t want to go. Understanding their motivations for selling will help you appreciate their situation and predicament during these emotional times. There is a lot of money at stake for all the parties involved – Just remember that market value (the value of a home) is the price that a willing buyer and a willing seller can agree to. If you can not agree on a price, ask yourself: Is there  something you missed? Are there comparables that support the price that they want? Are there motivations that might factor into the price they are demanding? In the end, does it matter?

What is the house worth to you today and what do you think you can reasonably sell it for based on the amount of time you plan to spend in it? Think about the answers to those questions before you make your move. No house is perfect – Always get an inspection. It might be a few hundred dollars, but it’s worth it. It’s the inspector’s job to find any problems with the house that could cost you thousands to repair down the road. Some inspectors have a tendency to over play the importance of their role and the items that they find. Get objective opinions that you trust before making a decision on an inspection report. Likewise, if an inspector says a foundation is cracked but its nothing to worry about – get a second opinion. Ask a handyman for an idea of how much repairs will cost and how complicated they are. The home buying process is an emotional, complex and time-consuming process, but it is worth it. Nothing compares to owning your own home in a neighborhood that you chose.

Berks County Real Estate - Berks County Pa. Homes Search

Do you have a home you need to sell?

If you are thinking of buying a new home, but you have a home currently that you will need to sell in order to buy the new home, it is important to place your current home on the market before you begin setting up showing appointments.  We have watched future buyers spend a lot of time visiting homes, and either they find the perfect home and become heartbroken when it sells to a buyer who is ready to buy now, or all the inventory they viewed is no longer available when they are ready to actively visit and purchase,  and all their market research is now outdated.   Market research can be performed online using our MLS map search technology, but to avoid a possible heartbreak or wasted time, only start touring homes when you are financially ready to buy! Also, most sellers ask that their agents only bring buyers ready to buy now.

Financing

Mortgage financing has changed considerably in the past two years. It was once very easy to qualify for a loan with little or no money down, but no longer is this the case. Loan officers have fewer products they cab offer buyers, and buyers may find that they qualify for less than they did a year or so ago, even though their credit and income are unchanged. It is in your best interests to know exactly what price range you can afford based on a mortgage pre-approval completed prior to visiting any properties with an agent. No agent wants to see a buyer fall in love with a home worth more money than they can financially afford, and become discouraged.

Learning the market

Spend some time browsing listings on our website.  Our listings get updated daily. This allows buyers to gain a broad knowledge of areas, neighborhoods, view individual listings, view arial pictures of homes, access Zillow property value estimates and more. This is a real time saver!   You can also use our New Listing Alert. Just tell us your needs, and we will email you all the current and new Berks County Pa home listings which match your criteria.

Drive Around And Get A Feel

Ever see a home online, but then we you see the surroundings, you know it is not a good match? By driving around and learning which neighborhoods you like before you hit the streets with your agent, you will save a lot of time for both you and your agent. Once you know the neighborhoods you like, take advantage of our neighborhood search program. We will email you any new listings from the desired neighborhood(s) you specify, as well as include the the recent sold homes listings. This will give you a real good idea of what homes are selling for in your desired communities to help with your market research efforts.

Hire Just One Realtor

Did you know that almost all Realtors use the same database (called the Multi-List Service or “MLS”) to post their listings for sale? Realtors all go the same database to pull the results, so in other words, XYZ Realty and ABC Realty both use the same database to email buyers listings. Realtors have access to each others listings for sale, therefore, we can show just about any property for sale in Berks County. Don’t use more than one! There are many advantages to using just one agent to help you. That one agent will learn your likes and dislikes, and will be able to match properties to your needs more efficiently. If your Realtor is not cutting it, it is best to fire them and move on to another one to use exclusively. You really only need to hire one good agent, and a good agent will not want to dedicate much time to you if you are not using them exclusively.

Are you ready?

Wait until you are ready to buy or close to it before looking at too many properties. The market changes everyday. Properties sell, expire without selling and change in price. If you learn the market today with a planned purchase date in 6 months you will most likely have to relearn the market again in 6 months.

Timing the market

If you are trying to time the bottom of this market start looking at property when you feel the bottom has hit or is about to hit. You can learn a lot about properties for sale from this website by viewing virtual tours, photographs and details. Monitor the market and then start viewing homes when you feel the time is right to buy. Besides, it is very difficult to accurately time the market.

Feel free to contact us to discuss your needs!

Berks County Real Estate - Berks County Pa. Homes Search