There are several things that should be avoided before purchasing a home. If you aren’t careful to avoid these common mistakes, it is possible that your closing will be delayed or even canceled. Your adherence to the following rules will put the keys to the house in your hands quickly.

First, don’t damage your debt to income ratio by making a major purchase before closing. If you decide you can’t live without that brand new BMW, you might have to wait on owning a home. The bank could easily determine that your sky high car payment would hinder your ability to pay your mortgage. Wait until after you get the house to do some spending. No one expects a brand new house full of furniture and a sports car in the driveway unless you are a famous sports figure or Donald Trump.

Secondly, don’t change jobs if you don’t have to. The lenders like to see consistency versus constant job hopping. If you are just miserable with your job, maybe you can switch to a different job within the same field. Or you can tough it out until you have the house and then start putting out resumes.

Also, you should never surrender your earnest money to a For Sale by Owner Seller. There isn’t anything stopping the sellers from spending the money before the transaction goes through. If the deal should fall through, the buyers would have to fight tooth and nail to get that deposit back. You should put the deposit into a trust account. You should be able to find an attorney willing to hold the deposit for you until the transaction is finalized. Your contract needs to state what will happen to the deposit in the event that the transaction falls through.

In addition, never let emotions guide you. Stay practical and realistic during the home buying process. Some sellers are willing to fix some of the problems with the home and others may not be as willing. Don’t let that refusal close the door on your dream home. Conversely, you shouldn’t let your loyalty to the home blind you to costly repairs down the road. You certainly don’t want to be in a money pit.

Furthermore, don’t forget to have the utilities activated. The utility companies might need a few days to switch the service. Don’t forget to cancel the service at the old residence. That seems simple enough, yet many people forget that step entirely.

Another costly mistake might be forgetting to secure hazard insurance. Talk to your insurance company right away because the lender will want to see proof of coverage for the new home at closing. Failing to line up the insurance will lead to delays in closing.

You should not get too personal with the seller. After all, this is a business transaction, so it should be treated professionally. If you get into too many personal discussions, you might say something that could be taken the wrong way by the seller. You might have been joking about the ugly green carpet in the guest bedroom, but the seller might have taken that as offensive. In the end, it could hurt the dynamics of the transaction. You should be friendly, but professional.

If the appraisal comes in too low, don’t freak out. There are several solutions to this dilemma. The seller might be willing to come down on the price of the home. The buyer can put more money down if they are committed to that home. The buyer and seller can negotiate the deal or the appraisal can be disputed.

Don’t forget to use your agent. It is the agent’s job to keep up with the daily details of the deal, including the lender, the seller, and the seller’s agent. It is also your agent’s responsibility to set up a final walkthrough prior to closing.

Lastly, don’t forget to take care of your end of the deal. You must be on the same page as the lender. Provide them with the paperwork they need and answer their questions in a timely manner. Failure to do so will keep you from opening the front door of your new home.

These are some of the most common mistakes home buyers make. Educating yourself about the process will ensure a smoother transaction and a definite housewarming party.

Shop for a Card with Low Rates rather than apply for a Loan

Are you looking for a way to consolidate your credit card debt? Or are you thinking of making a big purchase and don’t have enough in your savings to cover the cost of that new car or home theater system? You first thought is going to the bank for a loan, right? If you’re in either of these situations, you might consider using your credit card instead of the bank. Despite their obvious dangers, credit cards can also be useful financial tools, and if you do your research, they can also be a smart alternative to a typical loan.

Credit cards have quite a bad rap, because many people are not able to control themselves when it comes to credit. People can get themselves into thousands and thousands of dollars of credit card debt because they lack self-control in this area. It is easy to take the attitude of “I’ll enjoy buying it today and worry about paying it tomorrow,” and then turn the blame on the cards when the bill arrives. Credit cards are not inherently bad; it’s the manner in which they are used that makes them dangerous.

There are many ways in which you can avoid all of the aggravation associated with credit cards. If you have fewer cards and work on paying off your entire bill each month, then you avoid high interest payments and late payment penalties. If you are already dealing with a large credit debt, you can switch to a low annual percentage rate card. This way all of your debt is consolidated and you’ll only have to worry about paying one bill a month.

There are many factors to take into consideration when choosing a credit card. Of course you’re looking for a low interest rate, but what about the annual rate? Does the amount you have to pay annually really make for a lower interest rate? What about cards those allow you to earn miles towards airfare or a new car? Are the points you get really worth the amount of extra money you may pay in interest rates and annual fees? Be smart and do your research. To help you with this process, many websites now offer an online credit card calculator so you can figure out the best rate for you. These calculators can give you an idea of how much you can expect to pay and they include interest rates and annuals fees in their calculations. When you sit down and start figuring out the true cost of credit card debt, you might find yourself shocked with the results.

But then again if you take the time to sit down and figure out how much interest you will pay the bank on a standard car loan, you might be even more stunned. Banks can make as much or even more interest that your credit card company. You must also go through a long process and a great deal of red tape when applying for a loan at the bank. If you already have a credit card with a high enough limit and a low interest rate that is comparable to what the bank will offer, then why not just use it?

