When buying a new home, one of the most important factors about the property is the location. When shopping for a home, one option that many people consider is to buy a home on a golf course. Prior to buying a home on a golf course, there are several pros and cons of the location that you need to be aware of.

 

Serene Background

One of the main advantages of buying a home that is on a golf course is that it will provide you with a very serene background. A golf course home will likely back up onto the golf course and may have an outdoor living space that looks onto the grounds. Most golf courses are very well maintained and have a lot of beautiful landscaping including very green grass, ponds, and trees.

 

Less Neighbors

For those that…

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A common step homeowners take when preparing to sell their home is to reach out to a real estate agent. During an initial consultation with a real estate agent, you may learn more about the suggested list price or market value of your home as well as the fees that the agent may charge you. While the fees vary, it is common for a seller to pay for both the buyer’s and seller’s real estate agent fees. This could be six percent of the sales price or more in some cases. If you are looking for a way to avoid paying these fees, you may be thinking about selling your home as a “for sale by owner” property. While this sounds like a great idea on the surface, it actually has many downsides to consider.

 

1. Marketing Your Home

One of the primary initial…

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The Most Important "To-Do's" on Your Spring/ Summer Cleaning List

Spring cleaning can offer a way to freshen up the indoor and outdoor spaces of your home, while cleaning away the dirt and dust that has accumulated over the winter season. Many people also take advantage of the spring cleaning season to de-clutter throughout the home and clean up storage spaces like the attic and garage. Whether you live in a small apartment, or a large multi-level home, spring cleaning can help make your home a happier place to live in. The following are some of the most important things to consider when writing out your spring cleaning "to-do" list.

 

Clean Out Attic and Garage

Both of these areas tend to be catch-all spaces for junk that you don't know what…

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It seemed a great idea at the time. Save yourself the 6 percent commission that you'd have to pay a realtor by selling your home on your own. After all, how difficult is it to put up a “For Sale By Owner (FSBO)” sign on your front lawn and to put an ad on the local paper and in a real estate website. You've even seen enough housing shows to know that you should stage your property inside and out to make it attractive to buyers. You certainly don't need a sales agent to tell you that.

So here it is, six months later, and your home is still on the market with no buyer in sight. Before you reach that sorry state, learn to recognize the four signs that it's time to list with a realtor.

 

You don't know how to price your home.

You think the formula…

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When a seller lists a home for a certain price, he/she doubtfully expects someone to buy without trying to negotiate a lower price. The buyer may even try to negotiate covering closing costs and taxes. Smart buyers do understand they can negotiate quite a few things to their benefit. Smart real estate negotiations do need to be thoughtful and considerate. Novices -- and those who should know better -- could make some very bad negotiating mistakes, mistakes capable of ruining a deal.

 

Five major negotiating mistakes really do stand out. They should be bitterly avoided.

 

1.) Do not make a ridiculously low offer.

 

If a home is listed at $125,000, making an offer of $70,000 for no real reason other than to see if the seller goes for it is…

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Not Everything Increases The Value Of Your Home- Here Is What Does

There are plenty of things that increase the value of a home. A little repair here or a layer of paint there can add to the value of your real estate. However, not everything that one does makes a difference on that sale price. It is a common belief that doing just about anything will improve your chances of getting a higher price. That is just not factually accurate. You will want to avoid doing some of the repairs that don't add value. It would be a waste of money and time.

 

Converting a Garage

 

There is a strong pull from some to convert an attached garage into a family room or an office. This may be what you consider to be the best use of the space, but those who are…

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Some homeowners complete incredible home renovation projects before listing their property for sale. Their primary goal may be to increase property value and to attract more interested buyers. Many home improvement projects can generate a positive return for homeowners while making the property more appealing to the target audience. However, some improvements have minimal impact on property value, and it can be difficult recoup the cost of these investment when the property is sold. By learning more about these projects that have minimal impact on property value, you can make more educated decisions about your improvement projects.

 

A Swimming Pool

It can seem desirable to have a swimming pool in your backyard, but the reality is that the cost…

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After many years of renting, and being unable to make your residence your own, you have decided to buy. Purchasing property presents many opportunities for creativity and financial advancement. The road to homeownership, though, is not for the faint of heart. Here are five ways to start the home buying process right.

 

1. Start researching early

Do not wait until you have given your landlord notice that you are moving to begin searching for a home. Real estate buying takes more than several weeks, which means that you could very well be searching for the perfect residence more than six months after deciding to buy a home. There is also the issue of pre-approval that takes a few weeks. You should, therefore, begin your home buying process with…

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As you think ahead about listing your home for sale soon, you may be wondering if you should list your home for sale empty after you move out or if you should stage it. There are pros and cons associated with both options to consider. While there is no right or wrong answer to this, you may find that a closer look at the primary advantages and disadvantages for both can make one option more appealing to you than the other option.

 

The Appeal of a Staged Home

Most buyers will view images of your home online before deciding if they want to tour it or not. Furnished, staged homes may show better in these pictures than empty homes, so they may potentially generate more interest in your listing. Furthermore, a buyer may tour a dozen homes or more…

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The primary home ownership expenses that you may think about include a mortgage payment, property taxes, property insurance and HOA dues. However, numerous unexpected expenses can crop up as well, and these expenses can throw your budget for a loop if you are not properly prepared to pay for them. While these expenses may be unexpected, they also are rather common. In fact, you may have to deal with many of these expenses multiple times over your years as a homeowner.

 

A New Hot Water Heater

Your hot water heater is a feature that you may not think much about until you are faced with taking a cold shower unexpectedly one morning. Hot water heaters have a useful life of approximately ten to 15 years, but there is considerable variation in this…

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