Asifa Zia -The Realtor YOU want

Being prepared financially and mentally are key from  daveramsey.com As the number of foreclosures in your area grows, you may feel the urge to jump into real estate as part of your investment strategy. Real estate investments done right   can   give you higher returns than mutual funds, but they require a lot more time and trouble. Be sure you’re prepared financially   and   mentally before plunking down your cash. Financially, you should: Be debt-free Have a full emergency fund of 3–6 months of expenses Be investing 15% into retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s and/or IRAs Have cash to fund your real estate deals Mentally, you need to: Educate yourself about the foreclosure process Understand your real estate market Be patient about finding good deals What’s A “Good Deal?” In real estate, money is made at the buy. You can consider it a good deal if you  get it for 80% of market value  minus the cost of repairs. For e...

Here's what good staging is not: ripping every last bit of personality out of a home before showing it to buyers. JULY 2014 | BY  MELISSA DITTMANN TRACEY The devotion to sparse decor and neutral color palettes—once iron-clad truisms of “proper” staging—is giving way to a livelier vision encompassing more trendy, inviting interiors and exteriors that are intended to make a listing more marketable. More in  All About the House Houses With a Past Inside New Construction Building for the Future Market a Smart Home Smartly Video: Detailing Your Listing's History Infographic: How Old Are They Now? As stagers reject stripped-down, beige-heavy stylings that are as boring as they are forgettable, they’re replacing them with designs that complement a home’s architecture and price point and present a lifestyle that buyers will want to buy into. That means bolder color pops—yes, even this year’s Pantone color of the year, the purplish-pink radiant orchid; trend...

When errors are made, owners have more options than they may realize. JULY 2014 | BY  MEG WHITE The clean sheen of a brand-new house is calming, but it can give buyers a false sense of security. Buyer’s remorse takes on a whole new quality when a just-completed foundation cracks or when water is pouring in through a brand-new roof. Denver attorney Mari Perczak, a construction defect specialist with the Burg Simpson law firm, sees all kinds of defects in new construction. And with building activity picking up, mistakes are likely to increase as new tradespeople learn the ropes, she says. One piece of advice that can help: Tell new-home buyers to identify who’s responsible for the construction. “Consider asking for the insurance information for the general contractor,” she says. That can be helpful in the event of defects. In Perczak’s view, the biggest risk new-home owners face is running out of time to address problems. The statute of limitations on claims for de...

                                                       Written by  Katherine Reynolds Lewis,  is a freelance writer. Want to buy your first home? You’ve probably got some cash saved for a down payment and maybe even recommendations for realty agents from savvy friends you trust. But have you cleared up your credit report, hired a tax adviser or considered the benefits of FHA financing compared with a conventional mortgage? Kasara Williams, 31, has taken all three steps in a year-long quest to buy her first home. “This whole experience has taught me that it’s important to have your financial act in order,” said Williams, a commercial property manager in Arlington. “It’s important to start your search early.” Not every first-time homebuyer will need a tax adviser, like Williams did to fill out forms needed to withdraw part of her ...

Types of Bankruptcy Americans can undergo several types of bankruptcy proceedings, but the two most common are known as Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy wipes out all of your debt (with a few exceptions) while filing a Chapter 13 obligates you to pay back your debts over a period of three to five years. The courts won’t allow you to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy if you have enough disposable income to pay your debts every month. So, which process is the better choice for someone hoping to purchase a home sooner rather than later? While there is some disagreement, many experts say that a  Chapter 7  is your best choice because the process is quicker, it immediately lowers your debt-to-income ratio, and it gives you a clean foundation on which to build good credit. Debt and Credit Aside from a chunk of cash to use as a down payment, the biggest issue standing in the way of many would-be homeowners – whether bankrupt or not – is their debt. Lenders scru...

The floor plan, or plan, is the most common of all architectural drawings. From builders to architects, Realtors to appraisers, everyone uses a floor plan. More than likely this is because the floor plan is the one drawing that tells us the most about a house. From the type of house to the size of the house, a floor plan reveals area, structure, circulation pattern, stair location, door and window locations, room layout and so much more. While floor plans do  reveal a lot  about the functional characteristics of a house, they often lack the information needed to describe the home's overall feel. This is because they can't easily show us what is going on in the  third dimension . So when looking at a floor plan, remember that you're looking at just one view of the house and you'll need to look at other views to really understand all of the house's features. Having said this, let's look at what a floor plan shows. Bud Dietrich, AIA Save to Ideabook ...