By: Kathleen Yamauchi

When potential buyers step into your house, they want to see a clean, neat and attractively decorated house. What they DON'T want to see is something so overly decorated they can't imagine their own furniture and possessions in the house. Plus, too many shelves and tables with knickknacks, too many overstuffed sofas piled with pillows can hide the architectural and structural features of a home.

Here are a few tips on keeping a minimalist approach to your home decorating.

Read the rest..

By: Greg Ryan

Advances in technology and building processes have opened up a world of endless possibilities for modular home construction, providing strong competition with traditional home building. Highly controlled factory warehouses, similar to automobile factories provide a safe environment for modular home construction. Weather conditions are not a detriment to the materials, and quality control is located at each station for providing adherence to some of the highest standards for home construction in the business. Compare the benefits of modular home construction over traditionally built homes.

What are the differences between modular home construction and traditional home construction?

Read the rest..

By: Charles Essmeier

Deed theft is an increasingly popular crime in the real estate industry. It usually works like this: A company will post signs around town offering to "help" those facing debt problems that might lead to foreclosure. Representatives of the company meet with the homeowner and offer to take over the payments for a year or so while the owner gets his or her finances in order. The company urges the owner to sign over the property to the company, with the understanding that after a year or so, the owner may buy the property back. It seldom, if ever, works that way. Once the property is signed over, the company often evicts the former owner and sells the property at a profit. The owner gets nothing.

Read the rest..

By: Steve Gillman

You've bought a house, a fixer-upper you can make some money on. What improvements and repairs should you make? First of all, you need to know this before you buy, as I explained in another article. Before and after you buy, though, you need to have some simple rules with which to start analyzing possible fixes.

Read the rest..

By: Andrew Loh

Many first-time home shoppers have been discouraged by the high prices in the housing market, and many people wonder if putting the purchase off a few years would be a smart strategy. Many people are waiting for a drop in housing prices, but the chances of a significant drop in home prices is actually quite remote.

While there are certainly pockets of the country where real estate can be said to be overvalued, in most areas of the country the average house is actually priced quite fairly. That means that putting off the purchase of a home may simply mean throwing away more money in rent, and losing out on the significant tax benefits homeownership can bring.
Read the rest..

By: Steve Gillman

Don't sell it yourself! Sometimes a "FSBO," or house "for sale by owner" can sell as fast, and for as much as it would have if listed with a real estate agent. Sometimes. Before you decide to give it a try though, consider the following ten points.

1. Most buyers work with agents. They look through MLS listings. If you don't list with an agent, most buyers will never see or hear about your home. It's hard to find that "right" buyer or get top dollar when your invisible to most of the market.

Read the rest..

By: Brandon Cornett

The offer is a critical part of the home buying process. It's when you, as the buyer, say to the seller: "Here's what I'm willing to pay for this house."

This home buying guide will explain the five factors of a smart offer.

Read the rest..

By: Jason Courtney

Many renters often run into problems with their landlords. It's a common problem. Most of the disputes erupt when the tenant is moving out. Often times the problem for renters is getting their security deposit back.

It can be a frustrating experience. Money is involved and emotions can turn to anger. This is why disputes between renters and landlords can often end up in court.

If you are a renter, it is important to know your tenant rights. Knowing your tenant rights can swing the leverage over to your side during a dispute with your landlord.

Read the rest..

By: Gray Rollins

Over the last several years, real estate investment has been the center of much interest. Infomercials abound about the money to be made by real estate investment. Reality television shows concerning fixing houses and reselling them are in great abundance, and a new American dream has been born. While real estate investing can be quite profitable, it's not as easy as they make it look on television. You must know your market area very well and while there is potential for great profit, the risks are high in real estate investment. There is always the possibility of failure and that must be an acceptable risk for you if you wish to prosper through real estate investing.
Read the rest..

By: Steve Groom

If you or someone you know is headed toward foreclosure, or are already in foreclosure, you need to know your rights and options now. Only then can you save your house, save your credit, and save your equity before it's wiped out forever.

Foreclosure can mean the loss of your home, any equity in your home, your credit rating and your dignity. Foreclosure is a very public process, with your name listed in the public court records and then published in your local newspaper. Then, once you are ready to move on with our life, your foreclosure appears on your credit report for at least 7-10 years. In addition, all mortgage applications currently ask if you have EVER had a foreclosure. You'll have to check "Yes" for the rest of your life.

A foreclosure usually means that you won't be able to buy another house for several years unless you agree to the exorbitant interest rates of "Bad Credit' mortgages which can be twice the rate of regular mortgages.

Read the rest..

By: Felicity Walker

It happens to all of us eventually - we go to pay the rent and realise how much money we hand over at rent time. Then we start to wonder if maybe we'd be better off putting that money towards buying a house. It's never an easy decision, mainly because it's such a big decision - one that will have an effect on you and your lifestyle for many years ahead. So let's take a look at both options, and check out the pros and cons of owning and renting.

Firstly, let's look at the option and buying your own home. Most people aspire to owning their own home; it's a dream for most of us. If we're planning to start a family, the urge to have our own home frequently becomes a lot stronger. We want to put down roots, have a feeling of financial and emotional security, as well as linking into a community for our kids to grow up in. All of these are strong motivations to buy your own home, but there are disadvantages too.

Read the rest..

By: Tim Lee

The last couple of years have seen a spurt in attendance at government real estate auctions. The concept of buying bank or government seized real estate from these auctions has gained popularity due to the realization that many kinds of real estate including family homes, multiple unit houses, apartments, townhouses, commercial properties, land and vacation homes at very high discounts. Buying from these auctions can take off almost 80-90% of the market value.

Read the rest..

By: James OBrien

Searching for a home can be an exciting, hope-filled, stressful, and uncertain experience, all at the same time. To help alleviate some of this stress and uncertainty, it is suggested that you create a "Wants and Needs" assessment. It may sound simple, and it is, but it can save you a great deal of time in narrowing down homes to investigate and preview. Walking through homes that have nearly everything you are looking for, except that extra bedroom, extra bathroom, full basement or other component you cannot live without, can be a frustrating experience.

Read the rest..

By: Andrew Loh

There are few purchases in life that carry the financial and psychological weight of buying a home. Whether you are buying your first home, moving up to your dream home, or downsizing your home and your life after the kids have gone, it is important to understand the ground rules for success in the world of buying a home.

Making the wrong decision in buying a home can have devastating and long lasting effects, while making a wise decision in home buying can greatly enhance the overall value of the investment. It is necessary to learn all you can about the world of home buying and mortgages before setting out to purchase the home of your dreams.While there are plenty of web sites designed to help first time homeowners learn all they can, most financial experts say that there is no substitute for the good old one-on-one learning. Fortunately, most mortgage lenders, home inspectors and real estate agents will be able to provide this kind of one-on-one learning.

Read the rest..