Moving to a new residence can play a pretty significant change in a person’s life. One could argue that the mere idea of planning to move from house to house is something that not most people can commit to. All the fear that comes with the idea of resettling is not out of place though, moving into a new house should not be taken lightly as the process involves identifying multiple factors that are often overlooked and causes people to rue the decisions that they’ve made regarding relocation of homes.
Today, we will explore the different aspects that experienced homeowners investigate when looking to move into a new home. It should be worth noting that the factors considered when searching for a new place to settle vary from the type of property that the customer wishes to pursue. Let’s start off of something that every future homeowner should watch out for.
Debt-to-Income Ratio
Buying a house involves spending ridiculous amounts of money. Of course, not everyone is born with wallets filled with money which is why people rely on loans and mortgages when spending costly purchases in order to uplift their financial value. If you find yourself unable to pay for the property that you plan to buy due to lack of funds, most experts agree that applying for a mortgage can solve your housing troubles and then it’s only a matter of how much mortgage you are qualified for.
Lenders – the company responsible for examining your credit whether it qualifies for a mortgage or a loan – measure your credit score which reflects your activities with handling debt in your past transactions and your current situation. One particular factor that most lenders look into is the Debt-to-Income ratio (DTI). A person’s DTI is generally used by most companies as a guideline for approving mortgages. It shows how much and if one is able to pay their debt each month with their current income.
Lenders consider your debt-to-income ratio in tandem with your credit scores when weighing credit applications. It’s simple to calculate your own DTI, divide your gross monthly income to your total monthly debt payments. A debt-to-income ratio of 20% or less is considered low while having a DTI of 40% or more is considered a sign of financial stress.
Down Payment & Interest Rates
When purchasing a property, a homeowner usually finds themselves paying for the down payment of the mortgages which the seller or property manager, the one responsible for looking into the day-to-day activities and situation of the property, receives for the transaction.
After the down payment, you are then required to pay for the monthly mortgage which includes the interest rates that come with purchasing the property. Being able to buy a new home as soon as possible does not come nearly as important as being able to afford it over the long period of monthly payments and debts to come. If you have more questions, try consulting a tax lawyer.
Supply And Demand
Real estate properties are, more often that you realize, referred to as products in the market. Their value increases with the basic economic relationship that the demand is higher than the supply and conversely decreases when the supply is greater than demand. Houses, apartments, and condos for sale, are all products available for purchase. The number of these properties in a city or town determines the supply, how much of them are available in a particular location, while demand becomes the desire to live in a location due to that location’s specific trait. For instance, most people wish to live in the capital of a country therefore, increasing the demand for properties in said capital, and when the supply for properties in the capital become increasingly scarce, property values soar.
Work-wise Convenience and Security
There are multiple reasons for resettlement, but one should always keep in mind that the most crucial factor in looking for a new home is the convenience of having to commute from home to work and possibly, if you have children, the travel from home to school.
Though it is a heavily weighed necessity that your work is conveniently reached, it is
worth noting that the security of the job itself should not be taken lightly. Most people move from place to place without taking into account the possibility of being involved in a shady business or just recently got promoted into a position and then immediately decided to buy a new property in the spur of the moment without really having to settle down a few months before securing his source of income. Remember, your income is and always will be your main concern when buying, and not just buying but securing a property for sale.
Local Community Activity
Choosing a city, a town, or a municipality to settle into is a matter of personal and family security. All places have characteristics that they are popular about. Some places may be known to be peaceful and quiet while some places are known to be inhabited by dangerous people. People who have experienced moving from different places suggest that visiting the local community at different hours of the day while blending among the people and briefly talking to some residents should be a helpful evaluation of whether or not the community fits the preference of the buyer of the property.
Get an Experienced Real Estate 'Advocate'
Real estate properties have what people call real estate agents. Real estate agents, also called realtors, professionally represent the buyers or sellers of a property. They are the ones responsible for selling or buying a house for a considerable amount of money. Basically, they make sure that their clients get the best deal they can get out of the property and the pros and cons that come with it. These realtors are then supervised by real estate brokers. Brokers are real estate agents but better, they are able hire real estate agents to work for them, legally establishing a brokerage which leads to employing and supervising other agents.
