The 3 things that scare you most about buying a home

Buying a home must be up there with public speaking and the remake of The Exorcist for frightful experiences, but many of us will buy a home, speak publicly and watch that movie again and again in our lifetimes. By giving you a few of the “behind-the-scenes” secrets, we hope to help you deal with the three things that scare you most about buying a home. The Cost The greatest fear that people have about buying a home is being able to afford it. This is what keeps us awake at night – calculating and recalculating how many lunches we have to pack instead of going out with the gang, to be able to make the mortgage payment. The biggest secret to dealing with this fear is working with a great Lender and getting pre-approved BEFORE you start looking at homes, and being realistic about what you’re willing and able to spend. If you need a referral I have some great sources that I have worked with. They are a great place to start when wanting to know what you qualify for in a home. The Lender will give you a range of loan options available and if asked, will give you a realistic projection of what you can REALLY afford, considering your budget and lifestyle. They can give you an approval but also a house price range that is within your monthly payment desire. Sometimes people make assumptions of what range of home they can buy based on what they “think” that their comfort level is for a monthly payment. Sometimes it can be way off and you can actually afford more of a home which opens you up to more choices. We all like more choices! The Commitment Women like to stereotype men as having a fear of commitment – but when it comes to buying a home, we’re all susceptible. Buying a home usually means committing money and time (at least a year – usually more like five years and in some cases even more) to being in one location. If you’re just finishing a degree or training, or you’re not sure that you’ll be in the same position for a while, you may consider waiting until your life is a little more stable. The behind-the-scenes secret to dealing with the fear of commitment is in buying a home that will resell easily – that has features that other people will want. In addition, you can get a two-step mortgage that allows you to pay a fixed rate for a certain period of time, and a flexible rate later on – so you can get out of the loan easily after the first step. The People Who can you trust in this home-buying process? This is a big investment we’re talking about. And it seems that everyone is out to make as much money as possible OFF of you! There are sellers, real estate consultants, lenders, builders, movers, and attorneys, all of whom may be strangers, and have a vested interest when you buy a home. It’s easy to be afraid they’ll take advantage of you. The behind-the-scenes secret is to check their references. Really! Many lenders and real estate consultants operate on a “By Referral Only” basis – in which they ask clients to refer them to others they know are buying a home. Those who offer “lifetime relationships” and other services (like free reports and seminars on buying or selling homes) are already striving to meet your needs. In reality, they are NOT all out to get you – because in the long run, the BEST business strategy is to make sure that you get what you need and want in a home.

Moving this Summer- Plan Ahead Summer is the busiest season for a move. People want to be in their new place before the next school year in most cases, and around here this can mean by the middle of July due to the school system calendars and start dates, summer usually means more people can help. Whether you are buying or renting moving can be time consuming, exhausting and stressful, no matter how happy you may be to go to a new location. Listed below are a few tips that may help save you time and stress, especially in the heat of our beautiful state of Arizona. Remember 1 key factor- STAY HYDRATED! Have plenty of water on hand and make sure you are drinking it! Experts also recommend chilled fruit will keep you hydrated and your energy levels raised to get through your move. 1. Save packing and unpacking boxes in your home for the heat of the day, where you can stay inside from the heat. Pack up moving trucks, trailers and other forms of transport for early morning or evening when the sun is not so hot and the temperatures are a little cooler. 2. Take photos of each room before you pack and before you arrive at the new place with furniture, plants, appliances and all of your belongings. Write down where you are going to place items, carry it with you on moving day so you have an idea where your belongings go. Or at least mark each box for the room it will go in, this way if you have others helping you move they will know where to place the boxes that are packed and sealed without having to open them to see where they go. If you can make a list of the major items that need to be re-assembled that you may have had to take apart to move. Be sure to put parts in baggies labeled what and where they go so you don’t end up looking for the two screws and sleeping on your mattress on the floor because you cannot find the parts to assemble your bed! Instead of taping these bags to the furniture they belong to, label them and put all the parts in one box to carry to the new place. 3. Plan your move. Start early. Everyone has plenty of items that we don’t use every day that can be packed up early. . Whether it’s one room, one cabinet or a drawer at a time, you probably have years of accumulation. The sooner you can sort through this stuff the better your move can be and you will take less with you that needs to be unpacked and put away. 4. Make categories when sifting through your items: CHARITABLE DONATIONS, GIVE TO A FRIEND, RECYCLE, TOSS OUT, PACK NOW, GARAGE SALE, KEEP HANDY UNTIL MOVE. You’ll be surprised at how much you can donate, recycle or give away to friends. This can keep you from being overwhelmed with the task at hand the day before you move. 5. Moving is NOT easy. Plan ahead. If you have children or pets, consider getting someone to watch them on moving day, family or friends can help out not only with your move but distracting your loved ones that can make your move sometimes more difficult due to the attention that is required. We all love our kids and pets but moving day is really not a place to show true love! 6. If you are moving electronics that are hooked up to each other, consider taking photos so that you know how they need to be hooked back up to one another when you arrive. Hooking up TVs, DVRs, DVD players, speakers, theater wires, computers and printers can be overwhelming if you don’t know exactly where each wire needs to go. Before unplugging any wires for the move, take a photo of the connections. You may even want to print the pictures out and label them in detail, this may take an extra few minutes at the beginning but saves you time in the long run. 7. Make sure to pack anything that might leak in a separate box lined with plastic or put these items in plastic bags to avoid major messes when you arrive at the new location. No one wants to have boxes fall apart due to access wetness. Especially with the heat you want to consider avoiding products that can get ruined in the heat of the move. Store cleaners, lotions and sunblock in cooler places. 8. Don’t forget to change your address with the post office and find out all of the utilities and services you will need to have on in order to be prepared in your new home. No one wants to come to moving day and have no electricity or running water on in their new home. Make sure to leave utilities on in your old place as well until you have completely moved out and cleaned up. 9. Dress appropriately, not only should you wear light clothing to help you stay cool you need to wear shoes that will be flexible, not inhibit your movement but also protect your feet and toes from anything that may get dropped on them. One rule of thumb my husband always says is if you are moving heavy things or doing a job, your feet should not look like you are headed to the beach! Avoid flip flops and wedgy sandals= avoiding accidents! You should also keep away from loose fitting clothes which are susceptible to getting snagged by the items you are moving. 10. Moving perishables. Try to consume as many of these items before you move. The less you have to stick in coolers and keep cold the better off you will make sure to move these items safely. No one wants to end up with food poisoning at moves end. Not many people like to move so remember that Being Patient + Planning Ahead + Being Safe = Less Stress and More Success when moving!