What is Real Estate

Writen by Surrinder Ahitan

Shhh! I have a secret to tell you. Come closer. I have the inside information on a great new trend that is going to take the world by storm in just a short period of time. The new trend is in Bulgarian properties. Yes, you heard me right…Bulgarian properties. These properties in the beautiful European country of Bulgaria are hot, prime real estate, only most of the world doesn't know it yet, but they are starting to catch on quickly!

There are investors in Bulgaria right now picking up Bulgarian properties which they will make a fortune on. Why? Because in just a short period of time, other people will be begging to purchase Bulgarian properties, but smart investors will have already scooped them up.

Bulgaria is one of the most beautiful European countries with sandy beaches, ski resorts and temperate weather. It is becoming a hot tourist spot with thousands of tourists flocking to Bulgaria every year. Where will they stay? At the Bulgarian property of smart investors.

Bulgarian properties are selling fast and inexpensively. Beautiful homes and lots are being sold for much less than you would ever think. Why? So many people left this beautiful country when it was a corrupt communist society. Since the Communist government's fall in the late 1980s, the economy in Bulgaria has been steadily growing and regaining its place in the European market. Bulgarian properties are already becoming a hot commodity, what are you waiting for?

Perhaps you are looking to relocate to a European country for a change of scenery, for retirement or for a fresh start. Bulgaria has many opportunities for all, and Bulgarian properties are affordable for retired people and young families all the way to business executives and established adults.

By purchasing Bulgarian properties you will own a wonderful retirement or vacation home, have a wonderful and exciting place to call home, or a property that will prove to be a worthy investment time and time again.

Surrinder Ahitan's website Bulgarian-Property-Advice.com provides detailed information and advice on the most lucrative areas to invest in Bulgaria. You will learn how to get around, get a flavor of the language, history, culture and more.

Writen by Jack Parker

There are two type of people found in the real estate deal-one is the deal maker and another one is the deal kicker. Deal maker is the one who knows how to negotiate the property deal. They have to win the deal of their choice at any cost without loosing any thing. They are always on the winning side of the deal as they know how to bridge the gap between the offered price and the price being asked.

On the other hand the deal kickers are those who do lot of property hunt but end up doing nothing. Their decision making capability is very poor. The deal kicker is less knowledgeable about the market scenario and even didn't have many contacts with the lenders. On the other side the deal makers are the one who study the market properly and all the latest happenings in real estate. They believe in mending relationships which they extend up to the lenders also. The deal makers know what they want and what their customer's choice is. These types of real estate professionals are don't waste time in looking for every property available in the market they precede according to their needs only.

The deal makers are the one who know how to present the property, how to hide the flaws and represent the best things about the property. On the other hand the deal kickers choose the easy but not very fruitful path that is of reducing the property rates The deal makers analyze the property in terms of the past few years trend but the deal kickers look for the recent trends in the market which makes their deals anomalous and end up to the loss of deal. Deal makers are innovative people and they plan the strategy according to the property. But the deal kickers have the fixed plan of action for most of the properties which kicks them out of the deal. So they should be little cautious about the deal strategy they plan. Deal makers are the real business people as they will be more aggressive and use a rate that reflects their own return and loan requirements. On the other hand the deal kickers will benefit from the net operating income at a market rate for estimation.

For any further information: property dealers and online real estate.

Writen by Cameron Brown

Welcome to this first portion of a three-part series about income property. In this first segment we will be discussing financing options for commercial income properties as well as the upside (and downside) of owning this type of property.

If you're interested in getting into the income property business, chances are you'll need financial assistance from your local bank or private lending institution. You'll soon discover that making sense of the many different options available can be confusing if not down right frustrating. If you're new to the income property market you may be unfamiliar with some of the terminology you'll hear. The purpose of this article is to assist the novice in getting a good start in this potentially lucrative industry.

There are many different options available to you depending on the type of income property you're interested in investing in. Most lenders will recognize three separate and distinct types of property, each with it's own financing requirements. These properties include commercial, residential, and industrial income property.

Commercial Income Property

If you plan to invest in a commercial income property, you're probably planning to rent the building to retail businesses for use as office or warehouse space. As a commercial income property owner you can benefit from a perk not usually available to residential or industrial income property owners; you have the option to charge a percentage of your tenants monthly income in addition to a set monthly rent.

This percentage is usually based on the gross monthly sales revenue of your tenant. For example, the rental contract may include a $5000 per month base rent amount plus 5% of the tenant's gross sales for the month. If you're tenant brought in $20,000 of revenue last month, you get an additional $1000 on top of the $5000 base. You may be unfamiliar with this type of arrangement, but it is actually quite common.

