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These are some of the questions I am asked most often. Ask me a question via e-mail and I will try to add your question and my answer to this page or go on my blog and we can talk. |
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Barbara says: When you buy a house you are making a large financial investment, but equally important, you are creating a life style for you and perhaps your partner and a family. If you need to move now, go ahead and take the plunge. Live your life, don’t put it on hold. Now is a great time to be a buyer. Home prices have fallen and interest rates are low for qualified borrowers. Buying a home is not like buying a television set that is mass produced. Each home is unique, with varying locations, conditions, upgrades, etc. The trick to buying in a down market is selecting a home that matches the needs of your family but still keeps in mind desirability to others. If you plan to live there at least 5 years, go ahead and buy your exotic dream house. If you think it will be a short residence, be more careful and think about resale. Pay more attention to location and what will appeal to the masses. Either way, now is the time to proceed. Just do it thoughtfully
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Barbara says: Perhaps, but buying a home is a bit like buying stocks in the stock market– everyone wants to buy at the very bottom and sell at the very top, but realistically, almost every purchase is somewhere in between. The housing market has its cycles and sales will always cycle up and down in price. Past trends have always been more up than down so worry less about the very bottom of the market and concentrate on choosing the best home to live in and its resale potential for the future.
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Barbara says: Spring usually has the biggest selection of homes to pick from but prices may be slightly higher in the spring because you are competing with the largest amount of other buyers for the best homes. Fall and winter usually offer the best chance to negotiate for a great deal because many sellers appreciate the “bird in the hand” and don’t want to wait through the bad winter weather until the next time the buyers come out in mass in spring.
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Barbara says: Plan ahead and get your home into its best possible shape while still spending the least amount of money to do it. Walk though your home and be objective. Try to see it as a buyer might. Pick up, clean up, pack up what you rarely use, toss the junk, give lots to charity and then display the rest attractively. Price it well. Buyers want a great house at a bargain price and if you can provide that, your home will sell even in a slow market.
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