Real estate agents are the best partners you can ever rely on when purchasing a property. Realtors are also able to acquire information about the property and its surrounding residences that is not easily accessible to the public. A buyer should not be afraid of the idea that real estate agents could possibly milk you out of bankruptcy, they are held to their ethical rules and one of it involves having to act in the client’s best interests.
Duration of Stay
Your duration of stay within a particular location could possibly limit your optimal options between choosing what type of residence you are about to rent or buy. If, for instance, you are staying only for a month at a particular place due to work-related situations then one can safely assume that you have no intention of staying in that location as soon as your job there is finished.
Having to decide whether you want to stay permanently or not is a must and is a commitment that you have to be willing to deliver to. If you are, for some reason, unsure of the time it will take for you to stay there then take the time to reflect on it and if the timetable for that is still unclear then act on what is most likely to happen. Remember that buying a property and renting it are two very different actions, choosing wrong can lead to you having problems with your finances.
Once you figured out the preexisting problems underlying before you buy a property and decided that you can now commit yourself to buying a condo, have more than enough the money required to purchase a property, talked to your family about it, and chose a place to settle into, it is only a matter of asking which house suits your lifestyle and we have just the guide on what to watch out for when looking at the potential houses.
Location
Indeed, we have already talked about what location to choose before deciding to settle in, but we haven’t shown you what other environmental hazards are often overlooked by homeowners when looking at observing properties on their own.
According to experts, one should not only look inside the home but also under it. Most homeowners do not bother looking for this type of hazard in their place but there is a great chance that your house may be sitting above a fault line which scientifically means that you may be at risk of falling inside a fault crack if, for instance, an earthquake occurs. It is suggested that keeping a five-meter distance on both sides of the fault line for a construction to safely undergo can be considered relatively safe.
If it is unavoidable that your house may be near or on top of a fault line, then it is heavily recommended that you work on a disaster plan and prepare for the worst possible scenario should an earthquake of unknown magnitude occur in your area.
Aside from this, it is only important to note that the location of your home should be accessible to main roads and its close proximity to malls, hospitals, and schools. Many of BedandGo units offer a nice home with good locations.
Size
Size is an economic measure that a homeowner should consider when planning on a purchase. It is not ideal to have a three-story property only to live on your own. Equally, having to buy a small property when you have a family of six isn’t the best place to raise your children, if money is an issue then size should be out of the question. The point is that the size of the house varies on the size of the occupants of said house. This means that the number of bedrooms and bathrooms for the family to have depends on the family’s size. In other words, there is a direct relationship in the event that if the family size increases then the size of your home should also increase.
Kitchen Layout
A kitchen layout pretty much just falls under the space you need to operate. Some people don’t really cook and just let their kitchen be it as it is but there are some that spend a lot in their kitchens, if you are one of them then it might be important not to skip this part of the house.
Age of the Unit
It is vital to some homeowners, particularly the superstitious and religious ones, to dig up the history of a property. In most cases a condominium unit's history should always be talked about, it is a responsibility of the seller or the property manager to disclose the property's history, whether it be good or bad, to the potential homeowner of the property. Besides having to deal with a property's history, it is suggested to also look out for the property's structural stability. Some parts of the house may look healthy, but you should take your time in examining a property, there may be some spots that have not been noticed and have neglected since the last time it was occupied so be on the lookout for these types of hiccups on your way on becoming a homeowner.
Maintenance
A property’s maintenance is also something a potential homeowner should not take lightly. When you decided to afford a house, you also signed yourself up to not only maintain its beauty, but also to improve its current condition. It is one thing to be a proud owner of a property, it is different however, to being a responsible one. Your commitment to owning a property should not limit you to do what everybody expects out of you, it should also include the things that nobody expects you would do.
Finally, after following this guide you should be able to enjoy your own loving home. One thing that no one can tell you to do is to appreciate the things you have worked for yourself to get. Always remember that buying a property should come from the urge or the desire to want something better for yourself. With this, it should also help you to better commit to the decision you have made.
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