If you purchase retail income property with good location in a growing neighborhood, this can be a good way to capitalize on your tenant's growing business without raising rent. Most income property owners charge from 5% to 10% of their tenants' gross monthly sales revenue.

When it comes time to finance the purchase of your commercial income property, a private lender can usually provide better options and interest rates than your bank or credit union. A private lender is in a position to provide the best option for two main reasons; 1) unlike your local bank, private lenders specialize in income properties (as opposed to home loans), and 2) private lenders are more selective in their loan requirements allowing them to provide better terms for those borrowers they accept.

Loan terms (the time the lender gives you fully repay the loan) for commercial income property typically ranges from five to twenty years. Many private lenders will also have a minimum and maximum loan amount which usually goes from $500,000 to $2 million.

Interest rates can run from 5.60% to 7.20%; substantially lower than the most competitive bank. It's also important to know your lender's LTV (loan-to-value) ratio. The LTV is simply the ratio of money borrowed on a property to the property's market value. In other words, you will have to come up with a certain amount money yourself before you will be considered for a loan. Currently, most private lenders offer LTV's of 70% to 75%. If you plan on financing the purchase a $1.5 million office building with a lender offering a 75% LTV, you will need to come up with at least $375,000.

In the next segment, Residential Income Property Financing: Part 2 of 3, we will be discussing how to finance and effectively manage an apartment complex.

Cameron Brown is an internet marketer specializing in investment property. For more information on income property, please visit Security National Capital

Writen by Stephen Todd

If you're looking to buy property as an investment, then the property for sale in Costa Rica offers you the chance to make substantial gains in the coming years - with low risk.

Buying Costa Rican property is inexpensive and easy - and prices are on the move.

Here we look at Costa Rica property for sale, and the importance of location - which will help you make even bigger capital gains on your investment.

So, when you're looking at the Costa Rican property that's for sale, what do you need to consider for making the big capital gains?

The Last 10 years have Shown 300% Growth

The biggest change in the Costa Rica property for sale during the past decade is that prices have doubled, or tripled in many locations – and the good news is - it's still cheap!

Costa Rican property prices range considerably:

. 1/4-acre beachfront home sites ranges from $50,000 to upwards of $200,000.

. Beachfront homes range from $165,000 upwards.

. Seaside condominiums range from $55,000 to $250,000 - depending on size and geographical location.

. Just inland - maybe a 10-minute walk to the beach, two-bedroom, two-bathroom, homes start at $40,000 - and single-family building lots start at $6,500

. Less expensive deals can be found in more remote areas - such as the northern Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica's southern region.

Popular Places

Most realtors agree that the best turnover, and fastest-selling properties are generally located in the Central Valley, and along the Pacific coast - and it's here that you can get the best capital gain on your investment.

Although the Central Valley covers just five percent of Costa Rica, it contains the vast majority of the country's population. Therefore, property prices around the greater metropolitan area (including San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Escazú) - where many of the country's businesses and services are located, tend to be among the highest in Costa Rica.

Generally, the farther away from town you go, the lower the prices of property for sale will be. The exception to this rule is the central and northern Pacific coast - where a number of major developments are underway.

Property for Sale in Costa Rica - the Secret of Big Returns

Here you need to get out your map of Costa Rica, and look at areas set to increase in value - simply watch for changes in the infrastructure that will boost property prices.

Buying property that's for sale in Costa Rica can give you great returns - but if you build in advance of important building projects that will enhance local amenities - and the quality of life, will make you even more money.

So, what sort of changes in the infrastructure are we referring to? Let's look at three projects currently underway that look set to increase property prices in adjacent areas:

New Freeway: Scheduled to be completed shortly. The freeway will link the largest cities to the Pacific Coast - generating an increased flow of traffic and buying interest in areas with easy access to the freeway.

New Marina: The largest marina in Costa Rica will be completed shortly in Quepos.

New Airport: A new international airport is coming to the town of Orotina in the near future.

When buying property for sale in Costa Rica, being in ahead of the crowd - before an important part of the infrastructure is completed, will enable you to take advantage of the increased demand for real estate in the areas that these changes will benefit.

Buying Property that's for Sale in Costa Rica is Straightforward

The government encourages investors – they place no restrictions on foreigners. In fact, foreigners are entitled to the same ownership rights as Costa Rican citizens. When you factor in low costs, and no capital gains tax, overseas buyers will continue to buy the property that's available in Costa Rica.

