Home Buying Tips you Haven’t Heard

The following are not your usual home buying tips. For example, almost everyone will tell you that you should buy a home, but the first tip below suggests an alternative.Consider Renting

This is all about time and place and your own situation. Are you going to be in one place for long? If you are likely to move within a few years, you may be better off renting. Transaction costs of buying and selling will likely eat up any equity gains you get. It may seem profitable to buy at $200,000 and sell at $220,000 two years later, but commissions, closing costs and loan costs can easily add up to $20,000, so where is the gain? Also, there is no guarantee that prices will rise, and if they don’t you suffer a real loss.

Also, it is a matter of the ratio between rental rates and the costs of buying, and what is likely to happen in the market. For example, suppose you are in a slow-growing stable area, and your total monthly cost to buy a home is going to be around $1,200. If rent is anywhere near that for the same size home, you should probably be buying a house.

On the other hand, let’s look at the example of Tucson, Arizona in late 2005. You could buy a small home for about $190,000, with mortgage, taxes and insurance running about $1,325 per month. But you could rent the same home for just $675 per month. Now add to this the fact that home prices had been rising at 20% or more per year for years, and 12% of all recent sales were to speculators, not owner-occupants (a sure sign of a market top).

In this case, it would have made more sense to rent. Had you bought there two years ago, you would have paid $650 per month extra to be a home owner, or $15,600 over these last two years. In addition, the house would probably be worth a little less now than when you bought it. Better to have banked that $15,600 and bought the home today.Other Home Buying Tips

Compare ALL costs when you look at various homes. It is easy to consider just the price of a home, or what that means in terms of a mortgage payment. However, there are other costs. If the home is in a flood zone, for example, insurance could be $200 per month higher than for other homes. Look at taxes, insurance, utility costs (big homes cost more to heat) and any other regular costs, so you can honestly compare houses according to what they will cost you monthly.

Go to online forums to learn about a new town. Many people like to talk about where they live. They get to do this in various online forums, which you can search for by entering the name of the town and “forum” into any search engine. Be aware that these are often places where locals complain about their town, but you can also find interesting and useful information, and ask questions.

If your real estate agent doesn’t represent you, don’t be loyal. If she is really a seller’s agent, she is obligated to pass on comment you make to the seller, like “I think we can go higher if they reject our first offer.” Even if she represents you, be sure she does it well. If you are shown three houses that have nothing to do with the criteria you laid out, show the agent the door. By all means stick with a good agent who really helps you, but otherwise you can also call the listing agent for each house you want to see.

Inspect the home yourself. You probably plan to have a home inspection done by a professional before you buy. But you should also visit the home a second time yourself, and do your own inspection. Bring a checklist and look over everything, even if this takes an hour or more. In this way you can tell the professional inspector what your concerns are, and be ready with questions for him.

There is another reason to do this inspection. It has to do with a concept called “time investment.” Sellers are more likely to accept an offer if they have invested more time and hope into a buyer. Negotiation secrets like this are a whole other area of home buying tips – one that you may want to learn about.

Home Buying Tips

You probably have already heard the usual home buying tips. Here are three that aren’t as common.

1. Home Buying Tip – Buying A House Isn’t Always The Best Plan

Of course real estate agents may say that buying a home is always a good idea. It certainly is good for them, as well as for title companies and bankers. But it isn’t necessarily a good idea for you.

Believe it or not, there are towns where the home values haven’t gone up much – if at all – in ten years or more. Of course in the last year (this is being written in 2007) the prices in many areas have actually dropped in value. The point? Home values do not always go up – at least not in a given year or even several. So don’t buy a home as a get-rich plan.

Maybe you are sure that prices will rise where you are. Even then, though, a home isn’t necessarily a good investment, if rents are low relative to home prices. In Tucson, Arizona, for example, a two-bedroom home might sell for $190,000, but you can rent one for just $750 per month. If you spend $700 less each month versus buying, and bank that money, you could be further ahead financially three years from now.

Consider how long you’ll be in the home. This is important because of transaction costs. Buying and later selling your home can cost 10% of the home value. It will have to go up that much in value just to even break even. If you move in the first couple years and prices have gone nowhere, you’ll end up thousands of dollars further behind.

2. Home Buying Tip – A Real Estate Agent Is Not Your Friend

Even if your agent actually is your friend, she won’t necessarily look out for your best interest. In fact, she can’t, if she is working for the seller. Unless specifically is working as a buyer’s agent, she is legally obligated to work for the interest of the seller. The seller, after all, is the one paying the commission. If you say something like “I might go $5,000 higher,” she is obligated to pass on this information to the seller.

