Top Real Estate Buying Tips

Whether you're looking to buy your first home or you're ready to put your current house on the market to buy a new one, these Real Estate Home Buying Tips are for you!

Vickie Foster, a Pender County, NC real estate agent with 12 years of full-time real estate experience, wants to share the following valuable advice for you to consider when shopping for and buying a new home.

• If you know you'll have to resell soon, don't buy an unusual home. You want a house that's going to appeal easily to the next round of real estate shoppers.
• Buying a house whose style is uniquely individual will probably minimize rather than maximize its resale value because the house will appeal to a somewhat more limited number of potential buyers.
• You can generally expect lower maintenance costs with a brand-new house so you may want to factor that in to the possibly higher upfront cost of the home.
• Pay attention to floor plans and make sure you're happy with the setup of the rooms. Changing layouts of rooms later, can be costly.
• Redoing a kitchen, in particular, is likely to be expensive. So be sure of what you need and want from a kitchen space before you buy.
• Beware of buying a house with foundation problems. Although most foundation problems can be corrected, repair work is usually expensive.
• Before you buy a house that may have a wet basement problem, get a good, unbiased diagnosis from a professional with moisture control experience. The solution could be costly. You'll also want to find out the source of the moisture and take into account that this could be a continuing problem for you.
• If you think you may need more space in the near future but you love the home, the location, the neighborhood, and everything else about the property, plus the price is right for you at the time, be sure the house and lot will allow for expansion.
• Even if the quality of a school district doesn't matter to you right now, remember it might be a big consideration in the future to you or to another buyer.
• A house that's sited to take advantage of the sun, the wind and the typography costs less to heat and cool and can save thousands of dollars over the years in energy and utility bills.
• A roof that complements the style of a home and is carefully maintained adds to the home's visual appeal and its resale value.
• A light-colored roof reflects heat and is best in areas where air-conditioning is the greater energy user. In colder weather climates, a dark roof is preferable because it absorbs more heat. In temperate climates, a middle-range shade is best. In all cases, a well installed metal roof is known to save energy costs in both summer and winter.
• Thinking in terms of protection and resale value, the three most popular exterior siding choices are brick, wood siding and stucco. About half of all home shoppers prefer brick for exterior walls; about one-third prefer wood siding; and about one-fifth prefer stucco.
• Well maintained hardwood floors suggest warmth, quality and good taste and are an asset when it comes time to sell a house.
• Most home shoppers prefer a combination of ceramic tile and vinyl wallpaper as a covering for bathroom walls, creating a positive effect on the house's resale value. Ceramic tile is usually installed wherever water comes in contact with the wall.
• Plant deciduous trees, shrubs and vines on south and west sides of the home to provide shade in the summer and take advantage of sunshine in the winter. Remember, good lanscaping including trees and shrubs enhances the beauty and value of a lot and house.
• Never tell a seller's broker how much you'll raise your offer for a particular house.
• Pay attention to the original listing date of the homes you inspect; Sellers tend to be more flexible in the price the longer the home is on the market.
• When interest rates are low, it's best to opt for a fixed rate mortgage so you'll have that rate secured through the life of the loan, until you refinance or buy a new home.
• For the year that you purchase your home, you can deduct on that years tax return points paid by either party on the purchase of your own residence.
• If the present owner has a title insurance policy less than 3 years old, you could have substantial savings by buying a reissue of that policy rather than a completely new one.

We hope this information has been helpful to you. To begin your real estate shopping process for properties in Burgaw, NC and Pender County, please visit Vickie Foster's Burgaw area real estate listings.