Property for sale in Costa Rica as an investment

Buying property currently for sale in Costa Rica can be a rewarding experience. The future looks bright - as the big fluctuations in property prices that you see in the United States, doesn't happen in Costa Rica.

Based on past history, prices either go up by at least 10 percent per year - or at worst, stay the same. When the real estate market is in a downturn, properties don't tend to go down in value - they stay static - making this a low risk way to invest.

Currently, the chances of a downturn in the market now look slim – due to the rising number of investment property buyers.

If you want to double or triple your money in the next few years, think about the Costa Rican real estate market - and buy some building lots or property.

FREE Guide! - The Secrets of Building Wealth in Real Estate and Land.
Learn how to invest in land with low risk for long term capital growth.

Visit our website and grab your free report now!
http://www.CostaRicaLandLots.com/free-wealth-report.php

Writen by Morgan Hamilton

If you live in the Golden State of California you may be wealthier than you first anticipated. In truth, the same could be said no matter where you live. Unclaimed property is a resource that many people don't even realize exists and that lack of knowledge could be costing them a tidy little fortune.

Each and every year there is cash and property that go unclaimed. Many people may have no idea that they are missing money. There are millions of dollars in unclaimed property in California alone. Everything from tax refunds that can't be delivered to insurance proceeds are sitting and waiting for their rightful owners to come get them.

One of the more common types of unclaimed money is dormant bank accounts. People simply forgot that those accounts existed and in many cases passed away without assigning and heir. The office of unclaimed property in California has an extensive list of names of the individuals in the amounts that they are owed. These are accounts that have gone untouched for an extended period of greater than ten years. If no one steps forward to claim the money it is declared unclaimed property in California by the state.

This raises the obvious question that if you don't know that it exists how can you possibly claim it? The first thing to do is is to do a search for your name to see if there is actually any unclaimed property in California in your name. There are several ways to do this. The least expensive and most efficient is to visit the Office of the Comptroller. There is a website set-up that has a search feature for individuals who believe they may have unclaimed property in California. It is a secure web site to protect your privacy and to ensure that no one can come forward and make a claim on your property.

If you find your name on the list the next thing to do is to get your property that. OK, I know, that's incredibly obvious. Depending on what unclaimed property is lawfully yours, you may have to offer proof by providing specific details of your identity. Picture IDs are always good, as are copies of your utility bills that helped prove a residence claim.

You may not find your name on this list but you may stumble upon the name of a friend or relative. All you would need to do in this situation is to inform them of what he saw a hand to encourage them to get in touch in the same fashion that you did. If they don't have Internet access, invite them over and give them a hand. Who knows, they may even generously give you a reward as a finder fee.

Deceased family member's names often appear on the list of unclaimed property in California, as it does in every other state. If the individual was someone very close to you, you may be able to claim the money by presenting a death certificate along with any legal documentation proving that you are indeed their heir. If the amount is substantial it's probably a smart idea to hire a lawyer to assist you with dealing with the unclaimed property in California office. You want to be absolutely sure that everything is handled properly so you won't have any problems picking up the unclaimed property that is rightfully yours.

Morgan Hamilton offers his findings and insights regarding the world of real estate. You can get interesting and informative information by visiting Property in California

Writen by Rick Otton

When property investing, pay the seller their asking price but negotiate the terms under which you can buy property. You'd be absolutely surprised when property investing at how many sellers will help fund you into their property. Basically, you're receiving vendor finance from the seller.

Let's take an example of a $300,000 house. The seller wants $300,000 for their property. When property investing what most people will do is they'll negotiate all day long to get the price down from $300,000 to $270,000. Then when buyers have negotiated to get the house for $270,000 they'll get a bank loan and have the liability of a loan. They'll get a 30 year loan and after about 5 years of making payments they will probably owe about $260,000. Instead I'd like you to consider a different strategy when buying: get the seller to vendor finance you into their home.

You can say to the seller, "Listen Mr. Seller, I know you really want your $300,000 but let me do this: why don't you let me make payments on your existing mortgage and in return I'll give you the $300,000 you want and I'll just pay you direct." When property investing, I've always found that if you say to a seller, "I'll give you your asking price of $300,000 if you let me make your payments on the property." You will be surprised how many sellers will let you pay them direct if you're not trying to negotiate them down on the price. This is one of my favorite ways to control property.

