Ray Peckham Real Estate

Buying and Selling Huntington Beach Homes for Sale

Qualifying the Buyer for your Huntington Beach Property

Either you or your agent will want to weed out potential buyers who cannot afford to purchase your Huntington Beach home. Items to investigate include the buyer’s debt and credit history, current income and employment, the availability of cash for a down payment, the time the buyer needs before closing on the home and the buyer’s level of interest in your home as compared to other properties.

Huntington Beach Home Improvement

Don't underestimate how much projects will cost. Expenses usually are added, not subtracted. Homeowners, even Huntington Beach homeowners, routinely go 20% to 30% over budget. Remember, it is common to under budget cost and time.

When remodeling for resale, don't waste time with renovations that won't pay off. If you must have a pool, you still may have to lower your expectations on who will be interested in buying. The National Association of Realtors/Remodeling magazine study has identified four renovations that show the greatest return at resale: improvements to siding, windows, kitchens and bathrooms. Remember you have a lot invested in Huntington Beach.

Huntington Beach HOME BUYING PITFALLS TO AVOID

Sellers usually rely on sales of Huntington Beach homes of comparable value to determine a fair and realistic price to set for their home but many sellers feel their home is worth much more and price their home accordingly. Buyers must also be tuned into sales for comparable homes in Huntington Beach in order to judge the price of any home that is under consideration.

Being “House Poor” gets to be “Old New” real fast. A large and beautiful home with little or no furniture tends to be empty and cold. A life where almost every dime of income goes to the support of the Huntington Beach house wears thin very quickly and is a frequent cause of family stress. Pushing yourself right up to your limit leaves you highly exposed when the inevitable changes to the national or your personal economy occurs.

Huntington Beach. How Much Should You Offer?

Comparable sales figures is a good guide for homeowners who are pricing their Huntington Beach and a good guide for prospective buyers. Make sure you compare homes that are similar to the one your are considering...the same neighborhood, the same size, the same condition. Also, make sure you compare sales within the past six months.

Ask your REALTOR for a comparison of the list price and sales price of comparable Huntington Beach sales. This information may give you a trend and a guideline for your offer. For example, maybe homes in the area have consistently listed for more than they actually sold for. If that is the case, find out what percentage of reduction occurred. Use this information as a basis for your offer.

Building Huntington Beach Home Equity

As a Huntington Beach homeowner you have the right to pay more towards the principle loan amount each month. Let’s say your monthly payment is $700.00 a month and $100.00 a month is being applied to the principle. If you choose to pay $900.00 instead of $700.00, the $200.00 overage will be applied entirely to the principle. Thus, instead of gaining $1,200.00 a year in Huntington Beach home equity, you gain $3,600.00.

The only factor being considered here is Home Equity. In individual cases it may be wiser to invest than to pre-pay your home loan. It also may be wiser to pay off high-interest, non-deductible loans before considering your Huntington Beach home equity building options. Your financial advisor is the one to consult for these matters. If you would like up-to-the-minute information about Huntington Beach home appreciation values in your area, please call or E-mail me today.

Huntington Beach ADVANTAGE

The advantages of buying in any particular city or area depend on the buyer’s individual needs. Factors include proximity to schools, work, shopping, recreation, cultural opportunities and health care. Affordability is another important factor. So your first step in considering Huntington Beach or any other city is to determine which of your needs are met and which are not met.