Asifa Zia -The Realtor YOU want

                                   Anyone who has ever used the Internet, whether for business or pleasure, no doubt knows just how much information is available online. There is plenty of valuable information, on just about every subject in the world, just waiting online for those who need it, and Internet users around the world have found an amazing quantity of information from which to choose. Among the most valuable information on the Internet, at least for real estate investors and home buyers, are property records. Virtually every sale of residential or commercial real estate is recorded in digital form. To make things a lot easier, much of this information is posted and publicly available on the Internet. This makes it easier than ever to search property listings, determine sale prices and find possible investment properties. One of the most useful aspects of these online proper...

                                                    They are known as "distressed properties," when in reality they are properties that belong to distressed homeowners. Foreclosed properties and those being sold short are homes that the homeowner can no longer afford, for any number of reasons. If you have your heart set on purchasing from among an area's distressed properties, you may have to look a bit harder for them than you would have last year. The number of  foreclosures on the market  dwindled 22 percent in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the first quarter of 2012, according to RealtyTrac. The number of U.S. short sales has fallen 10 percent and is expected to keep falling. Price Think the listing price of that short sale is set in stone? Think again. The list price is a concoction of the homeowner and the real estate a...

                        While most people dread tax time, if you are getting a refund, this time of year can seem almost as rewarding as end-of-the-year bonus season. Whether you are receiving a refund of a few hundred dollars or several thousand dollars, if you’re contemplating buying your first home, you may want to deposit your refund into an account dedicated to your down payment fund. “Using your tax refund as a portion of your down payment can be a great idea,” said Clint Madison, a senior mortgage adviser with Envoy Mortgage in Walnut Creek, CA. “The more you put into the down payment, the less you have to borrow.” How Much Will You Get, and How Much Do You Need? According to the IRS, the  average refund for 2013 tax returns  was $3,013 as of March 24, slightly higher than the average for 2012 tax returns. A tax refund of $3,000 can go a long way to a down payment on a home, particularly if you’re us...

If the latest technology or entertainment options are important in your new home, add the following questions to your buyer’s checklist. Are there enough jacks in every room for cable TV and high-speed Internet hookups? Are there ample telephone extensions or jacks? Is the home pre-wired for home theater or multiroom audio and video? Does it have in-wall speakers? Does the home have a local area network (LAN) for linking computers? Does the home already have wiring for DSL or another high-speed Internet connection? Does the home have multizoning heating and cooling controls with programmable thermostats? Does the home have multiroom lighting controls, window-covering controls, or other home automation features? Is the home wired with multipurpose in-wall wiring that allows for reconfigurations to update services as technology changes? To rate the home on its technological sophistication, fill out the Consumer Electronics Association’s TechHome checklist at  www.c...

                                       Start your search with tips on financing, costs, needs, inspections and more. The home buying process doesn’t need to be intimidating and overwhelming. A few steps should be taken before, during and after you find the home of your dreams. If you’ve decided to purchase a property, follow this plan for a straightforward and successful close. Find out how much you can borrow and get a pre-approved loan Most banks will typically lend up to 75 per cent of the purchase price of a home, so you can expect to have to make a down payment of 25 per cent. Lending institutions will want to review your financial stability to ensure that you will be able to make your monthly mortgage and property tax payments. Your banker will look at your family’s gross monthly income to assess what percentage is going towards housing costs (which should be lower than...

 written by Norm Werner Question - I saw a home with a sign that said it is a HUD property, what’s that all about? What should I know about buying HUD homes? First of all, what is a HUD home? HUD stands for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a branch of the federal government. From the HUD Web Site comes this answer - A HUD home is a 1-to-4 unit residential property acquired by HUD as a result of a foreclosure action on an FHA-insured mortgage. HUD becomes the property owner and offers it for sale to recover the loss on the foreclosure claim. So it is a home, duplex or 4-plex that was foreclosed. Maybe there was an attempt to do a short-sale and that didn’t work out. Maybe the lender even tries to sell it in foreclosure and failed. For whatever reason the investor has taken advantage of the FHA guarantee on the original loan and given the property to HUD. HUD then assigns these properties out to local real estate brokers for sale to...

A printer that can build a house? A University of Southern California professor has built a colossal 3-D printer that is capable of building a house in 24 hours. Known as Contour Crafting, the technology could completely overhaul the construction industry in the future. Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis, the researcher behind the technology, has programmed a giant robot to spew out concrete and build a home based on a set computer pattern. The system can lay down cement by gliding along rails. Humans would take over for finishing touches, such as hanging doors and installing windows. Researchers say the technology has the potential to reduce the total cost of buying a new home as well as make it possible to quickly build emergency and replacement housing following a major weather disaster. The technology is currently being tested. The research is being funded by NASA and the Cal-Earth Institute, aimed at investigating the construction of modern civil structures as well as constructio...

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