Top Tips for First Time Home Buyers

Advice to Help When You're Buying a Home

First time home buyers might feel better to know that they're not the only ones who feel confused about the process of buying a home. Nearly all home buyers feel the same way, even if they've bought a house in the past, because it's easy to forget the home buying steps you took to get there once the event is behind you.

Get Educated

Before you begin, get educated about the home buying customs where you live. Relatives or friends who live in another state might have some good general advice for you, but chances are the process is very different in their area, so avoid the mistake of relying solely on their advice to make important decisions.

So How Do You Get Educated?

Talk to a real estate agent about the typical home buying scenario. This is not a meeting that should lead to an agreement for the agent to represent you.

It's simply a general discussion about the real estate customs in your area. An agent who won't take fifteen minutes to help you understand what to expect when you're buying a home isn't much of an agent, so if the first few calls don't produce someone who will help, keep looking.If you don't want to talk with a real estate agent, how about a bank loan officer or mortgage broker? They look at home buying from a different perspective, but can usually give you a basic overview of the process.

Questions to Ask

If you decide to work with an agent, will the agent help you compose your offer to purchase a home? If not, who does help?

If the agent uses fill-in-the-blank forms, ask for a blank sample copy to take home and study.

What types of disclosures are sellers in your area required to give to buyers? Can the agent give you a sample copy of typical disclosures?

What types of home inspections are standard in your area? Are there other inspections that the agent recommends?

How much do the inspections usually cost? Are they regarded as a buyer expense?

When are inspections done?

Is a survey required for most transactions? If so, who typically pays for it, the buyer or the seller?

Who does the title search to verify that the deed is problem free, attorneys or a title company? What's the average cost for that service?

Who acts as settlement agent, the person who puts together final paperwork for you to sign? (attorney, title company personnel, real estate broker, other)?

Other than loan costs, what's the average total cost for other closing fees?

Taxes, settlement agent fees, etc.

How long does it usually take to close on a home once an offer is accepted?

That's a good start. After you have the answers to those questions, you'll have a better feeling for the basic customs in your area.

Always Keep a Cool Head

Even simple problems can be a burden when you have so many details to take care of, so don't over-react if you hit a few snags on the way to closing. Keep a cool head and work with the people helping you through the transaction to resolve any issues that pop up.

Now Dig In

At this point, your remaining steps are no different than the steps nearly every home buyer must take. It's time to start digging into the details you need to get through the home buying process.

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More than 40 states signed onto a proposed $25-billion deal with major mortgage servicers over faulty foreclosure practices. New York, Nevada and Delaware joined California in holding out for better terms.

More than 40 states signed onto a proposed $25-billion settlement with major mortgage servicers over faulty foreclosure procedures, but California, New York and other key states were still not among them.

California has until Monday to share in a multi-state deal with banks to obtain mortgage relief and reforms. Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, who walked away from talks last year, says the door remains open.

With a Monday deadline at hand, California officials have resumed direct talks with the Obama administration about joining a multibillion-dollar, multi-state mortgage settlement with the nation's largest banks, a source said Sunday.

The talk show host pays $12 million for the 4,088-square-foot house with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The ocean-view home sits on 1.26 bluff-top acres with beach access.

In one of the more talked-about transactions in town, actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have sold their Malibu beach house to daytime host and comedian Ellen De Generes for $12 million.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom house built in 1920 for industrialist James Wigmore lists for $2,875,000.

A decorative cast stone entrance opens to this restored Spanish Colonial Revival-style house in Pasadena's South Orange Grove area. Built in 1920 for industrialist James Wigmore, the house retains such original details as coffered wood ceilings and arched doorways.

They don't believe they can sell their property for what it's worth, so they're spending money on making their homes more comfortable.

Do you fit any of these descriptions?

A biennial research report by the National Assn. of Realtors indicates that a handful of real estate agents and brokers and their clients either don't know the law or don't care to follow it.

When it comes to lawsuits, real estate agents and brokers tangle mostly among themselves.

The president aims to help about 3.5 million people with good credit who are unable to refinance at historically low rates because their homes are worth less than their mortgages.

 

The White House hopes to help millions of homeowners lower their monthly mortgage bill with a $5 billion to $10 billion plan to set up a streamlined refinancing program for people who are current on their payments.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index of 20 large U.S. cities fell 1.3% in November from October as foreclosures continue to drag down the housing market.

Three straight months of home-price declines in the biggest U.S. cities showed that foreclosures remain a significant drag on a housing market that is entering its fifth year of deterioration.

L.A. Clipper Chris Paul may be quick down the court, but he moves pretty fast when it comes to buying multimillion-dollar real estate too.