Even with a buyers agent, be careful, because people talk – even good agents. Don’t say things you don’t want known by all. Also keep in mind that agents make money only when there is a sale, and they make more on larger sales. This might mean less than perfect objectivity when helping you choose a home.

3. Home Buying Tip – Low Offers Sometime Work

The real estate agents out there won’t appreciate this tip, because low offers are embarrassing for them to bring to a seller. It may even be embarrassing for you to make the offer. However, I have a friend who embarrassed himself into a lakefront home for 15% less than it was worth. Would you like to immediately increase your net worth by $40,000 when buying a home?

Here’s how low offers work: rarely. You’ll let many nice homes get away, you’ll spend a lot of time making offers, and you’ll annoy real estate agents. However, as long as you don’t have time constraints, or the fantasy that there is one “perfect” house for you, making low offers can be a good way to save money. But here’s one last home buying tip: If none of your offers even get you a counter-offer, you may really be wasting your time and trying to go too low.

Tips to Help your Home Sell Faster

If you take a look around online to try to find tips that will help your home sell faster, you should not have to look very hard. The question is how to separate the facts from the opinions. Well, the simple answer is to take the advice of the professionals that have the experience and talent when it comes to home sales. The longer answer is to try think about what you read in terms of common sense. home sales can be a complicated thing when you get down to all the paperwork, title searches and negotiations but at the root, selling a home is simply about marketing a product. True this is a fairly BIG product but it is sales all the same and consumers want the best value for their dollar and they want to be happy with what they have purchased. Buyer’s remorse is much different when you are talking about $200,000 or more.

The first thing that needs to be mentioned has pretty much been beaten to death in articles but I list it here because it is completely true. A home needs to be clean to sell. Not just everyday clean, show home clean. Think about it this way, you would not buy a dirty shirt or a dirty car. Why? Because it implies that the previous owner does not take care of it and that it is in bad condition. Home buyers think like this. If the home is dirty then what other things have been left unfixed or in poor condition? Maybe nothing, but is that a risk you afford to take?

Pricing is another big issue for some buyers and sellers alike. Sellers have the tendency to want the highest dollar for their homes and rightfully so, but in that one must remember that your home’s value and the value YOU place on the home are different. Proper pricing is dependent on the local market, and what homes in your area are currently selling for. Home values do not depend on fond memories or the emotional worth that you have for the property. Buyers will typically not care that your children grew up there or that your father built the home himself. They care about what the home can offer them if they choose to buy it. Buyers will look at the value of your home in respect to what else is on the market in your area and if the home is overpriced, you better believe that their realtor will tell them that.

The final word on home sales would have to be curb appeal. This is another term that is always mentioned in the same breath as home sales and has a huge effect on the presentation of a property. Curb appeal is simply how good your home and property look from the street. First impressions are huge in this industry and it can be very difficult to market a home that does not impress at first sight. The last thing that any seller wants is to see prospective buyers drive up and then after looking at the home, drive away. Just like any other product that is for sale, the packaging must catch a buyer’s attention and catch it for the right reasons.

Common Sense Home Security Tips

I don’t think it’s necessary to explain how important is to protect your home from burglars, because anyone who appreciates his/her family and possessions will understand. But if it’s important, why so many home owners seem to disregard their home protection? For those who do want to improve the security of their homes, here are some tips to consider:

1) Have in mind that a burglar’s three worst enemies are light, time and noise. If he is forced to “work” in the light, or he is going to take too long to break into your home, it’s more likely he is not going to give it a try.

2) Try to figure out what’s your home’s easiest entry, the pass way the burglar would use to enter your home. Do you know where is it? Good! Now try to make it more secure. Tips: Trim trees and shrubs near doors and windows. Prefer low fences which make it hard for a burglar to work in a quiet and hidden place. Use good outdoors lightning for the same reasons: Your house should be a hard place for a burglar to “work” comfortably.

3) As mentioned before, time is another burglar’s enemy. If he is forced to take five or six minutes longer, he may consider leaving. So how could you apply this tip to your home? Try adding good quality and strong locks to your doors and windows, and use them!

4) Noise is a burglar’s third enemy, and here is where alarm systems come to scene! Install an alarm system with detectors mounted on all doors and windows that could be used by an intruder.

