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You may keep a spare house key hidden somewhere around your home just in case you lose or forget your main set of keys. How does your hiding place measure up? Is it too obvious that anyone including thieves can find it? You can still have a spare key easily accessible to you without sacrificing the security of your home.
Never sacrifice the safety of your home for convenience. If you fail to have an alarm system set as an added layer of security, you really could be in trouble if your spare key isn’t well hidden. Burglars now have free and easy access to your home.
Everyone (especially burglars) will look under the mat for a key to get into your home. If you see it in the movies, it’s probably too obvious of a hiding place.
This is a textbook area to hide a key in that can be easily accessed by intruders. Criminals know where to look, so you need to think ahead of them.
If the rock doesn’t blend in, it’s not a good hiding spot! Many pre-fabricated hiding systems can be a bit obvious, so beware.
Whether you put a spare key in a wallet or your purse, if that gets stolen, there goes your spare key. The perpetrator also has access to your home. It’s generally not a good practice to keep a spare key on your person.
If the neighbor hides your key on their property, if a thief does find the key, they will assume the key goes to the neighbor’s house. This is a safe, convenient way to keep a spare key as long as the key is kept somewhere outside the home. You don’t want to face a lockout only to find out that your neighbor isn’t home.
Surprisingly, most break-ins happen during the daytime when you’re not home. If you keep your spare key in your car, the key won’t be there while you aren’t home.
If a key is hidden near the place where the dog will be, you’ll have little to worry about. Burglars really don’t like dogs, mostly because dogs don’t like them!
Technology affords us one great option in the present day- keyless entry. If you are constantly forgetting your keys you should invest in a keyless lock system. These typically have codes that can be programmed. Just don’t forget the code!
When you think of your real estate budget, you should know that the more you spend on a home, the more overhead costs you’ll face. You’ll need to pay for things like real estate agent fees, attorneys fees, and other closing costs. The more you pay for a house, the higher all of these fees will be since they are usually percentage based. So, the overarching question is how do you budget and find a reasonable amount of money to spend on a home?
Your real estate agent may show you a myriad of homes across many different price ranges. Each property will have pros and cons. You can look at seeing these homes as an educational experience. Viewing properties could even help you hone in on what you want in a home. There are a few good reasons to look at homes above your budget range.
When housing prices begin to rise, people tend to believe that they’ll keep climbing. The panic couldn’t be further from the truth. Eventually, the prices need to drop. The idea of buying a property and adding value is to make a bit of a profit back when you go to sell. You need to be prepared for anything when you head out to buy a home. Price changes will apply to you if you plan on living in your new home only for a specified period. If you don’t have plans in your future to move, you may not worry about home value changes quite as much when shopping for a property.
If you plan ahead, you don’t have to pay mortgages for the rest of your life. If you keep moving and taking out 30-year mortgages, you could be making mortgage payments forever. If the average family stays in their home for around a decade, that's not a significant amount of time. Here, you’ll find a great reason not to max out your budget on a home. If you buy a less expensive house, you can get the mortgage paid off faster. You may even be able to take the mortgage out for a shorter term. Paying your home off more quickly allows your financial freedom. It’s simple, yet many people opt for a bigger house that they aren’t planning on staying in, causing a bit of a financial headache.
If you avoid maxing out your budget to buy a home, you’ll be able to save a bit for any emergencies that come up. You will be under less stress knowing that you have a little bit of money set aside in case your home needs major repairs, or you face a job loss or illness. In conclusion, it’s never a good idea to max out your budget on a home purchase.
Image by Steve Heap from Shutterstock
An active housing market has reduced the number of foreclosed homes in inventory, but there will always be foreclosed homes available to purchase. Many buyers are not aware of what to expect when purchasing a foreclosure. Here are some home truths about buying a distressed home.
Many buyers believe foreclosed homes sell at rock-bottom prices. They expect massive and unrealistic discounts. While the bank may be willing to sell for well below the fair market value, their goal is to recover the loss they incurred when providing the original mortgage. Additionally, foreclosed properties may have long-standing maintenance issues that require a substantial investment to remedy.
A foreclosure removes the primary mortgage debt, but a distressed property may have other claims for money owed in back taxes, for mechanical work and contractors’ fees. A complete title search should tell you if there are liens that need satisfaction when you purchase a property. Your real estate agent can guide you in how to discover unsatisfied liens or judgments against the property
Most owners do not simply move out of the property when they can no longer afford to make payments. When an original owner loses income, maintenance often becomes a low priority. And, if they have a medical disaster, a decline in health often means a decline in care for the property. Storm damage, pests, and other hidden issues mean damage to a home that gets overlooked when the owner has different priorities.
Although there are some stories of angry owners vandalizing the foreclosed property that they invested their life savings into, more often are issues with opportunistic thieves. They remove plumbing and light fixtures, paver stones, and other readily accessible objects from an abandoned property.
Schedule a thorough inspection before you purchase if possible so that you know what you're getting. Your real estate professional specializing in distressed properties can connect you with an unbiased inspector. They will report on your potential new home and help you uncover any hidden costs lurking there.
