Posts Tagged ‘Should’

I am thinking about buying a new-construction home and I am a first time buyer. Why should I hire a realtor?

What will the realtor do for me? Will I get a better deal from the builder if I go by myself? Are there realtors that specialize in new construction homes?

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Lic Contr/Builder How much should we pay for a custom shower in our new-build home? (Have pic, will email)…

I have a drawing in my email from the builder. I can email it to you, which would be much easier than describing it. I designed the shower myself. The builder wants an additional $12K for taking out the standard tub and shower, and putting this one in. In my opinion, it is way too much, but I am not a contractor so I don’t know. The house is located in Arizona. This question is probably best for a licensed contractor or builder, but I welcome anwers from anyone with an opinion!!

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do you think that I should major into interior design and dietetics?

Interior design is really what I want to go for. and I think I will. But the what if’s are going into my head. So dietetics should be a back-up plan. but the problem is this: longer time spent studying science which I plan not to go into unless I seriously can’t get a job in interior design. so do you still think that’ll be a smart move to invest an extra 1.5 years in college?

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Should we build fence or or plant hedge?

We are thinking about buying a house in town with neighbors on 3 sides (sides and back). I want a little privacy but don’t really want to feel “boxed in”. What kind of compromise between a bushy high maintenance hedge and an expensive fence could we do?

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How can you find who is the builder of a specific piece of property? Should you talk to him, without Realtors?

I want to talk to the builder to ask about unauthorized changes in the construction of my new house and also to see if I can get a finishing date since I was supposed to move into my new (still unfinished) home October 1,2005. I don’t have any idea what the time line is. I am handicapped and need to have movers in place, a truck driver, notify my storage of intent to vacate, change my residence for deliveries and mail. A lot of my helpers are employed people that have to notify their jobs, when taking time off from work. How can I go about finding who it is I need to talk to? I have talked to my banker and he seems to know less than I do, he’s waiting too. This new construction is part of a new program funded, in part, by the government. Should this be a factor as to the level of service one receives?

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How much below asking price should I offer for a new construction home that is completed and sitting?

For years, these new home builders have been so smug. Every time telling us that we were at their mercy and had to pay their ridiculous inflated prices. Now the tables are turned and I am looking forward to picking up several new homes at a steal and using them as rentals. What do you guys think is a good percentage to start negotiating at below asking price? 20%, 30% or maybe more…

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What salary and gas/mileage allowance should I ask from my employer tomorrow?

I am a senior college student and will be working for a luxury home builder this summer (it’s just me, the owner and his wife) and driving my own car from job to job. I worked with him the last few weeks of summer and a few weeks in December and he paid me $8.50/hr. I just went with it because I enjoy the job. I do simple tasks such as getting permits, running plans to suppliers, cleaning the job site, estimating and making sure the subs are there and doing their job. My younger cousin gets $15/hr at his internship at a big construction company. I want to ask around $10 to $12 (maybe more), what do y’all think?

For gas,
I get about 18 miles to the gallon and gas is about $3.50/gal where I am.

Also, what is the deal with the IRS 48 cents a mile thing? Is that what I should ask of my employer or is that a tax write-off?

I know this was long, but I will GREATLY appreciate any response.

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what should be included in a standard residential builders contract?

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Cedar Log Home Builder in Texas: Building Your Dream Home the Way it Should be

Creating any house, much more someone else’s dream house requires artistry, skills and craftsmanship. A cedar log custom home builder in Texas must possess these qualities and more: he must be a modern thinker. In this century wherein functionality and utility are considered traits of beauty, a cedar log home builder must be able to fuse artistry and science in building your dream home.

The finest around

Brian A. Bailey Homes is one of the finest cedar log home builders in Texas if one were to go by the awards that the company received in the industry. There is the award for housing design – the Best in American Living gold award. Then there is the Gold Nuggets award given for creative architecture. Builder Magazine also bestowed upon Brian A. Bailey Homes the Best Builder in America award. Custom Home Magazine gave it the Pacesetter Award for, you said it, pacesetting design. These are just some of the awards garnered by the company for its work in home-building.

Founded in 1979 by Brian A. Bailey and his father, this home builder is backed by a full team of real estate professionals. From administration to finance, to design and construction, you are assured that you are dealing with competent and committed personnel. A visit to their office at 11610 Bee Caves Road in Austin will enable you have a feel of how you are treated first-class by these professionals.

This homebuilder puts a very high premium on customer satisfaction. You want customized, you get customized. You want a cedar log home, you’ll get your rustic, old-fashioned home, no questions asked – truly according to your specifications.