5) Do you have valuables, such as fine furniture, paintings, or expensive/luxury accessories that can be easily seen from the outdoors? Try changing the location of your valuables so that they can’t be seen easily from outside. This way burglars will have less motivation to enter your home. It’s also a good advice to keep a household inventory (a list of your most valuable belongings, such as furniture, electronics, etc.) This document could be used when reporting a burglary, and to file an insurance claim as well.

6) Establish a routine so that every night before going to sleep, and every time you are going out and leaving your home alone, you make sure your doors and windows are locked and the alarm system is on.

7) Don’t give information to people you don’t know over the telephone, and teach your children to do the same. Don’t write you home address in “?want” or “I sell” ads on newspapers or online bulletin boards.
Notify police when you see suspicious strangers in your neighborhood.

9) Handle your keys carefully, e.g. don’t use a key ring which has your home address in it, because if you loose your keys and they are found by a criminal, he will know exactly where to go (and not to return your keys by the way!) Don’t leave your house keys inside your car in a parking lot, and finally don’t try to hide your keys in “secret” places outside your home, as most burglars will know where to look.

Applying all these home security tips will not only prevent burglars to enter your home and steal your valuable possessions, but also give you the desirable peace of mind we all need.

Bright and Airy Homes Sell Better

Home selling, while time consuming can be intensely rewarding when the final offer finally comes in. There is nothing like the feeling of selling your home for an amount that males you happy and makes you some money. However in achieving this goal you may want to make a few changes to your home so that it shows better when listed, Homes that have dark and morose colors do not show too well as the dreary feeling of the dark paint is not really conducive to a selling environment. Buyers like to feel welcomed and warm when they arrive at a home and a gloomy atmosphere is the worst thing they can arrive to.

In keeping a home bright and airy it does not mean that you have to fore go those darker colors that you like so much, simply that for the home to sell right you may want to save those darker colors for your new home and put something warm on the walls before the show. Also, in preparing for the showing, make sure to take down and art that might not be to the taste of the masses. It is likely that there could be people of all ages viewing your home from children to seniors and it’s a safe bet that they will not all share your taste in decorations or art. Anything questionable or risky should go. This is especially true if you have teenage kids as they have a tendency to put loud posters and clippings on the walls.

Keeping the home airy is another good practice for selling. during the summer it is nice to have the windows open to catch a gentle breeze. Also having the rooms well lit will help to create a more open feeling. Homes that feel stuffy and congested always take longer to sell than homes that are open and airy.

Humans as a species do not like to feel “hemmed in” and dark colors and too much furniture can easily create that feeling. Especially in a smaller home. If it is necessary to remove some furniture prior to the show then do not hesitate to do so. The more open the home the better it will show.

Home Buying Tips you Haven’t Heard

The following are not your usual home buying tips. For example, almost everyone will tell you that you should buy a home, but the first tip below suggests an alternative.Consider Renting

This is all about time and place and your own situation. Are you going to be in one place for long? If you are likely to move within a few years, you may be better off renting. Transaction costs of buying and selling will likely eat up any equity gains you get. It may seem profitable to buy at $200,000 and sell at $220,000 two years later, but commissions, closing costs and loan costs can easily add up to $20,000, so where is the gain? Also, there is no guarantee that prices will rise, and if they don’t you suffer a real loss.

Also, it is a matter of the ratio between rental rates and the costs of buying, and what is likely to happen in the market. For example, suppose you are in a slow-growing stable area, and your total monthly cost to buy a home is going to be around $1,200. If rent is anywhere near that for the same size home, you should probably be buying a house.

On the other hand, let’s look at the example of Tucson, Arizona in late 2005. You could buy a small home for about $190,000, with mortgage, taxes and insurance running about $1,325 per month. But you could rent the same home for just $675 per month. Now add to this the fact that home prices had been rising at 20% or more per year for years, and 12% of all recent sales were to speculators, not owner-occupants (a sure sign of a market top).

In this case, it would have made more sense to rent. Had you bought there two years ago, you would have paid $650 per month extra to be a home owner, or $15,600 over these last two years. In addition, the house would probably be worth a little less now than when you bought it. Better to have banked that $15,600 and bought the home today.Other Home Buying Tips

Compare ALL costs when you look at various homes. It is easy to consider just the price of a home, or what that means in terms of a mortgage payment. However, there are other costs. If the home is in a flood zone, for example, insurance could be $200 per month higher than for other homes. Look at taxes, insurance, utility costs (big homes cost more to heat) and any other regular costs, so you can honestly compare houses according to what they will cost you monthly.

