Home Buying Tips | Tampa Bay Homes for Sale

5 Warning Signs to Watch for When You’re Touring Homes for Sale in Tampa Bay

When you’re going to tour homes for sale with your Tampa Bay REALTOR®, your agent will help you make the right choices for your next home – but with that said, here are five red flags you should watch for while you’re out looking. 5 Red Flags to Watch for When You’re Touring Homes for Sale in Tampa Bay Though your REALTOR will catch any major issues, it doesn’t hurt to be on the lookout yourself. Check out these five red flags to watch for while you tour homes for sale in Tampa Bay: … Continue reading...

4 Tips for Finding the Right Mortgage Lender

Especially when interest rates are low, you can go online and see dozens of ads for mortgages each day. If you're in the market for a home loan, it's tempting to click on the ad that shows the almost unbelievably lowest rate. Of course, that's what the lenders want you to do. They are using those low rates to generate leads for their loan business. But there's more to picking the right lender than simply clicking on the lowest rate you see on a screen. Not all lenders or loans are created … Continue reading...

Pro’s & Con’s of Buying vs Renting

In past decades, the decision whether to buy or rent a home could move from buy to rent and back again based on interest rates and market factors mostly. However, over the long haul, the consensus was that it was usually better to buy than to rent. Renting was often considered as throwing money away, since there was no equity being built over time. In more recent times, there are other factors that have complicated the decision for many. Particularly for the Millennial generation and younger … Continue reading...

Renting vs. Buying: 3 Questions to Answer about Yourself

Various homeownership surveys show that about two-thirds of renters aspire to someday be homeowners. And the National Association of Realtors reports that about one-third of all homebuyers each year are first-time buyers. Depending on the market, renting vs. buying is often a financial decision, which makes the most sense for a household's budget. But even when one or the other is less expensive, at least on the surface, homeownership may not be for everyone. When it comes to renting vs. … Continue reading...

Buying Tip: Making sure the Neighborhood is right for you

When shopping for a home, particularly if you are buying your first, it is easy to get excited about features. It is important to like the home you are buying and for it to fit your lifestyle and needs, but back up a bit and look around it. Perhaps you had good help in locating the home, or maybe you found it online or went to an open house. You may have even done some research on the neighborhood or area of town. Considering the fact that you will probably own the home for at least five to … Continue reading...

3 Things to Do Before Home Downsizing

There comes a point in many people's lives when they want or need a home that's smaller than their current one. Couples have children that grow up and move out. Retirees might want less space to clean or less yard to maintain. Some folks just get sick of stairs and crave a single-level home, and others just want to save money. Whatever the reason, downsizing has its appeal. And while it might sound as if it's a way of simplifying your life, moving into a smaller home can get a little … Continue reading...

Buying a Home with an HOA: 5 Things to Consider

A homeowners association, or HOA, is an organization that establishes and enforces guidelines in planned communities or condominiums. The HOA is usually responsible for the maintenance of common areas, some insurance coverage, and deed restrictions. Most buyers of homes or units within an HOA will automatically become members of the HOA, which means they will pay dues and be subject to the association's rules and regulations. Some homeowners association fees can be much higher than others, … Continue reading...

How to Downsize and Organize in 4 Easy Steps

People most often downsize to a different home simply because they don't need as much space as they currently occupy. It doesn't make sense to put up with all the tasks that come with owning a large home when you no longer need one. Downsizing to a smaller home, though, is likely to come with the need to do some streamlining. If you've lived in a larger house, you've probably accumulated a lot of "stuff." When downsizing, some organizing of that stuff is in order. Here's how to downsize … Continue reading...

What is a Title Binder and What’s In It?

A title binder, or title insurance binder, is also called a title commitment. It is a document created by a title insurer that binds the insurer to issue a title insurance policy if certain conditions are met. It is a commitment to issue the policy. A title insurance policy protects the owner of real estate from certain threats to their legal ownership. Before a title binder is issued, the title insurance company does a thorough title search of documents recorded at the courthouse and … Continue reading...

How to Decide How Much to Put down on a Home

Before the foreclosure crisis, it wasn't uncommon for people to buy homes with no money down. The crash of 2008 changed that, however, and the pendulum swung the other way. You almost had to come up with 20 percent of the purchase price for a down payment on a home. While zero-down mortgages may never be as prevalent as they once were, there are low (and no) down-payment options out there. Government-backed loan programs offer zero-down and 3-percent programs, and even traditional lenders are … Continue reading...

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