Buying a home involves more out-of-pocket than just the down payment. There are also closing costs to pay for items such as title policies, recording fees, inspections, courier charges, reserves to set up an impound account and fees that a lender charges.
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You can tell a lot about a neighborhood by driving through it. Manicured lawns and well-kept homes indicate pride of ownership. Junk cars parked on overgrown lawns and overturned mattresses at the curb are signs of decay. However, if you rely on these ind
Continue reading >>To understand who pays real estate commissions -- whether it's sellers or buyers or both -- first take a look at how real estate agents are paid and how they share cooperating commissions. Don't be embarrassed if you don't know how commissions work becaus
Continue reading >>A reader asks: "We aren't bragging or anything, but my wife and I have saved enough money to pay all cash for a home. We know we might get a better rate of return in the stock market, but with prices the way they are in Los Angeles, we believe that a sell
Continue reading >>Simply put, buyers' market offers are composed differently than offers in a seller's market. A buyer's market exists when there are a lot of homes on the market and very few buyers. If inventory--the number of homes on the market in your neighborhood--has
Continue reading >>Sometimes buyers get so excited over finding that perfect home to buy that less attention is paid to how they write the purchase offer; however, the quality of your offer is almost as important as the price you offer to buy that home. Listings agents shou
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