Building your dream home the way you want it

Brian A. Bailey Homes wants nothing but a totally satisfied seal of approval from you. To achieve this, the company’s team of professionals works with other partners in the industry including local materials suppliers and other contractors, to help in various aspects of design, exterior and interior construction, down to the plumbing and the roofing, even to the details of furniture and fixtures and appliances. Short of saying that when you move in to your new home built by Brian A. Bailey Homes, every little thing that is in this home is to your liking and full satisfaction. There you are – award winning professional work suited to your discriminating taste makes every Brian A. Bailey home your dream home.

Contact a realtor for referrals

Brian A. Bailey is truly one of the finest cedar log home builders in Texas. However, there are a few others out there that you might want to know more about and probably meet in person, too. A realtor can help you in this regard. He’s the best person you can talk to about your home building needs since he is in no way connected to any of home builders and thus can give you an honest opinion about your custom home builder of choice.

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What Buyers Should Know Before Purchashing A Minnesota Home

If you are thinking about purchasing a home in Minnesota there are a few things you should know. Here is a list of items that will help you to have a stress free home buying experience.

Realtor

If you don’t own a home you could spend plenty of time searching online trying to find the perfect home. This is why you should enlist a buyer’s agent to help you. Most people only consider getting a real estate agent when they are selling their home, but a realtor is helpful for new purchases as well. They will have listing of houses that up for sell before they are put on the MLS-multiple listing service. So if it is a really good deal you wont even know about it. They’ll find out your price range, and the best neighborhood that fits your needs.

Mortgage Agent

Before you can buy a home, you will need to know the exact amount you qualify for. The only way to do this is by completing and submitting a loan application. This way you’ll be what is known as pre-qualified. Many times real estate agents will not take you as a serious buyer unless you’ve completed this process. Some new home builders will have their own mortgage company to represent them which they might give special incentives to get a loan with them. A mortgage agent will work with you to help you pick out the best loan for you that you can afford.

Government Programs/Tax Credits

The government at any given time may have special tax credits for home buyers. Whether it is for buying a new home as a first or second time buyer to buying a green energy home, you want to see exactly if any programs may apply to you. You don’t want to pass up any deals that could affect the price of your home.

Credit History

Your credit affects everything. If you had poor credit practices in your youth this could affect the purchase of buying a house. You need to ensure that you get a credit report and see if there are any discrepancies which need to be removed. This needs to be done a year before you start buying a house as if there are any problems it may take months to get it cleared. If you find a house that your family really likes it could be gone or worse you might not even qualify. You don’t want this to happen.

Closing Costs

You will need to know if you are buying an older home if the seller is willing to pay a portion towards your closing costs. If you can bargain with the owner, this will keep more money in your pocket. New home builders may also offer an incentive towards closing costs. You need to ask and inquire. If they have a lot of inventory they may be willing to negotiate. You will need to have funds in your accounts to cover this in case you won’t get money towards this.

Savings

You shouldn’t spend all your funds on your new house purchase! You don’t know that expenses you might incur. You might have to replace anything that might not have been covered under a home warranty it is an older home. You will also end up getting new furnishings for your new home that can add up pretty quickly.

As a Minnesota home buyer, you will need to make sure that you keep the above things in mind to have a stress-free experience.

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Things You Should Be Aware Of When It Comes To Choosing Modular Home Builders

The appearance of modular homes are becoming more apparent in these past few years, in order to have a modular home of your own, you have to call on the services of modular home builders.

A modular home builder is going to be the person that is held responsible for constructing your home. So, when it comes to selecting a builder for your particular home you want to ensure that you choose the right builder for the job.

You will find that often times locating a modular home builder that will be able to construct your home in the means that you want it can actually be a difficult task. Remember that nothing is treasured as much as your home, so you need to ensure that the construction on your dwelling is done to your standards.

You will need to carefully evaluate modular home builders in order to find a crew that will work best for you. Inadvertently, anyone can proclaim that they can build a house to your standards the thing is proving that it can be done.

Going through a screening process of all the applicants that are inquiring about building your home for you will help you get a good inclination on who you should choose from your precious project. You should be able to be open with your builder and ask them any questions that you may have concerning the construction process.

It helps when you can find yourself a builder that actually wants to help you construct your home. There are plethora’s of builders that are inadvertently in the business for the amount of money that they can get from it and they are not in any means interested in your particular job or what it entails.

After making a selection on the person that you want to build your modular home, you should conduct a meeting with your builder to discuss your plans for your home. This way you can review over building contracts and leave with an adamantly good feeling that you will be able to have the home of your dreams.

A persons home is their most prized possession. So you should assure that the person that you hire to build your modular home has an inclination of how important this home is going to be to you.

You need to be able to find a builder that is going to listen to the way that you want your modular home to appear. Anyone can be caring and compassionate, but it takes a genuine modular home builder to actually care about their customers needs.

