Tips for Real Estate Buyers and Sellers

Tips for Real Estate Buyers and Sellers

Thinking of buying a piece of real estate or perhaps selling your existing home? The real estate scene has experienced some record setting fluctuations. The rapid price increases of a few years ago have slid down, just as surprisingly. The average home buyer or seller may be scratching their heads right now.

Here are some tips for negotiating the choppy waters of the real estate world.

1. It's still a buyer's market. Due to the problems within the mortgage industry as well as a less than cheery employment picture, there are still a stockpile of foreclosures.The low cost of foreclosures spills into the traditional resale market, making homes more affordable than they have been in many years.

2. First time buyers are especially in luck, as there are still government first-time tax credits to be had. This helps those trying to sell their homes, as well, because more buyers will be shopping for a home.

3. Interest rates on real estate are still at a decent rate. The low rates will enable more people to qualify for a mortgage, which is good news for both buyers and sellers. Owners will want to look into refinancing, if they have an adjustable rate mortgage.

4. Homes on the lower end of the price scale are the most popular right now. Many investors are grabbing them up for cash. If a home buyer is interested in the low cost homes, they should be prepared to pay full price and to have a bit of competition. It's not a reason to give up, just a reason to be prepared to work a bit to gain your inexpensive first home.

5. Home sellers must realize that they can't price their homes as competitively as the short sales and foreclosures. Short sales are arrangements with lenders to take less money than the belly-up loan, but these often take months to complete. Foreclosed homes are often in dreadful cosmetic shape. A smart home seller will make their house's sale as quick and painless as possible in order to gain momentum on the short sale market, and spruce up their dwelling to make it outshine the foreclosures.

6. If a seller can hold out another couple of years, it would be a wise choice. Even now, prices are at an all time low. Once the stockpile of foreclosures has been run through, the price-tag on resale homes will begin to climb.

The real estate market may be bumpy, but it can still be successfully maneuvered with a bit of gumption and perseverance. Where there's a will, there's a way.