Buying and Selling a Home Section 7.3 Buying and Selling a Home

The Home Buying Process Buying a home will probably be the most expensive purchase you ever make. You will need to determine your home ownership needs, find and evaluate a property to purchase, price the property, obtain financing, and close the transaction.

Step 1: Determine Your Home Ownership Needs Consider the benefits and drawbacks of buying a home. Consider the types of homes that are available. Consider how much you are able to spend.

Owning a residence Benefits Drawbacks Stability and permanence Decorating freedom Financial benefits $ Value of home usually rises Once paid off, you don’t have to make any more payments. Drawbacks Saving $ for down payment is hard Property value may decline Limited mobility Home maintenance can be expensive

What are two benefits and two disadvantages of owning a residence?

Types of Housing Single Family Dwellings Multiunit Dwellings Sits on a separate lot not attached to any other building Multiunit Dwellings Duplexes and townhouses Condominium Groups of apartments or townhouses that people own and not rent Cooperative Housing Pay monthly fee which covers rent and operating expenses Prefabricated Homes Houses made and partially assembled at a factory. Cheaper than building a home on site. Mobile Homes Rarely “mobile”. Assembled at factories and moved to home site.

What are 6 types of housing you may own?

Affordability and Your Needs Size and Quality Price and Down Payment How big do you need your home? What quality are you willing to settle for? How much can you spend? Look at your income Look at your expenses Do you have anything saved for a down payment? Talk to a loan officer at a bank to get approved for a loan. Trading up Be willing to buy small and “trade up” as you make more money and become more financially stable.

Step 2: Find and Evaluate a Property to Purchase Select a location Hire a real estate agent Conduct a home inspection: you may be able to get the house cheaper

Step 3: Price the Property Determine the Price of the Home How long has the home been on the market? What have similar homes sold for? Do the owners need to sell in a hurry? How well does the home meet your needs? Negotiate the Purchase Price Offer what you are willing to pay Seller may accept or reject Seller may make counter offer Seller and buyer may agree on price Buyer may pay seller a portion of price called earnest money. Earnest money shows the offer is serious. Money sits in an escrow account where the $ is held and then applied to the down payment.

What is an escrow account? What questions should you ask yourself when determining how much to offer for a house? What is an escrow account? What is a counteroffer?

Step 4: Obtain Financing Determine the amount of down payment. Usually 20% of the purchase price. If you do not have the 20% you will have to obtain private mortgage insurance (PMI). When the buyer has paid between 20-25% of the purchase price, the PMI insurance can be dropped. PMI is a policy that protects the lender in case the buyer cannot make payments or cannot make them on time. You can usually elect to pay the cost of the insurance up front or spread it over payments.

What are two benefits and two disadvantages of owning a residence?

Step 4: Obtain Financing A mortgage is a long-term loan extended to someone who buys property. The buyer will borrow money and will need to pay the lender payments (including interest). Mortgages are usually 15, 20, or 30 years. If you fail to make the payments the lender can foreclose or take possession of your home.

What is a mortgage?

Step 4: Obtain Financing To take out a mortgage, you need to meet certain criteria. Most lenders charge between $100 and $300 to apply for a mortgage. The monthly payments on a mortgage are set at a level that allows amortization of the loan. Amortization is the reduction of a loan balance through payments made over time.

Adjustable-Rate Mortgage Types of Mortgages Fixed-Rate Mortgage Mortgage with a fixed interest rate and a fixed schedule of payments. Payments are always the same throughout the life of the loan. Adjustable-Rate Mortgage Interest rate changes throughout the life of the loan according to economic factors. Your payment may go up or down. Home Equity Loans A loan based on the difference between the value of the home and the amount the borrower owes on the mortgage. (a 2nd mortgage) Refinancing Obtaining a new mortgage to replace the existing one. If interest rates fall (from 8 to 4%) you may be eligible to refinance to get lower mortgage payments.

What are 4 types of mortgages?

Step 5: Close the Transaction The final step is closing, which is a meeting of the buyer, seller, and the lender of the funds (or a representative such as a lawyer). At closing, documents are signed, last minute details are settled, and money is paid. The buyer and seller must also pay closing costs.

Closing Costs for Buyer and Seller Item Buyer Seller Title search fee $50-$100 $300-$900 Title insurance $50-$1000 Attorney’s fee $100-$500 Property survey ---- Appraisal fee $100-$350 Recording fees $30-$65 $35-$65 Credit report $35-$75 ----- Termite inspection $100-$250 Lender’s origination fee 1-5% of the loan Real estate agent’s commission 5-7% of purchase price Insurance, taxes, and interest Varies

What are closing costs?

Selling a Home Prepare your home for selling: The better it looks, the faster it will sell. Determine your selling price. An appraisal (an estimate done by a professional) will tell you what the house is worth. Choose a real estate agent. They will attract buyers and show your home but are paid commission on your sale. Sell it yourself.

Activity: Find a home On your index card is the future occupation that you want to have. I have given you the average starting salary for that occupation. GENERALLY, you can afford a house 2 ½ times your average salary. Search the internet for a house within your price range in the area you want to live. Print out your house and calculate how much your down payment would need to be (20%).