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Ray Peckham Real EstateFacts About Surfside Real Estate ValuesBefore You Buy Your Surfside HomeWhether you are a first time buyer or someone who is moving up to a more expensive home it’s a good idea to start by cleaning up your credit report. Let’s say you apply for a loan to purchase an Surfside condo, town home, single-family home or any type of Surfside. The lender will check out your monthly income and outgo to determine if you can afford to repay the loan. Therefore, it is to your advantage to pay off as many high-interest consumer loans as possible. If you are planning on buying a car, a boat or other major purchase, put it off until after you have bought your selected Surfside real estate. Lenders look for certain patterns they consider red flags. These are: late payments, overextension, liens, garnishments and, of course, bankruptcy. Remember, debts reduce the amount of cash you can spend on the Surfside you want to buy, so clear the decks as much as possible before applying for a loan Buying a Surfside Fixer-UpperFinding the right Surfside fixer upper often involves finding a seller who is in financial difficulty and wants to sell in order to protect their credit or to avoid foreclosure. Various government agencies such as VA, HUD, IRS and others offer homes in foreclosure for sale and these homes can make excellent fixer-uppers. Bank owned properties known as REOs, real estate owned, offer good opportunities since financial institutions want to eliminate their real estate holdings by selling foreclosures quickly. Join my network of Surfside buyers looking for specific types of properties. Call or Email me today. The Benefits of Selling SurfsideAs you know, you are allowed to sell your Surfside principal residence once every two years and exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) of the gain of the sale on your Federal income tax. Please note: This is not a once in a lifetime tax savings and you don’t have to be any certain age or buy a more expensive property. If you meet the two-year residence test you can sell your principal residence every two years if you are so inclined and the market cooperates. But this tax saving does not affect rental property unless you convert the rental to your personal residence, live in it for two years and then sell it. The Benefits of Selling SurfsideIf your Surfside holdings consist of both a personal residence and a rental, you can sell your personal residence and exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) on the gain. Then you move into your rental, live in it as your personal residence for two years and then sell it, again benefiting from the $250,000 or $500,000 exclusion. This is true even though most or all of the increase in value occurred before you converted the property to your personal residence. Tips for Buying or Selling SurfsideMost people, when they want to buy a house, contact a real estate agent or broker. That is why it is true that the best way to sell your Surfside is to list your property with a qualified agent. Make sure that the agent you select will list your home in the local MLS and will make sure your property appears on the Internet. Since most buyers start their search online, you want to make sure that your Surfside is available to those who search the Internet. Surfside ADVANTAGEThe 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 Surfside or any other city is to determine which of your needs are met and which are not met. |