Category Archives: Home Buying & Selling

Home Improvements on a Budget

Posted on by
Reply

At our recent Home Improvement on a Budget and the Mortgage Market Seminar, attendees learned about today’s mortgage market, information on our home improvement loan and home improvement tips on budget. Below are a few home improvement tips that were presented that can help you get the most out of your budget during your home improvement period.

Maximize Your Decorating Budget:

What’s the dirtiest word in decorating? That’s right: budget. Whether you have just a few $100 for a room makeover, or tens of thousands, you’ll need to plan carefully and make tough choices to meet your bottom line.

1. Make a design wish list: Give your imagination free reign. Write down everything you’d like to do and buy – be specific. Although you’re indulging in a bit of fantasy, don’t forget to include the practical stuff that needs to be fixed, upgraded and purchased.

2. Determine your actual budget: Be brutally honest here: Take a look at your monthly inflows and outflows, as well as any funds you’ve set aside for rainy day projects, and see how much you realistically have to spend. If the money just isn’t there, it might make sense to put off your project while you set a savings goal, rather than maxing out your credit card.

3. Familiarize yourself with price tags: Before you draft an itemized budget, hit the stores, catalogs and Internet to research how much the items on your wish list will cost. If it’s been a few years since you’ve decorated — or if this is your first major home project — expect some sticker shock. Couches, for example, can range from a few $100 to $1000+, so price out sofas that meet your style, quality and comfort standards.

4. Prioritize your purchases and labor: Start itemizing with your decorating wish list, real costs and your total budget in front of you. If you have a whole home to decorate, decide if you need to tackle the project by room or category: furniture first, then window treatments, etc.

5. Keep common budget busters in mind: Just as you would with a remodeling budget, tuck away 10 to 15 percent of your total for unexpected expenses. If, you’ve set aside $5,000 to create a bedroom sanctuary, do your best to draft an initial budget that tops out at $4,250. That way, you’ll have money in reserve to pay an electrician when it turns out that hanging the bedroom chandelier isn’t a simple matter. Other common errors and oversights that can break the budget are impulse buys, freight and delivery charges, and supplies.

6. Phase it in: Unless your budget is unlimited, you may not be able to do everything right away. But don’t lose heart — you can spread out the expense by making a long-range plan and implementing your design in phases, as time and money allow. Designers tend to tackle jobs in this order: backgrounds and surfaces (ceilings, walls, floors), buildables (built-in shelving), furniture, fabrics, lighting and accessories – take your time to do it right!

Some Other Home Improvement Tips to Keep in Mind:

  • Re-paint a room: A great way to spruce up a room for cheap with the most dramatic result.
  • Do-It-Yourself: Use Pinterest.com and get some crafty inspiration and don’t be afraid to paint and do flooring yourself – try something new!
  • Call in friends & family: Why pay for workers when you have family & friends (Just don’t forget to feed them lunch)!
  • Shop secondhand stores: Great way to find unique and inexpensive pieces that you can easily fix up or paint.
  • Wait for sales & discounts: Wait to find what you really want at a price you’ll really love.
  • Sew your own linens: Don’t be afraid to get a little “Martha Stewart” and sew your own window treatments and linens.
  • Reuse items you already have: Be imaginative and find ways to reuse décor – slipcovers and new hardware do wonders!

Click here to view the article source.

The Top 10 Things You Need to Know When Buying a Home

Posted on by
2

These ten useful tips are crucial to know when looking to purchase a home.  Be sure to read on before you make the purchase! Man, Woman, My House, Couple, Front Door, Happy, Door, Entrance, 1. Don’t buy if you can’t stay put.

If you can’t commit to remaining in one place for at least a few years, then owning is probably not for you, at least not yet. With the transaction costs of buying and selling a home, you may end up losing money if you sell any sooner – even in a rising market. When prices are falling, it’s an even worse proposition.

2. Start by shoring up your credit.

Since you most likely will need to get a mortgage to buy a house, you must make sure your credit history is as clean as possible. A few months before you start house hunting, get copies of your credit report. Make sure the facts are correct, and fix any problems you discover.

3. Aim for a home you can really afford.

The rule of thumb is that you can buy housing that runs about two-and-one-half times your annual salary. But you’ll do better to use one of many calculators available online to get a better handle on how your income, debts, and expenses affect what you can afford. Get started today by using some of our financial calculators, which will tell you how much home you can afford.

