There are so many factors that go into buying a home. How much money do you have saved up? What is your debt amount? Hw much money do you make each month? Can you afford the neighborhood that you’d like to live in? All of these questions are swirling around the minds of all first-time homebuyers. Did you know that how long you have been at a job is just as important as your income as a factor in getting approved for a mortgage?
Your ability to repay is why the lender is looking at so many different numbers and factors about your financial situation. Employment overall plays a large stake in the mortgage application. Lenders will look at your past employment history along with the job that your currently have. They are also concerned with your future employment status. Your lender will get an idea of your overall plan for your career and employment through looking at your history.
As a first-time homebuyer, you most likely don’t have the employment history of more seasoned homebuyers. Generally, most people who are buying a home for the first time are pretty young in their careers. As a rule of thumb, lenders will look at your employment history over the past two years. The lender wants to see your industry focus. Maybe you have stuck with one career direction, or maybe you have hopped around a bunch. As a hint, jumping around from job to job and field to field doesn’t look very good to mortgage lenders. Job floaters tend to appear as if they have no plans for the future.
Good Career Moves
Staying a software engineer, but moving from the medical industry to the financial industry is an acceptable and smart move in the eyes of lenders. Yet, leaving your stable job in accounting to pursue a career in acting would not be looked upon favorably in the eyes of a mortgage lender.
It doesn’t matter how much money you have saved up, often, without employment history, a lender may not consider you as a dependable buyer. Your lender wants to see that your income is stable for a period of at least three year’s time.
Income Matters
You won’t have the same work history as a first time homebuyer as you would if you were a bit more seasoned. When lenders look at your income history, not having a lot of work history can be a detriment to many factors. If your income is an annual salary, for example, your lender will divide that salary by 12 in order to get a monthly income. If you haven’t been at the job for a full year or took a pay cut during times of training, those numbers will be affected.
For hourly employees, overtime may be a problem as it may not be factored in with the equation if there isn’t a history of at least two years on the job.
While it isn’t impossible to buy a home with a short employment history, it’s advisable to wait until you have some significant time under your belt before you dive into the home buying process.
Want to sell your home? Like many home sellers, you're probably on the lookout for a real estate agent who can help you get the best price for your house.
Choosing the right real estate agent usually will require you to perform comprehensive research. You'll need to examine the credentials and skills of many real estate agents in your area. Plus, you may want to sit down and chat with various real estate agents to find one who can simplify the home selling process.
Ultimately, there are several questions you should ask a real estate agent before you hire him or her to sell your house, including:
1. What is your home selling experience?
No two homes are identical, and much in the same way, no two real estate agents are exactly alike. As such, you should learn about a real estate agent's experience to ensure he or she possesses the expertise necessary to sell your house.
For example, if you're selling a condo, you may want to hire a real estate professional with condo experience. Or, if you're looking to sell your home as quickly as possible, you should find a real estate agent who knows how to promote a home across social media and other platforms.
2. How will you keep in touch?
What good is a real estate agent if this professional fails to keep you informed throughout the home selling journey?
With the right real estate agent at your side, you'll be able to stay up to date along each stage of the home selling process. In fact, this professional will provide you with updates about offers on your home, requests to view your residence and much more.
Furthermore, your real estate agent should be easily accessible via phone and email. This means if you need support at any point during the home selling journey, your real estate agent will be able to assist you.
3. Can you provide references?
An expert real estate agent should have no trouble connecting you with past clients. That way, you can find out how this real estate professional has helped previous home sellers accomplish their goals.
If you connect with a real estate agent's past clients, you can get a better idea about how this real estate professional responds to various home selling challenges. As a result, you'll be better equipped to determine if this real estate agent is the right person to help you sell your house.
4. How will you market my house?
A real estate agent should go above and beyond the call of duty to market your house to the right groups of homebuyers. This professional typically will allocate extensive time and resources to learn about you and your home selling needs and help you plan accordingly.
Finding out how a real estate agent will promote your home is essential. With this information, you can understand whether a real estate agent will do everything possible to showcase your residence to potential homebuyers.
Use the aforementioned questions, and you can select the right real estate agent to help you sell your home.
Selling a house may prove to be difficult, particularly for those who are competing against dozens of rival sellers in the same city or town. Fortunately, there are lots of things that you can do to gain a competitive advantage over rivals in a fierce housing market.
Now, let's take a look at three tips to help you get a leg up on the home selling competition.
1. Focus on Curb Appeal
How your residence looks to buyers can have far-flung effects on the house selling journey. Thus, if you allocate time and resources to upgrade your house's curb appeal, you can differentiate your home from all others in your area. And as a result, you could speed up the home selling cycle.
To enhance your home's curb appeal, eliminate clutter and debris in front of your residence. Also, if there is any damaged home siding, you should fix this problem.
If you are unsure about how to improve your home's curb appeal on your own, you can always hire professionals to help you out, too. These professionals will take the guesswork out of home exterior improvements and allow you to upgrade your residence's curb appeal without delay.
2. Set an Aggressive Initial Asking Price
If you price your home too high, you risk alienating prospective buyers. Or, if you price your house too low, you risk missing out on the chance to optimize your home sale earnings.
