Found 84 blog entries tagged as Buying Santa Cruz Real Estate.

There is a lot of misleading and incorrect information out there when it comes to Santa Cruz real estate short sales. Most people don’t have a clear understanding of the purpose of short sales or how they actually work.

Essentially, a short sale is when you sell your home for less than the balance remaining on your mortgage. The proceeds from the sale are used to repay a portion of the balance. A short sale can be a solution for homeowners who really need to sell their home but owe more on the mortgage than the home is worth.

Understanding the short sale process can help you to get the most out of your Santa Cruz real estate sale. Below are some common myths and why they are false.

A short sale damages your credit record as much as foreclosure
A…

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When you are purchasing property, you will likely take a look at many different Santa Cruz homes for sale before making your final decision. Unfortunately, when real estate buyers go to view a house, they often make some crucial mistakes that usually don’t work out in their best interests. Below are a few pitfalls buyers make and how you can avoid them.

Looking at the décor and not the house

Keep in mind that furnishings and décor can make a mediocre house look amazing or an excellent house look merely average. Some buyers are turned off by unattractive or dated décor and then miss out on a great house hiding underneath. When viewing Santa Cruz homes for sale, ignore the owner’s choice of wallpaper or area rugs and focus on what really counts — the…

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When making one of the largest investments of your life, it’s important to take the task of finding a Santa Cruz real estate agent very seriously. It may be easy to find enthusiastic professionals, but when they’re advising you on such a huge financial deal, you’ll want a successful expert you can completely trust. Below are 5 steps to finding the right Realtor for you!

1. Discover a Santa Cruz real estate agent.
Make sure to get referrals from family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. It might also be a good idea to visit open houses in your area in order to meet Realtors in person and see them in action.

2. Research their work.
Once you’ve narrowed down the list, then it’s time to do a little online stalking. Check the listings they have posted…

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Buying Santa Cruz real estate doesn’t just give you a place to live; it can also be a very smart financial move. This is because owning a home is like having a forced savings account, which you are committed to for the long term.

Sometimes saving money is difficult; many people don’t have the discipline needed to contribute to savings every month. However, paying your mortgage every month means that you are paying down the principal and working toward eventually owning the property. In the early years of the mortgage, the payments will go primarily to the interest on the loan; but over time, you will accelerate to paying off the entire mortgage.

Make yourself wealthy, instead of your landlord
In the long term, this can be a much better financial…

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An older Santa Cruz home can offer a lot more charm and character than the newer houses of today. They boast gabled roofs, crown moldings, hardwood floors and antique fixtures. Buying an old house is like buying a piece of local history. Its beautiful period features can give it a timeless beauty and grace that is hard to resist.

However, sometimes buying a house from another era is an endeavor fraught with potential problems. Older houses are not necessarily built to the same electrical or plumbing standards of today. If they have not been maintained correctly through the years, they can turn into a serious money pit or a potential hazard.

Here are six tips that you should keep in mind if you are considering buying an older Santa Cruz home:
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You’ve got a contract on your Santa Cruz real estate and have a closing date set. Whether or not everything goes smoothly comes down to the home’s appraisal. Waiting to hear that all is well can be frustrating enough, but when the news is unfavorable, it might seem like the end of the world.

Just because your home receives poor marks doesn’t mean that you didn’t take care of it — it could be you received a bad Santa Cruz real estate appraisal. While most appraisers are completely competent at their jobs, some might be unfamiliar with an area or use inappropriate comparisons. Below are common appraisal problems of which you should be aware.

• Inconsistent appraisals – If the appraiser finds issues that don’t makes sense, like claiming the home needs…

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You’ve finally decided you want to buy a piece of Santa Cruz real estate.  What do you do now?  Here are a few tips for getting the best deal for your money:

Check Out Your Credit
The first thing you’ll want to do is order a copy of your credit report from the three major credit bureaus:  Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. 

Look for inaccuracies in:
• Name
• Address
• Creditors
• Late payments
• Delinquencies

After you’ve reviewed your credit report and know your credit score, you’re ready to make improvements to your report.  You can send a written “Notice of Correction” to the credit bureaus.  It can be up to 200 words.  If needed, you can explain why you fell behind on a particular debt, and every time a lender accesses the report, they’ll see your…

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Whether you are buying a new home or you are selling your previous home, you should use the services of a Santa Cruz real estate agent.  The agent will help you in a number of ways.  If you have made up your mind to hire the services of a real estate agent, there are some tips that you should apply.  Below are some of the tips that will enable you to get a good, reliable, and experienced Santa Cruz real estate agent.

Is the agent a full-time or part time real estate agent?

It is advisable that you work with an agent that is into the business full-time rather than working with a person that works part-time.  A full-time agent will have time to deal with the transaction judiciously.  Home buying or selling involves a lot of transactions and…

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When looking to purchase Santa Cruz real estate, it’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and amenities of new developments. However, you need to be extremely careful when looking to settle in these neighborhoods because developers get excited about what they’re creating and tend to interject promises they can’t keep into their sales pitch.

Do your research and don’t get enchanted by possibilities of what you could get; just focus on what you’re actually getting. Below are four common misleading promises that developers make when highlighting the features of their homes for sale.

• There are actual site photographs. If you’re thinking about purchasing Santa Cruz real estate, then visit it in person. Developers usually post photographs of construction…

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