4. If you can’t put down the usual 20 percent, you may still qualify for a loan.

There are a variety of public and private lenders who, if you qualify, offer low rate mortgages that require a small down payment.  In fact, First Financial is one of them! Check out our Mortgage resources, and then stop into any branch or give the Loan Department a call at 732.312.1500, Option 4.*

5. Buy in a district with good schools.

In most areas, this advice applies even if you don’t have school-age children. Reason: When it comes time to sell, you’ll learn that strong school districts are a top priority for many home buyers, thus helping to boost property values.

6. Get professional help.

house for sale sign

Even though the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings, most new buyers (and many more experienced ones) are better off using a professional agent. Look for an exclusive buyer agent, if possible, who will have your interests at heart and can help you with strategies during the bidding process.

7. Choose carefully between points and rate.

When picking a mortgage, you usually have the option of paying additional points — a portion of what you pay at closing — in exchange for a lower rate. If you stay in the house for a long time — say three to five years or more — it’s usually a better deal to take the points. The lower rate will save you more in the long run.

?????????????????????????8. Before house hunting, get pre-approved.

Getting pre-approved will save you the grief of looking at houses you can’t afford and put you in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house. Not to be confused with pre-qualification, which is based on a cursory review of your finances, pre-approval from a lender is based on your actual income, debt, and credit history.

9. Do your homework before bidding.

Your opening bid should be based on the sales trend of similar homes in the neighborhood. So before making it, consider sales of similar homes in the last three months. If homes have recently sold at 5 percent less than the asking price, you should make a bid that’s about eight to 10 percent lower than what the seller is asking.

10. Hire a home inspector.

Sure, your lender will require a home appraisal anyway. But, you should hire your own home inspector, preferably an engineer with experience in doing home surveys in the area where you are buying. His or her job will be to point out potential problems that could require costly repairs down the road.

If you have any questions about the home buying process, feel free to ask us!  We know it can be an intimidating process at times, and we’re here for you.  To apply for a First Financial Mortgage – click here.*  You might also want to subscribe to our Mortgage rate text message service, by texting “firstrate” to 866-956-9302.  When our Mortgage rates change, you’ll be the first to know**

* A First Financial membership is required to obtain a mortgage and is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Monmouth or Ocean Counties.  Subject to credit approval. See Credit Union for details.

**Standard text messaging and data rates may apply.

Article Source: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/lesson8/index.htm

ENGLISH insurance labelequal%20housing%20lender%20logo-resized-600

Mortgage Market Seminar Summary

Posted on by
Reply

mon125027-resized-600Recently, First Financial hosted a free Mortgage Market Seminar. The seminar was intended for anyone looking to buy or sell a home in the current state of the economy. Those in attendance were provided with detailed descriptions of the home buying and mortgage application process as well as advice on how to choose a realtor and lending institution.

The presentation began with an overview of the home buying process and emphasized that it is important not to be intimidated by the long process or be worried about credit score. By finding and choosing the right financial institution with an appropriate lending product and a realtor that one feels comfortable with, this process can be much easier. In order to choose the right financial institution, it is necessary for one to understand all the costs of owning and maintaining a home and determining how much he or she can afford. Some of the most common expenses of owning a home are the mortgage payments covering principal and interest, taxes and insurance, and upkeep. It is recommended that homeowners also set aside a reserve of cash for unforeseen expenses or emergencies.

Once a financial institution has been found, the potential home buyer needs to be approved. The difference between pre-approval and pre-qualification is that the first is a formal commitment from the lender and requires verification of income, funds on deposit, and credit report. When choosing a realtor and attorney, it’s recommended you choose someone with whom you are comfortable with and not make a decision based solely on fees.

No one should ever allow themselves to be persuaded into an agreement or contract about which they feel doubtful or uncomfortable with. It’s also encouraged to ask for closing credits and make your purchase offer contingent upon things such as affordable financing and satisfactory home inspection.

On that note, it is highly recommended that potential home owners have the house inspected. It might cost you a few hundred dollars now, but it gives peace of mind and might potentially save you from thousands of dollars in costs that could have accidentally been overlooked.

The seminar concluded with describing the differences between a fixed and an adjustable rate and closing costs. If you or anyone you know has any questions regarding a mortgage or a future seminar at First Financial, contact us.