Posts with tag 'Home-buying tips'

Are you moving to Brighton? Perhaps you have just bought a home in our area, or maybe you're still looking through Brighton homes for sale to find the right house to make into your new home. Whichever the case may be, you will be moving into a new neighborhood, and becoming part of your new community will mean getting to know your new neighbors. Taking that first step can be rather uncomfortable, but to help you break the ice, here are six ways to meet your new neighbors.

1. Spend time outdoors – Make it easy to meet you by spending time out in the yard, sitting on the porch or walking around your neighborhood. Be sure to wave at people or say hello when you pass so that they know you are friendly and interested in getting to know people in your new community. Chances are good that your new neighbors are just as curious about you as you are about them, and an open, friendly demeanor will encourage them to act on that curiosity and introduce themselves.

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Buying a home is a significant investment that requires you to dig deep into your pockets. At first, it may feel like an impossible challenge. However, it is not as impossible as it seems. With a little planning and the application of a smart financial strategy, you can move into your new home sooner than you may think.

Four Strategies that Lead to Homeownership

• Get Your Financial House in Order
  As a general rule, you will need to save at least 5% of the home's price for a down payment. That is why our REALTORS® recommend getting your financial house in order as soon as possible. This involves cleaning up your credit, paying down debts, and trimming your monthly expenses to the bare minimum. You may need to sell-off non-contributory assets such as extra cars, refinance existing loans, or cut back on the weekly latte meetings with friends. These factors have considerable influence on your ability to save. When these are taken care of, you will find it much easier to save up the down-payment. How long it takes to accomplish these objectives is up to you. Motivated buyers have been known to do all of this in one year. More commonly, it takes between two to three years.
  
  

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There is something special about a walk around the neighborhood.  More than a little bit of exercise, it is the perfect way to meet your neighbors which strengthens the sense of community.   When you're ready to begin your search for Brighton homes for sale, our REALTORS® will be prepared--with walking shoes on--to help you find the perfect neighborhood.

What is Walkability?

Walkability is a broad term that encompasses a neighborhood's walking trails, sidewalks, and pathways, as well as its proximity to schools, shopping, and recreation. Communities with high walkability scores are those that are pedestrian friendly and are well-connected to nearby attractions and amenities.

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Are you caught in the rental trap? If you are dreaming of buying your own home instead of renting, you might be unable to see a clear way to get there with the ever-rising cost of rental payments. 

So how does one escape this trap to begin paying off their own mortgage instead of your landlord's current mortgage? It might not be as hard as you think. Our REALTORS® offer these four ways to start saving to buy one of our Brighton homes for sale.

1. Work to reduce your current housing bills
   Ideally, you should be spending no more than 30 percent of your income on rent. If your current rental is eating up a higher percentage of your income than it should, consider a less expensive place. While downgrading may mean living with fewer conveniences and/or in a less desirable area, it could help you save for a down payment on a home of your own. Lowering your rent-to-income ratio can also help you create a more stable financial profile for yourself, which can be helpful when it comes time to apply for a mortgage loan.
   
   

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Every now and then when you are searching for a home, you will see the term "contingent," which can be confusing for anyone new in the real estate industry. A contingency simply means that a certain condition needs to be met before a buyer can finalize the purchase of a home. If the contingency isn't met, the house will still be available for sale on the open market. Here are just a few of the most common contingencies and how our REALTORS® can help guide you throughout the entire home buying process.

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