Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Although there are several safe real estate investments, there are also many pitfalls you must watch out for. Read the following advice so you know how to get a good deal when purchasing real estate.

For both sellers and buyers make sure that you always gather data about things. Look at the newspaper in that area for things like foreclosed homes, current and historic median selling prices and also how long homes are staying on the market. Also look up things like unemployment rate and crime rates for the area.

To find the perfect home, you should establish a list of features that you will be looking for. This can include the size, the number of rooms or the location. Knowing what you want should help you go through a large number of ads quickly and select the homes that correspond to your needs.

Even if you are buying a home or commercial property, consider hiring a real estate appraiser to get an appraisal of the property. Appraisers are independent third parties who assess value and don't make a commission off of the price; they will provide you with evidence for their valuation. If you buy the property, you will also need to know what the assessed value is, so why wait?

When trying to find out how much you can afford to pay for a home, you will need to take your gross income, funds available for a down payment, closing costs, and cash reserves that will be required by a lender into consideration. Many lenders will use the housing expense to income ratio to calculate how much you will be able to afford to make payments on.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they purchase a home is failing to do their homework on the surrounding neighborhood. Research the school district, taxes, location of sex offenders, and crime rates. Gathering this information may be time-consuming, but it can help you to avoid nasty surprises. You might also consider attending a community meeting, which can give you additional insight into local people, places, and issues.

Ask yourself this question when you are looking at a home. Does this house have enough storage for all my things? Storage is relative; some people need a little while other people need a lot. If you need a lot, it can be hard to create more in a house where there are few cabinets, so take this into account.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdThjW94a-w

Ask everyone you have worked with about the property value. Ask brokers, investors, insurance agents, and inspectors. These people will be able to give you an accurate figure as to where the house really stands on the market. Use this to help you figure out what to offer the seller.

Do not buy the most expensive house in the neighborhood. When appraisals are made, the appraiser looks at all the houses in the neighborhood to compare. Because of this the most expensive homes tend to depreciate more instead of appreciating. Plus, these houses also tend to take longer to sell.

Establish connections with real estate investors. If you are brand new to the investing world, befriend a few experienced real estate investors. Having connections to these people can help you learn the tricks of the trade, and also may give you a few tips on where to go to buy the best deals.

Understanding what you are doing when purchasing a home is essential. Don't just rely on your real estate agent to do all of the work for you. You need to have a basic understanding, so that you can make informed choices. This article has given you some of those basics, as well as, some tips to make the process as smooth as possible.