Palm Harbor FL real estate listings and homes for sale, home buying, home selling information – Joanne Trugman @ Future Home Realty

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BUYING REAL ESTATE IN TODAY'S MARKET

March 22nd, 2008 4:01 PM

Short Sale? Pre-Foreclosure? Foreclosure? Motivated? When searching for a bargain, How does a buyer know where to find their next dream home ? Once you have been prequalified for a loan amount and before getting in the car to visit homes ... it is absolutely necessary to make a list of important features or "must haves" and then make another list of "nice to have, but not required features". Sometimes our list of "nice to have" can cross over, will 2 full baths be sufficient or do you entertain frequently and need an extra half bath for party guests? Do you need a fenced back yard for pets, or can you afford to install a fence ... is that in your budget ? Do you need an extra room for a home office or playroom? After making those decisions about the features of your "Dream Home" then determine your time frame. If you have the time to wait, a short sale or foreclosure may be right for you. With short sales and foreclosures, offers must be submitted to the lender ... be prepared to wait ... lenders have not been making decisions on these types of contract approvals quickly ... most are finding sixty days an optimistic number, and some are taking much longer. If you don't have that kind of time, you may want to look at homes where the seller will make the final decision about a contract and acceptable offer with probable closing within 30 to 45 days. Many owners have reduced prices and are competitive in the 2008 market. Also, decisions on "Pre-Foreclosure" sales may still be in the hands of the sellers if the lender has not started the foreclosure process, your Realtor® can help answer these questions for you. There are so many choices available, it is definitely a great time to find the property with all of the "must haves" on your list ... why settle for less? If you would like to access the local MLS via a free Listingbook™ account, please contact me via email dtrugman@tampabay.rr.com or by phone 727-692-8685 and you can start your "Dream Home Search" immediately.

Posted by Joanne Trugman on March 22nd, 2008 4:01 PMPost a Comment (0)