Certainly the bank is more disciplined and you have a solid payment schedule that needs to be adhered to, whereas a credit card company only requires you to pay a minimum amount each month. If this is your only concern, there are ways around this and you don’t even need to practice that much self-discipline! Through the advances of modern technology, you can set up a monthly withdrawal through online banking and make sure that the money you need to pay every month goes into a savings account or right onto your credit card bill. A good idea is to set this automatic withdrawal for payday so you’ll be sure that money gets tucked away before you have a chance to spend it.

It’s important to shop around. Look at the rates your local bank is offering for loans and see if there is a card that matches it. In the long run it could save you a lot of aggravation and money going with a credit card rather than the bank. It might just be the solution to all your credit woes.

If you decide to sell your home yourself, instead of working with a real estate agency, then there are some very important things you should know before placing your first “For Sale by Owner” (FSBO) advertisement. First, you would have to do your own marketing analysis and develop a reasonable asking price for your house. Then you will also have to work on the home’s interior and curb appeal and repair any minor problems.

Some states’ haves laws that require the seller to give the potential buyers at least one property disclosure when you sell the home. These disclosures basically pertain to the condition of the property or location. Some of these disclosures may be as simple as how old the house is and whether there are problems existing within the house that the potential buyer needs to be made aware of. But these disclosures can also extend to property disputes and whether the house is located in a flood zone, on an earthquake fault or near an airport. There may be other issues depending on your location.

Most houses built before 1978 may have lead-based paint. Federal law requires the sellers of FSBO houses to disclose this information and provide details to the potential owners about past lead tests or offer the opportunity for the buyers to do their own testing. Many buyers and sellers won’t perform the lead tests, but the seller should at least provide the buyers with a lead paint pamphlet, that is available for free of charge from the Environmental Protection Agency.

When selling your home, the property’s exterior, or ‘curb appeal’ can greatly affect the buyer’s decision on looking at the inside of your house. If buyers see a cluttered, unkept yard, they are most likely to assume that the inside of the house has nothing better to offer. Therefore, you will be losing a potential buyer. You want to get the best possible offer on your house, which may require you to take a look around and clean up your house’s general appearance.

Curb Appeal not only includes your front yard, but also applies to your back yard as well. Buyers will eventually want to view the back yard as they are shown the rest of your house. In order to have an attractive curb appeal, you can:

1. Mow the lawn and pull all the weeds by hand or by the use of a weed eater.

2. Rake leaves and dispose properly of the leaves, so there aren’t any unsightly leaf piles in the yard.

3. Pick up any debris and properly dispose of.

4. Trim bushes, shrubs or tree’s that are overgrown. Trees’ with branches extending toward your roof should be trimmed back to avoid damage to the house.

5. Store your lawn mower or other unnecessary lawn maintenance tools or garden implements out of sight to avoid a cluttered lawn.

6. Clean all windows, siding and decks with a pressure washer to brighten the appearance of the house.

7. Clean all gutters and make sure they are all attached and working properly.

8. Clean up any animal waste on a regular basis.

9. For those with children, keep the yard free of toy clutter and wash away any chalk marks or other art mad by children on the sidewalk or concrete.

Now that your home has curb appeal that is attractive enough to entice potential buyers, you must apply the same care and attention to the inside of your home to make it just as appealing. Making the inside of your home appealing to buyers can be done by simply maintaining a clean and clutter free appearance, killing any odors and possibly making a few minor repairs.

Now you are ready to open your home to all those frisky real estate agents and their potential buyers. Although showing your home isn’t very difficult, it can be very time consuming because as the seller, you will have to flexible. You will have to be prepared for same day requests to show your home and for those last minute requests, when the real estate agent or buyer is calling you from your front porch. Granting these requests can make a huge difference between the buying and selling of your home.

If you are showing the house yourself, be prepared to answer all questions as politely, truthfully and accurately as possible. What is most important, never get too personal or let your emotions take over when showing your house. The buyers are there to look at your house as a possible purchase and not to discuss your love of collecting clown figurines or how great your nifty little sports car runs.

Juggling the financial burdens of everyday life while paying off a mortgage can be very difficult. There are plenty of budgetary unknowns to try to anticipate over a 10 or 25 year period (or longer), so it helps to have as much information as possible. One of the financial options you should inform yourself about and consider is purchasing discount points to lower the interest rate on your loan.

Discount fees are essentially fees you pay to your financial lender at the time of closing to secure a lower interest rate on your home loan. Each ‘discount point’ costs the home buyer one percent of the loan amount and generally lowers the interest rate on the buyer’s 30 year loan by 0.125 percent. So if a buyer with a home financing loan of $200,000 with an eight percent interest rate pays an extra $2,000 at the time of closing (two discount points worth), he or she can lower his or her interest rate to 7.75 percent. The discount points system lowers the interest rate because the lender is able to collect its money earlier rather than spread out over the course of the loan period.