Go to online forums to learn about a new town. Many people like to talk about where they live. They get to do this in various online forums, which you can search for by entering the name of the town and “forum” into any search engine. Be aware that these are often places where locals complain about their town, but you can also find interesting and useful information, and ask questions.

If your real estate agent doesn’t represent you, don’t be loyal. If she is really a seller’s agent, she is obligated to pass on comment you make to the seller, like “I think we can go higher if they reject our first offer.” Even if she represents you, be sure she does it well. If you are shown three houses that have nothing to do with the criteria you laid out, show the agent the door. By all means stick with a good agent who really helps you, but otherwise you can also call the listing agent for each house you want to see.

Inspect the home yourself. You probably plan to have a home inspection done by a professional before you buy. But you should also visit the home a second time yourself, and do your own inspection. Bring a checklist and look over everything, even if this takes an hour or more. In this way you can tell the professional inspector what your concerns are, and be ready with questions for him.

There is another reason to do this inspection. It has to do with a concept called “time investment.” Sellers are more likely to accept an offer if they have invested more time and hope into a buyer. Negotiation secrets like this are a whole other area of home buying tips – one that you may want to learn about.

Home Buying Tips you Haven’t Heard

The following are not your usual home buying tips. For example, almost everyone will tell you that you should buy a home, but the first tip below suggests an alternative.Consider Renting

This is all about time and place and your own situation. Are you going to be in one place for long? If you are likely to move within a few years, you may be better off renting. Transaction costs of buying and selling will likely eat up any equity gains you get. It may seem profitable to buy at $200,000 and sell at $220,000 two years later, but commissions, closing costs and loan costs can easily add up to $20,000, so where is the gain? Also, there is no guarantee that prices will rise, and if they don’t you suffer a real loss.

Also, it is a matter of the ratio between rental rates and the costs of buying, and what is likely to happen in the market. For example, suppose you are in a slow-growing stable area, and your total monthly cost to buy a home is going to be around $1,200. If rent is anywhere near that for the same size home, you should probably be buying a house.

On the other hand, let’s look at the example of Tucson, Arizona in late 2005. You could buy a small home for about $190,000, with mortgage, taxes and insurance running about $1,325 per month. But you could rent the same home for just $675 per month. Now add to this the fact that home prices had been rising at 20% or more per year for years, and 12% of all recent sales were to speculators, not owner-occupants (a sure sign of a market top).

In this case, it would have made more sense to rent. Had you bought there two years ago, you would have paid $650 per month extra to be a home owner, or $15,600 over these last two years. In addition, the house would probably be worth a little less now than when you bought it. Better to have banked that $15,600 and bought the home today.Other Home Buying Tips

Compare ALL costs when you look at various homes. It is easy to consider just the price of a home, or what that means in terms of a mortgage payment. However, there are other costs. If the home is in a flood zone, for example, insurance could be $200 per month higher than for other homes. Look at taxes, insurance, utility costs (big homes cost more to heat) and any other regular costs, so you can honestly compare houses according to what they will cost you monthly.

Go to online forums to learn about a new town. Many people like to talk about where they live. They get to do this in various online forums, which you can search for by entering the name of the town and “forum” into any search engine. Be aware that these are often places where locals complain about their town, but you can also find interesting and useful information, and ask questions.

If your real estate agent doesn’t represent you, don’t be loyal. If she is really a seller’s agent, she is obligated to pass on comment you make to the seller, like “I think we can go higher if they reject our first offer.” Even if she represents you, be sure she does it well. If you are shown three houses that have nothing to do with the criteria you laid out, show the agent the door. By all means stick with a good agent who really helps you, but otherwise you can also call the listing agent for each house you want to see.

Inspect the home yourself. You probably plan to have a home inspection done by a professional before you buy. But you should also visit the home a second time yourself, and do your own inspection. Bring a checklist and look over everything, even if this takes an hour or more. In this way you can tell the professional inspector what your concerns are, and be ready with questions for him.

There is another reason to do this inspection. It has to do with a concept called “time investment.” Sellers are more likely to accept an offer if they have invested more time and hope into a buyer. Negotiation secrets like this are a whole other area of home buying tips – one that you may want to learn about.