Now I know that if I'm paying a seller direct at $300,000 at $2,000 a month, in 5 years time I've only got a balance of $180,000 that I still owe the seller. So when the seller says to me, "I will do this but you've got to pay me off in 60 months." That's okay with me because I didn't have to qualify for a bank loan. When property investing can you see how getting finance from the vendor can be beneficial for both parties?

When property investing and getting vendor finance from the seller, you as the buyer may pay a little bit more for the house but by making payments direct you will owe the seller $180,000 in 5 years time instead of $260,000. You've made a profit of $80,000 with out qualifying for a bank loan.

Rick Otton is the director of We Buy Houses Pty Ltd. He has been property investing full time for 14 years. Rick has completed over 351 property transactions in Australia and the United States.

Rick specialises in creating positive cash flow through a variety of strategies he perfected in the United States and adapted to Australian conditions. He sells home study courses on vendor finance, one year mentoring program as well as a yearly 3 day boot camp on the Gold Coast. Go to http://www.rickotton.com for more property investing information ring 1800 003 588 in Australia.

Writen by Jeanette Joy Fisher

Real estate investors have made money by buying fixers, fixing them up, and then selling them for years. It's not a new real estate investing method. But what if you live in an area where homes sit on the market and sell at less than full price? Can you still make money investing in real estate by fixing houses under such market conditions? The simple answer is yes, if you do your research, find the right seller, and follow proven strategies.

Real Estate Market

It's been a sellers' market in America for a number of years, with more buyers than houses, which meant that sellers weren't as motivated as they were back in the 80s, when interest rates were sky high, inflation was running rampant, and mortgage lenders were more cautious. Today's market is shifting towards a buyer's market and real estate investors find home sellers more willing to bargain, because like in every age, people get into trouble for various reasons.

You must know what houses sell for, under what terms the property sells, the conditions of houses sold, and how long the average home sits on the market. Once you know your market, you will know how much to offer a motivated seller.

Find the Right Home Seller

You might think you're looking for a bargain house, but what you're really looking for is a motivated seller. Look for sellers that have found themselves in financial distress, for whatever reason, and who need to sell quickly. Sellers with difficult situations have motivation, and will be willing to work with you to overcome the difficulties they face. Those are the houses that will make you money, regardless of the overall market in that area.

If you look at houses on MLS, tell your agent to request that the seller be present. This way, you have the opportunity to talk to the home seller and see what problems prompted the home sale. You can also run ads that say "We Buy Houses."

Fix the House Right

To give yourself the edge when you go to sell your home, don't just paint everything white and have boring beige carpeting installed. Today's home buyers look for a home that makes them feel "at home." Learn how to profile your home buyer and make decorating choices to target that buyer. You don't need to spend extra money fixing up the house; just make wise design choices.

Sell Your House

Since most home buyers look for houses with real estate agents, don't waste your valuable time trying to sell on your own unless you have sold many houses and know exactly how to manage all the disclosures and paperwork. Find an agent who is willing to show the house, not just place a lock box and forget it. Every time the house is shown, it needs to be staged with lights on.

You can still make money investing in real estate in today's market. Do your homework, learn as much as you can and follow proven strategies.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Jeanette Fisher teaches interior design secrets for fixing houses. For more Real Estate Investing Information for beginners, visit DoghousetoDollhouse.com -- the Internet's largest library of real estate investing tips and articles for beginners. Free ebook and teleseminars: http://doghousetodollhouse.com/real_estate.htm

Writen by Neda Dabestani-Ryba

In October 1999, Oregon was one of the first states that enacted a significant improvement to its Condominium and Planned Community regarding capital reserve planning, a process by which homeowner associations plan and fund future repairs and replacements. For many associations, the process became mandatory although there was an "escape clause" for pre-October 99 Oregon communities.

But there's more to reserve planning than The Law. Where statute stops, the Board's "fiduciary" duty kicks in. A "fiduciary" is one who is given the trust or confidence of another. The Board is entrusted with care of the biggest single asset that most people own, their homes. These people have the right to expect the homeowner association to be run like the business that it is...a corporation often responsible for millions of dollars in assets.

The reserve study concept was developed during the 1980s as a result of the many aging homeowner associations that found themselves in dire straits due to failure to plan for reserve expenses. The homeowners expected the Board to plan for such events and all too many had no plan other than "dealing with it" when the time came. Well, those "times" came all too soon and inevitability lived up to its reputation. Thus, the obvious need for long range planning came about.

Reserve studies analyze and predict the cost and timing of future repairs of association maintained components like roofing, pools, paving, landscaping, painting, fences, decks and other items that have a useful life of between 3 and 30 years.

