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Archive for August, 2011

Top Ten Rules for Home Buyers

Written by Leigh Wilbanks
Published on August 5th, 2011
Categories: Buying a Home

1. Determine if buying is right for you

Understand the benefits of buying a home verses renting a home and make sure that the decision to buy a home is right for you and your family.

2. Check your credit

Make sure that your credit history is clean and fix any credit problems proactively. Unless you are purchasing a home with all cash, you will need to get pre-approved for a mortgage and your credit history will be important.

3. Hire a Realtor

Even though the internet gives Buyers unprecedented access to listings these days, there is more to buying a house than home shopping online. In addition, the Seller will pay all Agent commissions, so as a buyer, it’s always best to have your interests represented by a Realtor!

4. Establish a realistic price range

Spending time looking at homes that you can’t afford with the hope that the Seller will accept a below market price is not a productive strategy. Get realistic on price upfront so that you are seeing homes that you can afford and not getting distracted by homes that you can’t afford.

5. Understand all of the costs

Create a budget that includes property taxes, insurance, HOA dues, maintenance, upgrades, and of course mortgage payments to get a full picture of what your home will cost on a monthly basis.

6. Prioritize your needs and wants

Establishing a clear set of needs (must haves) and wants (nice to haves) will help you judge homes analytically rather than emotionally.

7. Understand the risks of home ownership

Work with your Realtor to understand market trends and make sure that you are comfortable holding your home through the inevitable ups and downs of the real estate market.

8. Think about resale

Although you may plan to live in your new home for 100 years, things happen and you should make sure that you’re buying a home that will be easy to sell in the event that selling your home becomes necessary.

9. Focus on YOU and not the Seller

Trying to inflict as much pain as possible on the Seller is not the measure of a good deal. Instead, focus on what you and your family need and want rather than focusing on what you can squeeze out of the Seller.

10. Have fun!

Buying a home is fun and should be fun. Talk to your Realtor if you feel yourself getting overwhelmed by the process so that he or she can help you take a deep breath and put things back into perspective.

For a full guide to the home buying process, contact Red Door Properties or request a copy of the Red Door Properties Home Buyers Guide.

Published by Leigh Wilbanks
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The Magical Swamp Cooler!

Written by Leigh Wilbanks
Published on August 4th, 2011
Categories: Home Maintenace/Upgrades

This goes out to Christina whose demonstration of swamp cooler physics was the inspiration for this blog…

The swamp cooler is perhaps one of the best things about living in Denver! Sometimes called an evaporative cooler or desert cooler, the swamp cooler is perfect for the dry Denver climate and is also a cheaper alternative to central air conditioning systems.

Here’s how it works!

Hot outside air enters the swamp cooler and comes into contact with liquid water. The liquid water evaporates into water vapor drawing latent heat out of the hot air. The now cooler air is then blown out of the swamp cooler and into the home. The greater the difference in inside and outside temperatures, the greater the cooling effect…when inside and outside temperatures are the same, there is no cooling effect.