Help Is Click Away For Home Searching
Saturday, February 16, 2013, 2:00 AM | Leave Comment
Buying a home can be an overwhelming experience, and it starts with your initial search. At times, it can be very annoying and frustrating. The best thing to do is save money by doing your homework.
Talk to several lenders, compare costs and interest rates, negotiate to get a better deal. Consider getting pre-approved for a loan.
The following websites can make that search easier and might save you money as well.
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WalkScore.com can give you a feel for how much you might like a neighborhood and how much you can do there without getting in your car – or if you don’t drive.
It helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc.
Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle – not how pretty the area is for walking.
You simply enter a street address and the site rates the “walkability” of the area based on the proximity of things like schools, libraries, restaurants, parks and stores.
There’s also a walkability ranked list of neighborhoods for the 50 largest cities in the U.S.
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Foreclosure.com features state-by-state listings of foreclosed and pre-foreclosed homes available for sale.
Listings come from foreclosing lenders, government agencies and corporate sellers. The site requires a paid membership to view full listings, but offers a free 7-day trial.
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If you are buying a home, you are going to need a real estate agent, and Doorfly.com can have agents competing for your business – and offering you money.
Submit your criteria for your new home and Doorfly finds agents who are willing to give you a rebate from their commission fee in exchange for working with them.
Doorfly also maintains a blog updated with news and tips for home buyers.
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Last but not least, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has posted a comprehensive guide to buying a home, from determining how much you can afford to pay to the signing of closing papers.
In a Nutshell
The home buying process can seem complicated, but if you take things step-by-step, you will soon be holding the keys to your own home!
