Buying and Selling Huntington Beach Homes

Shopping for Your Huntington Beach Real Estate Loan


Huntington Beach Real Estate Loans have become part of a worldwide mortgage market and mortgage lending is impersonal and competitive. When you shop for the best loan don’t pay too much attention to who is originating the loan. Instead focus on interest rate, points, processing costs and whether you want a fixed rate or an adjustable rate loan. The reason for this is that more than likely, your Huntington Beach real estate loan will be sold to one of the organizations made up of what is known as The Secondary Market.

Huntington Beach Fixed or Adjustable?


The fixed rate mortgages offer Huntington Beach real estate buyers peace of mind with predictable monthly payments. Taxes may go up but the principle and interest will remain fixed throughout the life of the loan. When interest rates were rising rapidly in the late 1970s, lenders came up with ARMs or Adjustable Rate Mortgages. With an ARM, the borrower assumes the risk of rising interest rates. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Huntington Beach Home Improvement


Don't underestimate how much projects will cost. Expenses usually are added, not subtracted. Homeowners, even Huntington Beach homeowners, routinely go 20% to 30% over budget. Remember, it is common to under budget cost and time.

When remodeling for resale, don't waste time with renovations that won't pay off. If you must have a pool, you still may have to lower your expectations on who will be interested in buying. The National Association of Realtors/Remodeling magazine study has identified four renovations that show the greatest return at resale: improvements to siding, windows, kitchens and bathrooms. Remember you have a lot invested in Huntington Beach.

Huntington Beach Homebuyers Quandry


When you find the home you want to buy you may make an offer contingent upon the sale of your existing Huntington Beach. In a Seller’s Market, offers with such contingencies are not well received because the seller must remove his home from the market while you sell yours. However there are times when this kind of offer is successful, even in the Huntington Beach market. A backup strategy might be to put in your offer with a very long escrow giving yourself time to sell your home. Very few sellers will accept these kinds of contingencies or long escrows if your house is not already on the market.


Bitten by the Huntington Beach Home Improvement Bug?


Unless money simply isn’t an issue, the financial implications of remodeling are definitely something to consider. When it comes time to sell your Huntington Beach home, the new buyer will usually not pay for over-improvements. This means that if you have the smallest home in an area of larger, more expensive homes, home improvements may make very good financial sense. However, if you already have the largest, most expensive home in Huntington Beach, more improvements may make you more comfortable but may not bring you a good financial return. You may find that it is financially wiser to sell and move to a different home that already has the features you want to add.

Buying a Huntington Beach Fixer-Upper


This, of course, depends on the condition of the Huntington Beach home and the estimated cost of the repairs you must make. Huntington Beach real estate in a good neighborhood that is priced about 25% lower than others that are in good shape may be a good deal if it simply needs cosmetic or minor structural repairs. If the house is a gut job, that is the entire inside will be torn out and rebuilt the 25% rule may work and may not so estimate your costs as closely as possible.

Shopping by neighborhood makes good sense when considering the purchase of a fixer upper. As a buyer, the more you know about the Huntington Beach homes in a particular area the better able you are when it comes time to judge whether or not a home your are considering meets the financial parameters you are looking for.


Charlie Finn
CA DRE Lic # 00672921
charlie.finn@coldwellbanker.com

Phone: (714) 402-9132
Skype: Charlesfinn

1720 PACIFIC COAST HWY # 101  HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA 92648