Home Buying Tips you Haven’t Heard

The following are not your usual home buying tips. For example, almost everyone will tell you that you should buy a home, but the first tip below suggests an alternative.Consider Renting

This is all about time and place and your own situation. Are you going to be in one place for long? If you are likely to move within a few years, you may be better off renting. Transaction costs of buying and selling will likely eat up any equity gains you get. It may seem profitable to buy at $200,000 and sell at $220,000 two years later, but commissions, closing costs and loan costs can easily add up to $20,000, so where is the gain? Also, there is no guarantee that prices will rise, and if they don’t you suffer a real loss.

Also, it is a matter of the ratio between rental rates and the costs of buying, and what is likely to happen in the market. For example, suppose you are in a slow-growing stable area, and your total monthly cost to buy a home is going to be around $1,200. If rent is anywhere near that for the same size home, you should probably be buying a house.

On the other hand, let’s look at the example of Tucson, Arizona in late 2005. You could buy a small home for about $190,000, with mortgage, taxes and insurance running about $1,325 per month. But you could rent the same home for just $675 per month. Now add to this the fact that home prices had been rising at 20% or more per year for years, and 12% of all recent sales were to speculators, not owner-occupants (a sure sign of a market top).

In this case, it would have made more sense to rent. Had you bought there two years ago, you would have paid $650 per month extra to be a home owner, or $15,600 over these last two years. In addition, the house would probably be worth a little less now than when you bought it. Better to have banked that $15,600 and bought the home today.Other Home Buying Tips

Compare ALL costs when you look at various homes. It is easy to consider just the price of a home, or what that means in terms of a mortgage payment. However, there are other costs. If the home is in a flood zone, for example, insurance could be $200 per month higher than for other homes. Look at taxes, insurance, utility costs (big homes cost more to heat) and any other regular costs, so you can honestly compare houses according to what they will cost you monthly.

Go to online forums to learn about a new town. Many people like to talk about where they live. They get to do this in various online forums, which you can search for by entering the name of the town and “forum” into any search engine. Be aware that these are often places where locals complain about their town, but you can also find interesting and useful information, and ask questions.

If your real estate agent doesn’t represent you, don’t be loyal. If she is really a seller’s agent, she is obligated to pass on comment you make to the seller, like “I think we can go higher if they reject our first offer.” Even if she represents you, be sure she does it well. If you are shown three houses that have nothing to do with the criteria you laid out, show the agent the door. By all means stick with a good agent who really helps you, but otherwise you can also call the listing agent for each house you want to see.

Inspect the home yourself. You probably plan to have a home inspection done by a professional before you buy. But you should also visit the home a second time yourself, and do your own inspection. Bring a checklist and look over everything, even if this takes an hour or more. In this way you can tell the professional inspector what your concerns are, and be ready with questions for him.

There is another reason to do this inspection. It has to do with a concept called “time investment.” Sellers are more likely to accept an offer if they have invested more time and hope into a buyer. Negotiation secrets like this are a whole other area of home buying tips – one that you may want to learn about.

Home Buying Tips you Haven’t Heard

The following are not your usual home buying tips. For example, almost everyone will tell you that you should buy a home, but the first tip below suggests an alternative.Consider Renting

This is all about time and place and your own situation. Are you going to be in one place for long? If you are likely to move within a few years, you may be better off renting. Transaction costs of buying and selling will likely eat up any equity gains you get. It may seem profitable to buy at $200,000 and sell at $220,000 two years later, but commissions, closing costs and loan costs can easily add up to $20,000, so where is the gain? Also, there is no guarantee that prices will rise, and if they don’t you suffer a real loss.

Also, it is a matter of the ratio between rental rates and the costs of buying, and what is likely to happen in the market. For example, suppose you are in a slow-growing stable area, and your total monthly cost to buy a home is going to be around $1,200. If rent is anywhere near that for the same size home, you should probably be buying a house.

On the other hand, let’s look at the example of Tucson, Arizona in late 2005. You could buy a small home for about $190,000, with mortgage, taxes and insurance running about $1,325 per month. But you could rent the same home for just $675 per month. Now add to this the fact that home prices had been rising at 20% or more per year for years, and 12% of all recent sales were to speculators, not owner-occupants (a sure sign of a market top).

In this case, it would have made more sense to rent. Had you bought there two years ago, you would have paid $650 per month extra to be a home owner, or $15,600 over these last two years. In addition, the house would probably be worth a little less now than when you bought it. Better to have banked that $15,600 and bought the home today.Other Home Buying Tips

Compare ALL costs when you look at various homes. It is easy to consider just the price of a home, or what that means in terms of a mortgage payment. However, there are other costs. If the home is in a flood zone, for example, insurance could be $200 per month higher than for other homes. Look at taxes, insurance, utility costs (big homes cost more to heat) and any other regular costs, so you can honestly compare houses according to what they will cost you monthly.