Ultimately, it is beneficial to establish an aggressive initial home asking price. If you learn about the local housing market, you can compare your residence to available houses in your city or town. Then, you can use this housing market data to help you establish a competitive initial asking price for your home.
You may want to conduct a home appraisal as well. That way, you can receive a property valuation that you can use to help you set an aggressive initial home asking price.
3. Collaborate with a Real Estate Agent
Navigating a fierce housing market often is challenging for first-time and experienced house sellers alike. Lucky for you, real estate agents are available who can help you simplify the house selling journey.
By hiring a real estate agent, you can collaborate with a home selling expert. Typically, a real estate agent will work with you to create a custom home selling strategy. And when you are prepared to sell your home, a real estate agent will ensure that you can put this plan into effect and achieve the best-possible results.
Furthermore, a real estate agent will help you review any offers to purchase your house. He or she is happy to provide honest, unbiased home selling recommendations. By doing so, a real estate agent will help you immediately sell your residence and get the best price for your home.
Ready to sell your house? Take advantage of the aforementioned tips, and you can quickly and effortlessly sell your home in a competitive real estate market.
Going away on your vacation should be a time of relaxation and enjoyment. For some of us, however, we spend some of that time worrying about our homes, our pets, and all of the housework we have to catch up on when we get back.
One way to alleviate some of this anxiety is to employ a house-sitter while you’re away. In this article, we’re going to talk about getting your home ready for the sitter so that they can keep things running smoothly while you’re away.
Finding a house-sitter
There are three groups of people you should consult about finding a house-sitter for your home: friends, family, and neighbors. Many young people still living with their parents will be happy to get away for a week or two and have a house to themselves for a change.
An added benefit of asking an acquaintance or relative is that you can usually be assured that they’ll take good care of your home while you’re away.
In terms of payment, leaving them money for groceries and delivery is a good way to thank them for watching your house and pets while you were away.
Getting your house ready for the sitter
You might be at a loss of where to begin when it comes to leaving a note of things to do while you’re away. A good way to make sure you don’t miss anything is to keep a list in your phone and add to it throughout the day whenever you complete a task that you want the house-sitter to do.
You’ll also want to make sure you provide contact numbers for you and whoever else is away on vacation with you, and store the house-sitter’s number in your phones as well.
Next, make sure your home is emergency-ready. That includes checking the smoke detector and flashlight batteries. If you have a security system, it’s a good idea to let them know that someone will be watching your home while you’re away and provide their name in case your house-sitter accidentally sets off the alarm.
Finally, take care of anything you need to do before leaving, such as paying utility bills, putting fresh linens in the bedroom and bathroom, and parking your unused vehicles in a safe place.
Tip: It might be a good idea to lock or hide any alcohol, tobacco, etc. that’s in the house, especially if your house-sitter is underage.
Now, let’s talk about some things to include on your list to leave for the house-sitter:
Recycling information (sort or no-sort)
Which day to take out the garbage cans and recycling
Information about pets: when/how much to feed, treats, walks, when they need to go outside, which vet to call in case of emergency, etc.
Location of keys for shed, house, etc.
Garage door opener
Reminder to take in the mail
Pool filter and cleaning procedure
Watering plants
Moving into a new environment can be exciting and interesting. However, finding new places or stores to get products and services can be difficult. Finding the right fitness club goes a long way for an individual. The right fitness gym will suit your personality perfectly and help in keeping you motivated to find your way back to the gym. The best option is to do thorough research to find the perfect fitness club in your new city.
When finding a fitness club in your new city there are some essential factors you need to consider, and they include:
- Location. It's best to choose a gym located close to your home or your office. So, whenever you have a busy schedule, it will make everything more comfortable and easier for you. Also, you can decide to stop at the gym in the morning on your way to work or detour there after work.
- Cost. The expense is an essential factor to consider when finding the right fitness club. You need to check the payment schedule that will be suitable for you. Some clubs offer discounts based on your residency and others because of an arrangement with your company. Ask around until you find a suitable place that meets most of your expectations at a reasonable price.
- Equipment. Make sure you go inside and take a good walk around the gym. Verify that they have many different types of equipment, especially the ones you use often. Check that there is enough of the most popular equipment for all the members, so you won't have to wait in line before using it.
- Members. The way people respond to those around them is always different. There are gyms with same sex only, or open to all genders, or for a specific age group. It’s best if you choose a gym where you can feel comfortable, not intimidated, or embarrassed, and that’s not overcrowded.
- Staff. Be sure the staff of the gym is accommodating, supportive, available to answer every one of your questions, helpful, and have a good knowledge of fitness techniques and the equipment.
- Cleanliness. To prevent finding yourself in an unpleasant or uncomfortable environment, you need to check if towels are available and if the seats and grips receive a wipe down after each use. Also, check the maintenance of the restrooms, locker rooms, and showers.
- Classes. Make sure you see the timetable for fitness classes held in the gym. Ensure that the types of courses you enjoy meet at a time that is comfortable for you. Don’t forget to ask the club if they charge extra fees for classes before you sign up for them.
- Hours. Some gyms are open 24/7 while some close on weekends and even on holidays. Depending on your preference for when you love to work out, check if the gym will be open at the time of day you will use it.
After checking enough gyms, you'll surely find one that will suit you perfectly. If you’re planning to move, talk to your real estate agent about gyms in your new neighborhood.