Buying discount points to lower your loan interest rate may seem like a good idea, and it is for many home buyers, but not all. Depending on the specifics of your loan and your financial situation, buying discount points to lower your interest may save you money or it may not. In some cases, the savings may be so inconsequential that buying the discount points may not be worth the extra financial burden or cash flow stress that it causes.

So how do you know whether or not buying discount points is a worthwhile option for you and your financial situation? The length of time you intend to keep the loan is a key factor to finding the answer to that question. Once you have that information, in an ideal world, there would be no unexpected life expenses and the answer would be revealed with a few simple calculations. Unfortunately, life often dishes out the unexpected and sometimes that costs a lot of money, so it’s impossible to have a fool-proof plan. The good news is the calculations are still fairly straight-forward, and barring any major catastrophes, they can give you a good idea about whether or not it makes sense for you to take advantage of discount points to reduce your loan interest rate.

Begin by using an online mortgage calculator to determine what your monthly payment would be at the interest rate if you do not purchase discount points from your lender. Then do the same calculation to find out how much your month payment would be if you do decide to purchase discount points. Subtract the first amount from the second to figure out the difference you could save each month and then divide the amount it would cost to buy discount points at closing by the monthly amount saved. The resulting figure represents the number of additional months you would have to keep the loan to break even or recover the cost incurred by using points. If you do not intend to stay in the house long enough to recover the cost, you may not want to buy the discount points.

By using a amortization schedule (also available online or from your financial institution) to compare the financial impact of both loan scenarios, you may discover that the reduced-rate loan has a nominally lower principal balance at the end of the discount point cost recoup period, which may also play into your decision.

Finally, you may want to consider the tax advantages presented by purchasing discount points from your lender. The cost of real estate discount points is deductible in the year in which it is paid. Of particular note, buyers are able to deduct the cost of discount points even if the seller actually pays for them.

While there are pros and cons to buying discount points from your home financing lender, your final decision must be based on your specific needs and financial situation. Speak to your financial advisor or lending institution to decide on the best course of action to ensure you can pay off your loan in the best possible way.

Buying your first home is one of the most exciting things you will ever do. If you have spent years living in apartments, there is nothing more satisfying than owning your own property. The process can be a little lengthy and you might hit a few bumps in the road to home ownership. The following tips will help the first time homeowner avoid some of the hiccups.

The first thing you should do is talk to a real estate agent about the home buying process. It should not be a sales meeting and you should be able to find an agent that will agree to meet with you about the basics without having to sign a sales agreement with them. If you can’t find a good agent to talk to, you might want to consider talking to a loan officer at your bank or a mortgage broker.

An equally important tip is to get your finances in order before you apply for a mortgage. Order a copy of your credit report so you can check it for accuracy. Mistakes are common and you want to make sure that there is no fraudulent activity. You have the right to dispute errors on your credit report. If you come across something that you know is an error, circle it and send it to the reporting agency along with a letter of dispute.

Next, you should really study the mortgage industry. You need to be able to find the right loan and lender most suitable for your needs. Familiarize yourself with industry terms like debt to income ratio and adjustable rate mortgage. Learn the difference between pre-approval and pre-qualified. It will all seem foreign at first, but taking the time to learn the business will spare you from headaches in the future.

Also, you need to figure out what your wants and needs are. What kinds of amenities are you looking for? How many bedrooms? One story or two story home? You also need to consider the size of the down payment and figure out what you need to do to come up with the money for it.

You must learn about how real estate agents work. There are buyer’s agents and seller’s agents. A buyer’s agent’s responsibility is to negotiate the best deal for the buyer. The goal of the seller’s agent is to get the price that the seller most desires. The best way to find the right agent is to ask your friends for suggestions. They have all probably been in the same boat, so they can probably recommend a good real estate agent. When meeting with a potential agent, pay attention to how they treat you. Make sure they listen to you when you talk about what you want. Also, how are their follow up skills? Do they take the time to return your calls or emails? If they don’t take the time to respond, move on. There is a better agent out there for you.

When looking for a home, consider all of the possibilities. Look up real estate agent’s websites. Don’t rule out For Sale by Owner Properties and foreclosed homes. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) homes can often be found for very reasonable prices. You do need to find an agent that is approved to sell HUD homes if you choose to take that road to home ownership.

Before you even think about making an offer, you need to consider the resale value. You might plan on being there for a long time, but you just never know. You might opt for a different climate to alleviate your allergies or you could simply be transferred by your company. You want to pick a good location that will be attractive to others as well.

Another issue that cannot be ignored are the deed restrictions, which govern what you can and cannot do with the property. If it has always been your dream to have a pool, you want to make sure that you don’t buy a home in a subdivision that won’t allow it because of deed restrictions.

Home inspections are an important part of the equation. Talk to your agent to find out when the inspection will be performed. It varies state to state. Sometimes the inspection will be right before the contract is signed and other times, they are performed right after an offer is made.

Finally, make sure you stay on top of things. Any number of problems can crop up at the last minute and delay the purchase of your home. If you aren’t sure about something with the paperwork, don’t be afraid to ask questions. You might think of something that everyone else has overlooked. Purchasing a home is a time consuming task, but it is worth it when you have your backyard barbeques.