Ferris Bueller's 'Flying Ferrari
Home' for sale for $2.3 million
by Broderick Perkins
© 2008 DeadlineNews.Com
Unauthorized use of this story is a copyright violation -- a federal crime
Deadline Newsroom - As any daredevil, extreme sports athlete or adrenaline junkie knows, well-grounded preparation for the specific task at hand is what takes the fear out of trying.
The sometimes risky sport of home buying is no different.
Those who've suffered the agony of defeat in what's likely the most dangerous consumer game, learned the hard way that sheer fearlessness isn't enough to become and remain a homeowner -- through good times and bad.
With the rules of the housing game changed forever, preparing to just squeak by the home buying ordeal isn't enough to achieve a decisive and lasting victory.
The idea isn't just to buy a home. The goal is to keep your own roof over your head.
Preparation is key, according to the National Association of Realtors.
From NAR, here's how to get ready to be and remain a homeowner.
• Create a wish list. Write down housing wants and needs. Include all the physical characteristics you want or need. Include style, size, layout and room configuration. Look at the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the basic amenities you must have. Include critical features such as location and services and a home's proximity to good schools or public transportation lines.
• Browse for housing. Realtor.com and other Web sites offer home valuation features and neighborhood data on trends in local markets. Use features to determine how a listing compares with nearby, comparable properties in terms of value, actual sales prices, home features, neighborhood characteristics, and more.
• Work with an expert. Finding a professional real estate agent who will represent your best interests can make the difference in location, negotiating the best offer, and closing the home of your dreams. Look for a full time agent, who has uploaded telling photos and videos of their listings and look for agents with good Web sites to market your listing.
• Get the complete picture before you visit. You can't know everything about a community from an online listing. Schools, crime, and proximity to shopping and work all impact property values. NAR says talk to a Realtor and go to Realtor.com to explore communities.
• Make sure the property details are reliable. Buyers need know when a listing has experienced a price change. Look for Web sites like Realtor.com that updates listings frequently, including price changes. Fresh and reliable information is critical. Realtor.com time stamps listings to help buyers make better informed decisions. Get email alerts and stay on top of changes so you can be first to act.
• Click on the keywords below for more stories on this subject.
© 2008 DeadlineNews.Com
Advertise on DeadlineNews.Com | Shop DeadlineNews.Com
Get "News that really hits home!" for your Web site or blog from the DeadlineNewsGroup.Com.
You are reading a sample of "News that really hits home!", now available from several beats and published in a growing number of locations.
Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist, parlayed 30 years of old-school journalism into a digital real estate news service, the San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group, including DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service and Web site, and the Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's news back shop.
Perkins is also the first Examiner to cover three beats for the Examiner.com news service:
• National Offbeat News Examiner
• National Consumer News Examiner
• National Real Estate Examiner
DeadlineNews.Com's Editorial Content Is Intellectual Property • Unauthorized Use Is A Federal Crime
No comments:
Post a Comment