Found 40 blog entries tagged as House Hunting.

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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House hunting is a complicated process. From finding the right home, to locking down a mortgage rate you can afford, it is a process that requires an attention to detail and a well-thought-out plan. Below are seven steps to take as you begin house hunting to ensure you stay focused and on budget.

1. Establish your goal. Searching for your dream house? Upgrading your current digs or looking to downsize? Whatever the goal is behind your impending home purchase, be sure you understand it clearly before beginning your house hunt. This will eliminate wasted time spent viewing homes that don’t meet your top priority.

2. Create a wish list. Once your primary objective is in place, it’s time to list all of the additional features and amenities you expect…

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The real estate market has started to recover from the downturn over the last few years, and more people are thinking about buying a place to live. An interesting trend seems to be developing. Instead of going for larger homes, many people are choosing micro-dwellings. Densely populated areas such as San Francisco and New York City are planning apartments that have approximately 300 square feet of living space!

Think this shrinking of real estate space applies only to multi-family dwellings? Think again. You can also find tiny single-family homes — some of which are even portable. If you’re still not convinced, read on to discover many of the factors drawing buyers to a smaller living space.

• A lower price tag - The cost of these Santa Cruz homes…

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You may have heard of points when looking for Santa Cruz real estate.  Maybe your loan officer told you that you can trade points for a better interest rate.  That sounds good, but just what are points? Let me give you a better idea of just what points are and how they work.

What Are Points?
Points, more specifically discount points, are a percentage of the total loan amount for the house that is pre-paid to the lender.  Each point is worth one percent.  Your lender may offer a lower interest rate for your mortgage loan if you buy discount points.

What do Discount Points Cost?
The cost of each point is equal to one percent of the loan amount. For instance, for a $200,000 loan one discount point equals $2,000.

For example, you are trying to buy…

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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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Owning a Santa Cruz real estate is a true investment of time and money.  However, it can be very stressful and daunting to buy a property.  This is because many things are involved in the process.  You need expert advice if you want to invest in real estate.  Here are some tips that you can apply in order to get a good property.

Find a good location. When you are hunting for a Santa Cruz real estate, it is important that you consider the location of the property.  If you buy a property in good location, you will make enough gain when you resell your property.  In the real estate market, prices are determined by the location of a property.  There are factors that make a location good for real estate investment, namely,

• Accessibility
• Availability…

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A final walk-through is an inspection performed anywhere from a few hours to five days before closing, and its primary purpose is to make certain that the Santa Cruz home is in the condition you agreed to buy, that agreed-upon repairs, if any, were made and nothing has gone wrong with the home since you last looked at it.

It is never a good idea to forgo the final walk-through.

Here is a list of items to check on a final walk-through:

• Turn on and off every light fixture
• Run water & look under sinks for leaks
• Check garage door openers
• Open and close all doors
• Flush toilets
• Do a visual spot check of ceilings, wall and floors
• Run garbage disposal and exhaust fans
• Open and close windows
• Make sure all debris is removed from the home
• Did the…

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You’ve found the perfect home on ideal property and your bid has already been accepted! Everything’s going great until you get into the fine details of the contract and start seeing the term Easement, which sounds like your Santa Cruz real estate might come with some serious baggage.

Don’t start getting anxious; easements are a common occurrence and usually don’t affect your property tax or day-to-day activity. They just give a person authority to use land that they don’t own. However, if you notice this term, bring it to your Realtor’s attention because it could affect your future property value. Below we’ve listed a few common easements to help you understand what you’re signing into.

• Right of Way – This is an extremely common easement that…

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There are many reasons to consider downsizing your Santa Cruz home. Obviously, if the kids have left the nest, or you’re recently widowed or divorced, moving to a smaller home can simplify your life in many ways. But even if the size of your household has not changed, there are still benefits to living in a smaller house.

• Maintenance will be easier. Take a lesson from monks: The more possessions you have, the more demands they make on you. It’s no different with your Santa Cruz home. It’s easier to clean 1,000 square feet than 3,000 square feet or more. The more plumbing you have, the more chances that something will go wrong with it. The bigger your roof, the more expensive it is to replace, and so on.

• It’s easier to age in a small home. Small…

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When it comes to buying Santa Cruz real estate, people focus on the basic questions: Are there enough bedrooms? Is it in a good neighborhood? How is the school system? While these are important points, you also need to focus on the quality of the house itself.

The quality and maintenance of a house can be overlooked when buyers get excited about investing in a home. Fortunately, there are a few areas you can check to get a quick idea of how the Santa Cruz real estate was built and how well it’s been maintained.

1. Look at the foundation. A few small cracks may not be a big deal, but multiple cracked areas could spell trouble. Also, try to see the home on a rainy day, so that you can look for water pools that could turn into basement leaks.

2. 

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