home › Archive by category 'Before Buying a Home'
First Time Home Buyer Tip #2
How can you tell what’s a good neighborhood? We like to use what we call the “9PM Rule”. Here’s how it works … as you stand in front of a house you like, ask yourself, “would I feel comfortable with my mom walking around all by herself in this neighborhood at 9PM? You will have [...]
- Posted by David Axness
- Comments (0)
- Subscribe
First Time Home Buyer Tip #1
Don’t close any credit card accounts during the loan process. What?? You thought it was bad to have too many credit card accounts, right? Well, if you have any type of credit account (in good standing) for a long time, it really improves your credit score. Closing those account will only harm you. So, use [...]
- Posted by David Axness
- Comments (0)
- Subscribe
Should you Buy a Lease Option?
No! Ok, maybe that was too strong of a response… how about, probably not. What do I have against lease-options? Nothing really and they can be a very useful tool. The problem is that they are a chain saw and if you’ve never even used a handsaw, you probably should not mess with one! In [...]
- Posted by David Axness
- Comments (0)
- Subscribe
Should I Pay Off all my Debts Before Buying a Home?
That’s a terrific question that we get all the time. The answer is, as always in real estate, “it depends”. Let me explain by way of an illustration.
- Posted by David Axness
- Comments (0)
- Subscribe
Should I Buy a House if Prices are Still Dropping?
Should you wait around until you know prices have hit “the bottom?” And how exactly are you going to know when that glorious day has arrived? What if interest rates go up by then? So many questions! Here’s an idea: 1. Find a house you like and would enjoy living in for at least 5 years.
- Posted by David Axness
- Comments (2)
- Subscribe
Top 5 Reasons Home Loans Get Denied
I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked “Why aren’t banks loaning any money right now?” Not true! Banks actually are loaning money- lots of it- but the stories in the news have gotten people to think that nobody can get a loan right now. But, the ones that do get turned down [...]
- Posted by David Axness
- Comments (0)
- Subscribe
Are There Any Zero Down Loans Left?
First time buyers love zero down loans and understandably so. They often have student loans to pay off, maybe a car loan or two, and have not been at their current job for long enough to save up a lot of money.
- Posted by David Axness
- Comments (0)
- Subscribe
First Time Home Buyer Tip #4
Jan 04