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WHAT EVERY BUYER SHOULD KNOW BEFORE PURCHASING A HOME

Posted By: Alan Donald In: Buyers
Date: Thu, Oct 15th 2015 9:56 am

WHAT EVERY BUYER SHOULD KNOW BEFORE PURCHASING A HOME

  1. Property taxes and qualified interest may be deductible on an individual’s federal income tax return.
  2. Due to new regulations, lenders have implemented additional auditing and underwriting steps, which may cause unforeseen last minute delays out of anyone’s control. CONSIDER THE CLOSING DATE A TENTATIVE (TARGET) DATE. It is smart to allow for potential delays, since they are possible. Don’t schedule moving vans for the closing day.Home Shopping
  3. SQUARE FOOTAGE is always approximate and not guaranteed. Different professionals measuring a home will come up with different numbers. If square footage is a big concern, PLEASE HIRE A PROFESSIONAL MEASURING SERVICE BEFORE CLOSING.
  4. Buying a home with a mortgage loan equates to forced savings - a portion of each amortized mortgage payment goes to pay the principal (which is an investment).
  5. A home is one of the few investments that you can enjoy by living in it.
  6. Your Realtor can usually show you any home - whether it is listed with a company, a new homebuilder, or even a home For Sale By Owner (FSBO).  Working through a Realtor to purchase a FSBO can be very advantageous because someone is looking out for YOUR best interests.
  7. Your lender can provide you with a list of items you’ll need to complete your loan application so you’ll be prepared.  Most lenders will give you the option to start the loan process online. 
  8. Current IRS rules state that a homeowner may be able to exclude up to $500,000 of capital gain from income tax if married and filing jointly or up to $250,000 if single or filing separately. The home must have been the taxpayer’s principal residence for two of the last five years.