The typical condominium association has between 15 and 30 items that fall under the "reserve" definition. When the repair costs of these 15-30 items are added up, it usually amounts to hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars. This is not chump change. It takes careful planning to accumulate the funds plus know how and when to spend it. That's what reserve planning is all about.

Reserve plans require all owners to pay a monthly share of future repairs and replacements. These payments pay for assets that are being used up. If an owner sells, the next owner picks up the monthly share. All owners pay a fair share and no more special assessments! This is as it should be. If you've been thinking there's a better way to manage association assets, there is: It's called a Reserve Study. Whether by law or logic, it's time your homeowner association started doing business like a business.

Neda Dabestani-Ryba is a licensed Realtor in Maryland. She is a member of the President's Circle of Top Real Estate Professionals. She can be reached at (800) 536-3806 or visit her website for more information: http://neda.dabestani.pcragent.com/

Prudential Carruthers REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Writen by Will Daly

Talk about a boom! There are currently over fifty loft projects either built, under construction or proposed for Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe when just five years ago there were literally no residential lofts. Of these buildings there is one that truly stands out. I am in no way affiliated with the building, the developer, or the sales team. However, I am a fan.

Portland Place is a three phase, two hundred unit, project which will contain condo "flats", two story loft penthouses, and what the developer calls brownstones (I call them two story condos made of brick since they don't really have the feel of a brownstone). Portland place is located on the north edge of the Phoenix Art District, just a short walk from the Phoenix Art Museum and the Library and reportedly just one building away from a light rail station. I really like the floor plans and the project as a whole is architecturally interesting. The current plans call for three large buildings with six, eight and ten stories each to house a total of 184 flats and lofts and two smaller buildings with sixteen brownstones. What I really like is the price. The sales team is selling phase one with prices starting in the mid-$300 per foot range. This is a real deal. The one thing that I think really hurts this project is that regardless of how large a unit one buys, he or she only gets one parking space. That might fly in denser cities like Chicago, New York or San Francisco but that does not work in Phoenix. The good news is that the developer has now said that with Phase Two he'll build enough parking spaces for the folks in Phase One to have another spot. Of course he'll charge for it but that's pretty much the norm today (there are exceptions).

There is one other thing; I'm a bit concerned that they have done very little construction at the site. Yes a hole is dug. But a hole alone shows very little financial commitment on the part of a developer; after all a hole can be filled back in RELATIVELY inexpensively. Until I start seeing concrete and footings I'll wonder if this guy is moving forward or not. I for one sure hope he does.

Copyright © 2006 Will Daly. All Rights Reserved.

For current pricing, floor plan or status information on Portland Place or ANY loft project in Phoenix, Scottsdale or Tempe contact Will Daly, a Realtor with RE/MAX Excalibur and owner of http://www.WeKnowUrban.com/and http://www.CondosPhx.com/ and http://www.We-Know-Urban.blogspot.com/. His phone number is (480) 510-8755.

Writen by Chris Anderson, PhD

But teacher, the computer gremlins ate my homework!!!!! Unfortunately, that is what happened to my well crafted article for last week, right before I left to teach classes at the Learning Annex in New York.

The good news is that after being in NYC, I can now give a really strong example about today's topic which covers what to do once you have found ( or created) a great real estate investment group. What MOST people do from human is exactly opposite of what it takes to be a part of a real estate investment group that yields outstanding investments time after time.

It is human nature to believe that if you have something good, you don't share it with others for fear of not having enough to go around. Psychologists call this a "SCARCITY" model were people believe that there is only a finite supply of anything worthwhile. Coming from a very conservative background, where I grew up the son of a college professor, I was cursed with this scarcity belief.

As I started to gain more and more success, the more I realized that many successful people believed exactly the opposite of me: that is, they believed that by working together and sharing, you could produce an INFINITE supply of whatever was wanted. This is what experts refer to as an ABUNDANCE model.

So how does that apply to us? Let me give you the example from the Learning Annex. During our last night, we had a person in attendance that has been with our group for some time and has participated in multiple projects. This person is a full time real estate investor, is very savvy in her choices, and it's a big believer in the power of real estate investment groups.

Afterwards, we got talking about how she might be interested in purchasing multiple units in our N. Tampa project and probably would also know others that were interested. To her credit, she did not want to "hog" too many units for either herself or others outside of the GetPreconstructionDeals.com real estate investment group.