Go to online forums to learn about a new town. Many people like to talk about where they live. They get to do this in various online forums, which you can search for by entering the name of the town and “forum” into any search engine. Be aware that these are often places where locals complain about their town, but you can also find interesting and useful information, and ask questions.

If your real estate agent doesn’t represent you, don’t be loyal. If she is really a seller’s agent, she is obligated to pass on comment you make to the seller, like “I think we can go higher if they reject our first offer.” Even if she represents you, be sure she does it well. If you are shown three houses that have nothing to do with the criteria you laid out, show the agent the door. By all means stick with a good agent who really helps you, but otherwise you can also call the listing agent for each house you want to see.

Inspect the home yourself. You probably plan to have a home inspection done by a professional before you buy. But you should also visit the home a second time yourself, and do your own inspection. Bring a checklist and look over everything, even if this takes an hour or more. In this way you can tell the professional inspector what your concerns are, and be ready with questions for him.

There is another reason to do this inspection. It has to do with a concept called “time investment.” Sellers are more likely to accept an offer if they have invested more time and hope into a buyer. Negotiation secrets like this are a whole other area of home buying tips – one that you may want to learn about.

Home Buying Tips you Haven’t Heard

The following are not your usual home buying tips. For example, almost everyone will tell you that you should buy a home, but the first tip below suggests an alternative.Consider Renting

This is all about time and place and your own situation. Are you going to be in one place for long? If you are likely to move within a few years, you may be better off renting. Transaction costs of buying and selling will likely eat up any equity gains you get. It may seem profitable to buy at $200,000 and sell at $220,000 two years later, but commissions, closing costs and loan costs can easily add up to $20,000, so where is the gain? Also, there is no guarantee that prices will rise, and if they don’t you suffer a real loss.

Also, it is a matter of the ratio between rental rates and the costs of buying, and what is likely to happen in the market. For example, suppose you are in a slow-growing stable area, and your total monthly cost to buy a home is going to be around $1,200. If rent is anywhere near that for the same size home, you should probably be buying a house.

On the other hand, let’s look at the example of Tucson, Arizona in late 2005. You could buy a small home for about $190,000, with mortgage, taxes and insurance running about $1,325 per month. But you could rent the same home for just $675 per month. Now add to this the fact that home prices had been rising at 20% or more per year for years, and 12% of all recent sales were to speculators, not owner-occupants (a sure sign of a market top).

In this case, it would have made more sense to rent. Had you bought there two years ago, you would have paid $650 per month extra to be a home owner, or $15,600 over these last two years. In addition, the house would probably be worth a little less now than when you bought it. Better to have banked that $15,600 and bought the home today.Other Home Buying Tips

Compare ALL costs when you look at various homes. It is easy to consider just the price of a home, or what that means in terms of a mortgage payment. However, there are other costs. If the home is in a flood zone, for example, insurance could be $200 per month higher than for other homes. Look at taxes, insurance, utility costs (big homes cost more to heat) and any other regular costs, so you can honestly compare houses according to what they will cost you monthly.

Go to online forums to learn about a new town. Many people like to talk about where they live. They get to do this in various online forums, which you can search for by entering the name of the town and “forum” into any search engine. Be aware that these are often places where locals complain about their town, but you can also find interesting and useful information, and ask questions.

If your real estate agent doesn’t represent you, don’t be loyal. If she is really a seller’s agent, she is obligated to pass on comment you make to the seller, like “I think we can go higher if they reject our first offer.” Even if she represents you, be sure she does it well. If you are shown three houses that have nothing to do with the criteria you laid out, show the agent the door. By all means stick with a good agent who really helps you, but otherwise you can also call the listing agent for each house you want to see.

Inspect the home yourself. You probably plan to have a home inspection done by a professional before you buy. But you should also visit the home a second time yourself, and do your own inspection. Bring a checklist and look over everything, even if this takes an hour or more. In this way you can tell the professional inspector what your concerns are, and be ready with questions for him.

There is another reason to do this inspection. It has to do with a concept called “time investment.” Sellers are more likely to accept an offer if they have invested more time and hope into a buyer. Negotiation secrets like this are a whole other area of home buying tips – one that you may want to learn about.