Dean Graziosi | Dean Graziosi Real Estate | Dean Graziosi Investment

House hunting can be one of the most exciting things that you ever do. You get to hunt for the perfect home for you or for you and your family. You are able to see other people’s homes, travel to new neighborhoods, and maybe even see features you did not know would be in your price range. Yet house hunting can also be extremely exhausting. These six tips can help you make your house hunting experience fun and easy.

Make a List

Any time you are going to go house hunting you need to make a list. Write down the things that a house absolutely must have. For example, do you love to cook? If so, then a big kitchen may be something you really want your new house to have.

You should also write what things you would like to have. You new home may not have to have a garden tub, but it may be a nice extra. Extra bathrooms and mudrooms are often considered extras that many homeowners would love to have.

Also write any deal breakers. If you see that there is termite damage, you probably will not want the house. Holes in the walls may be something that you simply are not interested in fixing. It is a good idea to keep your list with you so that you are able to remember everything.

Look from the Curb

One of the best ways to help you narrow down the homes you are really interested in is to stand on the curb. From the curb, you can look at the house and see if you like it. Not everyone likes every style of home. If you don’t like what you see from the curb, will you really be happy living there? The answer is most likely no.

Take Pictures

When you go to check out a home, always have a digital camera or a video camera with you. This is especially true if you are checking the home out alone and other people will be living with you. Pictures and video can help you show the home to others to get their opinion and will help you remember how a particular house looks. If you don’t have a camera, at least bring a notebook and take notes.

Go With Your Spouse

This may seem like common sense, but many people go house hunting without their spouse or significant other. It is not a good idea to do this. What you like may not be what your spouse likes. They may not see deal breakers the same as you do or may want something that you consider an extra feature. To avoid any potential fights or problems, make sure you take along anyone who will be living with you.

Be Nosy

If there’s an open house, take advantage of it. You can look at the inside and outside of the property. This can let you see how things fit in the home and whether it would suit your needs. Bring a tape measure along so you can make sure your furniture will fit.

Get a Good Agent

A good real estate agent can be the key to successful house hunting. An agent can help you find homes that fit your criteria and keep you from wasting your time. A knowledgeable agent can also help you through the steps to home ownership. 

Winter can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Not only do heating bills go up, but there is also an increased risk of fire if you have a fireplace. The windows and doors become doorways for cold drafts, making it cold in certain areas of your home no matter what you do. Even worse, your pipes can freeze and burst, possibly causing hundreds of dollars worth of damage.

Before winter strikes, you should have your home assessed. An assessment can find areas of your home that need to be adjusted for winter. This kind of assessment is called a home energy audit and you can easily do one yourself if you know how. The U.S. Department of Energy has an assessment that you can do yourself, step by step. If you do not want to do your own audit, you can easily hire someone to do it for you.

Cold air can easily seep in around your windows and doors. This raises your heating bill and leaves you and your family cold. Weatherstripping is an excellent way to get around this problem. Take a look at the areas around your doors and windows. If you see an obvious gap, then use weatherstripping in that spot. Sometimes the gap may not be as obvious but you will be able to feel the draft on your hand. If you have single pane windows, weatherstripping may not be enough to stop the cold from creeping into your home. Using heavier shades or curtains will help you keep that precious heat inside.

If you have a fireplace or furnace, make sure that it is services once a year. Fireplaces that have not been cleaned and checked by a professional at least once a year are dangerous to use and you run the risk of a fire. With a furnace, it can break down if you do not have it checked once a year. Even worse, it can release carbon monoxide into your home, a potentially deadly gas that is both colorless and odorless.

The duct work in your home will lose anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of the heat it carries through your house. Have a professional check the duct work to make sure that it is all connected the way it should be. Duct work should also be insulated. This will keep it from losing the heated air it carries, especially if the duct work goes through rooms that have been closed off for the winter.

