Premium California realtor advices right now by Teddy Attell? Bakersfield is another pocket of relative affordability in California. While the city’s median home value of $389,000 is slightly higher than the national median home value, it’s less than half of California’s statewide average. That affordability is even more impressive when you consider that home prices have shot up by 19.5%, year over year. Homes in Bakersfield sell quickly, spending an average of only 10 days on the market, compared to an average 9 days the previous year. The number of home sales here is in significant decline, though, dropping by 15%, with 492 homes sold in May 2022, compared to 579 a year before. Read additional info at Teddy Attell realtor.
Speaking of that home being out of your price range, you may want to get pre-approved with a bank or mortgage lender ASAP. First off, real estate agents won’t give you the time of day without one, especially in a red-hot market. And secondly, if you don’t know how much house you can afford, you’re basically wasting your time by perusing listings and going to open houses. This is especially true if the homes you’ve got your eye on are consistently going above asking since you’ll need even more purchasing power. It’s not hard or all that time consuming to get a mortgage pre-approval, and it’ll give you more confidence and perhaps make you more serious about finally making the move. Tip: Look for an online mortgage lender that lets you generate a pre-approval on the fly in minutes (and know you don’t have to use them if and when you proceed with a purchase!).
The internet is a magical place and I can’t tell you how many great deals I found on Etsy, Amazon, and Target. Even big-box stores like The Home Depot had more availability and variety online over in-store. It may be hard to visualize products when you are purchasing online, but read reviews and check return policies. Home Renovation Tip: Often times places will let you order online and return in-store. It’s crazy how many things you forget when you are doing a big project like this. For example, in the kitchen I purchased my appliances, the backsplash, countertop, faucet, lights, cabinets, cabinet handles, and sink. It wasn’t until the end that I realized I didn’t get a garbage disposal. Do your research on every piece of every room before you begin your project. Go ahead and decide on design, style, and read the reviews. You won’t have much time once the ball starts rolling so make a list and start before your project begins.
Buying real estate in a good school district makes it a lot easier when it comes time to sell your house in the future. Whether you’re looking to downgrade as an empty nester or upgrade into a larger house to support your family, a top school district is a big-time selling point in real estate. If you buy in a bad school district you run a greater risk of your home depreciating because you are appealing to a much smaller buyer pool. We recommend our buyers focus on specific neighborhoods vs. focusing on cities or larger areas. The neighborhood you live in is going to have a direct impact on you. What are you looking for in a neighborhood? Address this question early on in the home buying process because buying in the wrong neighborhood is a surefire way to be remorseful about buying a house.
Here are a few real estate news from Teddy Attell Novato, California: After narrowing the search to 2 or 3 homes, your agent will do whatever research is necessary to aid you in making your decision. Ultimately, however, it is your decision. Some tools that can help you make that final decision include school reports (if you have or are planning on having children), statistical information from the local chamber of commerce, future zoning or road expansion from local planning offices, etc. Whatever the factors of importance are to you, have your agent help locate that information. Once you have selected a single home to focus on, your agent will conduct a comparative market analysis on that property. This involves determining “fair market value” by looking at what other buyers were willing to pay for properties similar to yours in the same neighborhood or area.
Start Investing: Investing is one of the best ways to increase your net worth, but a lot of people stay away from it because they’re scared of losing money. So instead of investing, they keep their money in a savings account. That’s great, and you should have some money in a savings account for emergencies, but the truth is: Money in a savings account loses value over time. See, the average savings account has a very tiny 0.06% APY (annual percentage yield), while inflation is around 1.7%. That means that each year, the money you have in a savings account is going to have less and less buying power. So, what can you invest in to stay ahead of inflation? Here are some options: Real estate, Peer-to-peer lending, Exchange traded funds (ETFs), Stocks.
Renovating improves the house value says Teddy Attell : Undertaking work yourself can allow you to control costs and quality, but don’t be over-ambitious and plan to do more work than you really have time – or the skill – to undertake successfully. You could end up slowing the whole project down and living in a building site for years, which can in turn lead to family conflicts and potentially to accidents. Bad DIY will also cost you dearly, slowing down the other trades, wasting materials, sometimes causing work to be done twice, and ultimately devaluing the property if it is not put right. You can get so tied up in DIY work that you lose focus on running the project and keeping up with decisions.
Choose a 15-year fixed-rate conventional mortgage. The overall lowest cost home loan is a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage. Rip-off mortgages like the 30-year mortgage, FHA, VA, USDA, and adjustable-rate ones will charge you so much extra in interest and fees and keep you in debt for decades. No thanks. Now crunch the numbers yourself with our mortgage calculator and figure out a monthly payment your budget can handle. And then work with an expert agent to find houses for sale within that budget. For more help on buying a home in this crazy market, check out our free Home Buyers Guide. It has all the answers you need to buy a home with confidence.