In my opinion, this person could SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE the ability of others in our real estate investment group by telling others now. Yes, we may run out on "this project" but now let's look complete the chain of events:

1. Some people cannot get into the project because it is sold out;

2. Because it is sold out, several developers take notice and want to offer special incentives to the real estate investment group;

3. Another good project is offered and because of more people are around, a substantial number of properties are consumed, some of them by people who could not get in last time.

4. In turn, this continued activity attracts even better opportunities by developers

5. Because the opportunities are continuing to flow, more and more people are attracted to the real estate investment group;

6. The process simply continues providing an ABUNDANCE of opportunities for all.

Now, suppose you do the opposite and individuals decide that it is a bad idea to grow the real estate investment group. Now what happens?

1. First project, everybody gets to participate and is very happy;

2. Developer's notice what occurred and want to work with the real estate investment group;

3. Next project is offered but VERY FEW people participate because they are personally tapped out since many in the group only want about 1 investment per year;

4. The real estate investment group now has difficulties getting good projects in the future since developer's don't know if it will work.

Let's do a real life, current day example. Right now, we are in discussions with a mid-size developer for getting access to about 40 units of a project that we think will truly be awesome. But what this developer NEEDS our real estate investment group to do is take 40 units VERY QUICKLY to greatly assist in their financing program.

For our real estate investment group, if we can solve the developer's problem and get good investments for ourselves, they have another 160 units coming several months behind this project; i.e., increasing opportunity for EVERYONE. It is our personal stance that by feeding the below cycle, EVERYBODY in the real estate investment group wins over the long term.

For this reason, regardless of if you have your own real estate investment group or if you are a GetPreconstructionDeals.com member, we hope you will keep growing your group by telling people what you do and how they can participate.

This is the last in our series about real estate investment groups and how to get the most out of them. In March, we start our next series talking about the a number of real estate investments and how we see them fare in 2006 and beyond.

Copyright 2006 Chris Anderson

Dr. Chris Anderson is the founder of http://www.GetPreconstructionDeals.com and is referenced in many venues including the New York Times and USA Today. Get his weekly, thought provoking articles by signing up today!

Writen by Don Berthiaume

By learning what you need to know and preparing how to purchase a home ahead of time, you will be less likely to become so enamored with a particular property that you fall into the traps and the pitfalls that are so often the result of IDM, or Irrational Decision Making.

Do not allow your emotions to come before sound and rational reasoning when making the decision to purchase a home.

Let's face it; if you've been out house hunting, you know the feeling you get when you finally think you've found a house you really like.

You're like a kid in a toy store, excited about the possibilities that this dream house could really be yours.

When you go to see the home, you're herded through it like sheep in a predetermined pattern.

• You're not encouraged to spend as much time as you need in any one place.
• You're not able to ask as many questions as you would like.
• You're not asked if you would like to set up another time to come back and go through the house again.

The option to sit down and have a good conversation with the owner is not available to you.

In other words, you're expected to make a decision on the largest single purchase of your life without having many of the facts you really need.

Of course, you're likely to get a home inspection and an appraisal done. But, if you think that's enough to protect you, you've got another thing coming to you.

After over 21 years dealing in real estate and its many players, I am here to tell you it simply is not.

• When it comes down to buying a home, nobody but you is going to be watching out for your best interest.
• You need to get as much information as you can before you buy.
• There is no one who can (or will) be as thorough as you.

Why? Because nobody else has to be as thorough.

It's not their home. They're not going to be living there.

And, whatever issues you end up having, they can't see them from their house!

Ask anyone who has ever purchased a home this one question:

After you purchased your home, were there things that you saw, noticed, or realized about the property that had they been seen, noticed or realized BEFORE making the purchase would have changed the way you proceeded with the home buying process?

Possible changes might have included:

• Offering less for the home,
• Making it a condition of the sale that something be repaired or replaced, or
• Not having gone through with the purchase at all!

Think about that for a moment.

What is the probability that you're going to be able to keep a level head when the real estate agent is telling you that you need to act quickly because there are three other showings after you?

And you "just love" the house...

If you are unprepared, but feeling pressured, how likely is it that you will make an informed decision quickly when you haven't even done any homework on the property?

Remember:

• Don't be pressured into making the mistakes typical homebuyers make.
• Take the time to do your homework and get the information you need to make a rational buying decision, then
• Step back, take a deep breathe and really look at what you're about to buy.

Copyright 2005 Don Berthiaume

Don Berthiaume gives you the questions you need to ask when buying a home. For more details, and for a free 4-part mini-course in home buying, visit this site now: Buying a Home