By Chris Wulff Budgeting for Homeownership As likely the largest and most important purchase you’ll ever make, homeownership requires careful budgeting. This includes planning not only for a down payment and a monthly mortgage, but also property taxes, repairs, and other costs through the life of the home. You are going to have to hire
Read more %1$sCheryl Eidinger-Taylor, president of ERA Key Realty Services in Northbridge, Massachusetts:
By Cheryl Eidinger Taylor What tips do you have for first-time homebuyers? Make sure you know the process. Review the home-buying process, timing of a purchase, funds that will be needed and the current market circumstances (i.e., is it a seller’s market or a buyer’s market? Are short sales or foreclosures available, etc.). By knowing
Read more %1$sQ&A: Bo Kauffmann
1. What are the most important questions you should ask your broker or real estate agent when looking for your first home? I love working with first time buyers simply because they tend to ask very good questions. When interviewing an agent, buyers should be confident in his/her responses and qualifications, and should also feel
Read more %1$sSmarter Living: Why Layouts Matter
By Frederick Peters Does every home need a great room? Do buyers need, or even want, a dining room? How important is the kitchen, especially in a market like New York? Does it matter whether the ceiling is 9Â feet high, or 8 feet high, or 11Â feet high? While in our data-hungry age values tend to
Read more %1$sBe Informed, Be Prepared and Enjoy the Process
By Bill Golden After over 30 years in real estate I sometimes forget what it’s like to be a first-time home buyer. It’s quite refreshing to work with them. Still, things have changed a lot over those years – for the better: First-time buyers are far more knowledgeable than they used to be, mostly thanks
Read more %1$sThe Non-Financial Benefit Of Home-ownership
By Frederick Peters We are a nation of homeowners. Tax benefits and government encouragement have always driven American home buying in a way unfamiliar to most other developed world nations. For most Americans, their home represent their largest investment. And in recent years, the fluctuations in value around that investment have become a cause for
Read more %1$sQ&A: Modern Home Buying and Due Diligence for the First-Time Home Buyer
By Bill Gassett 1) What are your recommendations for finding a home to buy online? What recommendations do you have for first-time home buyers in the modern era? One of the most important aspects of buying a home today is being able to know about properties the instant they hit the market. In most areas
Read more %1$sThings to Consider Before, During, and After Your Home-Buying Journey
By Amy Nguyen Being Financially Ready At the start of you journey, it’s important to first make sure you can afford a home. This might require you to get some documentation in order and shop around for a lender that best can serve you. You’ll want to have money saved for a down payment, inspections,
Read more %1$sSteven John
Steven John lives in Port Washington, New York (Washington DC native; school in Boston; twelve years in lovely Glendale, California). He and his wife Kristin, an elementary school teacher, have one son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Scarlett. In addition to writing for several websites and journals, Steven published his first novel, THREE A.M., in 2012.
Read more %1$sSteve Bitterman
Chief Risk Services Officer, Vault Insurance With 30 years of experience under his belt, all of them in the high-net-worth market, Steve’s had the unique opportunity to appraise spectacular mansions around the world and provide risk management advice on everything from collector cars to haute couture to priceless pieces of art and jewelry. As Chief
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