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Real Estate Financing – What You Should Know About Home Mortgages

As the nation’s real estate market continues to grow and new technology gains more ground, many widely accepted beliefs that were true just a few years ago may not be true today. Before you go after a home mortgage or home loan or any real estate financing, if you have a lot of bad credit because of consumer debt such as credit card or personal loans, try to eliminate or reduce this debt as soon as possible because it’ll affect your ability to qualify for a home mortgage and the estimated monthly payment.


Some tips to know: whether you’re financing or refinancing. most people move or refinance within a seven year period. And loan programs for down payments of 20% or less require you to purchase Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI).


If you’re going to buy a second home or second property, you’ll need to identify the source or sources of your down payment, since you won’t be selling your current house and using the proceeds, and you’ll need to expect a larger monthly payment for housing and other related expenses too.


If you have a problem getting a home mortgage and the seller still owes money on the home you can check with your lender and see if you can get a wraparound mortgage. Although it’s not legal in all states, it will allow you to pay the monthly payment on the existing mortgage and an additional payment to pay the difference; make sure that a wraparound mortgage will not trigger a due-on-sale clause ask the lender in advance.


Many people are not aware that they may be able to customize the length of their loans. Ask the mortgage broker or lender you’re working with. Although lenders usually advertise 15-year loans and 30-year fixed rate mortgages, applicants can ask for 20 years, 25 years or any other number of years that would work better. This may allow borrowers to build up their equity faster and keep their monthly payments in a range they can afford. Some lenders may impose strict limits on how much of the down payment can come from borrowing from other sources.


Some of the advantages of adjustable rate mortgages that are touted include: lower costs – because they are usually priced lower than fixed-rate mortgages so you can increase your buying power and lower your initial monthly payments then if the interest rates go down, you’ll have lower payments. However in all the years I was in the real estate business I never advised anyone to get this type of loan. With the changing market trends one can find themselves in a heap of trouble just like that. This would be a last resort loan and one would have to be sure they were not going to be unemployed in the next few years.


If you’re working with a local builder within a sub-division or housing development and you’re just making carpeting, lighting and appliance selections for a brand new home, you’ll likely be able to get a standard mortgage loan. But if you’re planning to hire the contractors, electricians, plumbers, and painters, you’ll probably need a construction loan, which provides the funds to pay the subcontractors as the work goes along.


You will want to work with your mortgage broker or lender closely to develop an individual home loan or home mortgage program based on your credit worthiness. If you have or think you have a less-than-perfect or ‘bad credit’ credit report don’t worry too much about it. When financing real estate it’s important to know that a low FICO credit score doesn’t mean you won’t qualify for a home loan or home mortgage. There is much ado about the FICO score these days but there are many instances in which it isn’t going to interfere with getting a home loan or mortgage.


If you do borrow money for a down payment it must be disclosed to the lender or if any of the money for your down payment was a gift, be ready to provide proof of it.


The 20-year fixed-rate mortgages allow you to make a consistent higher monthly payment throughout all of the 20 years you have the mortgage; the shorter term means you pay the loan off quicker and therefore pay less interest and importantly, build equity faster than you would with a 30 year loan. You’ll also need to take into consideration what the closing costs will be. Ask about the escrow account for taxes and insurance.


Make sure to ask other homeowners how they’re doing and what real estate financing and home mortgage or loan pitfalls to avoid. And whatever you do don’t get yourself into a situation where you are unable to make the mortgage payments; make sure to think far ahead. Try not to get too overwhelmed with all the different home loan and mortgage choices available.


Make a list of questions and get the answers from any real estate agents, real estate brokers, mortgage lenders and any other real estate professionals you know or meet. Ask them about real estate financing, home mortgages, home loans, refinancing and current mortgage rates. Go online and get home mortgage quotes. Online quotes can often be cheaper because of the elimination of middlemen for example. And compare the quotes with other quotes you get locally to find the best rates for you.

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Should I Negotiate With A Custom Builder?

My customer home builder’s fee is 10% over cost. I’m concerned about negotiating because I think he’ll cut expenses elsewhere to make up for the lost profit. Also, how should I check to ensure the costs he gives me are legit?
Thx for any insight.

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I’d Like To Build My Own Home. Should I Call An Architect Or Just Go Through A Custom Home Builder? Any Tips?

I need some basic steps and any pitfalls to avoid.

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What Type Of School Should I Study Interior Design At?

When desiring a degree in an art based career is it better to go to an art school/career school or is going to a regular university sufficient enough? I want to study interior design, but art schools are sooooo expensive. So I’m wondering if it would be fine just going to a traditional university that offers interior design? Please help. Thank you.

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