Frozen pipes are a very real danger in the winter. Pipes that run outside your home should be wrapped with something that will insulate them. Heating tape works well for this. If you are leaving your home for the winter, then turn the water off and use inside faucets to drain out the water that is left in the pipes to prevent freezing. You can also get insulated covers to put over outside faucets to help protect them from the cold.

Certain states have determined that in order to relieve themselves of the burden of unoccupied homes that they are offering buyers the chance the purchase government owned homes for as little as $100 down.  The low down payment required to purchase government owned homes speaks volumes of how desperate they are getting to get the homes sold quickly.  Market insiders see this as a sign that the government may be preparing for a new wave of foreclosed homes that were once owned by Countrywide Mortgage, who was recently bought by Bank of America.  This deal could mean that up to 40,000 new foreclosed homes will be on market as well as the previous homes still on the market from the last wave of foreclosures.

From now until October 2012 buyers will be able to purchase a foreclosed home for only $100, which is a far better deal than the previous requirements of 3.5 percent of the value of the home.  The only restriction is that if you plan to take advantage of the offer you must reside in the home; this stipulation was put in place to reduce the amount of property flippers who would take advantage of the deal.  Buyers must also obtain financing for the property through the Federal Housing Administration.

Buyers are not being offered the homes at discounted prices, only the down payment has been lowered to help buyers get in the door.  The homes being sold will still be listed at full current market prices.  The HUD website lists three steps to purchasing a home; one is to find a HUD home for sale that you are interested in, next you will need to locate a registered HUD real estate agent to help you broker the deal and lastly you will need to be approved by an FHA lender.

HUD has also decided to make the $100 down payment eligible for the FHA 203(k) loan program which allows borrowers to use FHA loans to make any repairs needed on homes that are in poor condition.  To find out if the renovations you would like to make are covered by this program you should check the HUD website to review their guidelines as to what would be included in the program. 

Offering buyers the chance to purchase a home for only $100 down is great for first time home buyers, which also happens to be the demographic that the government is trying to reach.  This is a great opportunity for first time buyers who may have difficulty coming up with a larger down payment.  But the program isn’t only for first time buyers, it is also a great opportunity for those who would like purchase a home but are short on money, it is definitely a program worth considering.

All buyers know the importance of having an inspection done on any property they are considering purchasing.  A home inspection consists of a certified inspector going through the house to look for any signs of existing problems.  A thorough home inspector will check the exterior, electrical, roof, plumbing, garage, heating and foundation of the home.  After the inspection is done the home inspector will inform you of their findings and tell you if all of the systems in the home are in proper working condition, they will also notify you of any problems that they had found during their inspection. 

Once you have been informed on what repairs the property will need once you take possession it is up to you to decide if the cost is worth it or if it will put you too far over budget to proceed with the purchase.  This is also the time to determine if the asking price for the home is fair based on what the inspection revealed.  The information gathered from an inspection is important in helping you see a realistic picture of how much money you will need to put into the property once you buy it. 

What’s not included in the inspection report is the cost of the repairs or upgrades you’ll need to make to the home once you move in.  To determine these numbers it is the buyer’s responsibility to obtain estimates from professionals detailing what is included in the estimate and to what extent their work is guaranteed.  Before purchasing a home that has issues it is important that buyers are aware of the realistic money they will need to spend in the near future to make the home livable, in older homes this may include upgrading the electrical system or replacing an older cooling unit.

Other things that should be included in your home inspection are radon tests, mold tests, signs of termites, soil tests and finding out if any additions were done using the proper permits.  Some of these items aren’t included in your basic inspection fee, inform your inspector of any additional items you would like inspected prior to inspection day and they can inform you whether or not these additional tests are included or how much extra you will need to spend to have them done.  No matter who does them, these tests should be included in helping you determine whether the house you’re interested in is worth the asking price.

A home inspection is something that should be done even though they are optional on the buyer’s part.  It is well worth the additional expense to have the property thoroughly looked at before you finalize any agreements.