Boise Idaho Real Estate Blog - Buying A Home

Do You Need a Realtor to Buy a New Construction Home?

I’m not going to tell you the Top 10 Reasons you need a realtor to buy a new home.

What I will do is explain how the sales process works from the builders perspective.

First an important distinction. Buying a new construction home bears little resemblance to purchasing an existing home beyond the fact there’s real estate involved. Not understanding the difference can cost you tens of thousands of dollars.

Who Does Your Realtor Really Represent?

When buying a new construction home in Idaho, the builder will be represented by a real estate agent 100% time (interesting isn’t). The Realtor has a fiduciary, moral and legal duty to represent their client. In this case the builder. That means getting the builder the best possible sales price and…

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6 Real Estate Contract Killers You Need to Know About

Even after a real estate contract is signed, sealed and delivered the deal is far from over.

When buying a home or selling a home- there’s no such thing as a done deal until the transaction is funded and recorded with the county. As real estate agents, we’d love nothing more than to see clients dance their way to the closing table. The reality is that many real estate transactions hit the fan before close. Many times for reasons you might not have thought about.

Idaho is a single contract state. Unlike in some areas, the initial Purchase and Sale Agreement is the only contract that spells out the entire agreement. As a buyer, you are committing yourself before the seller has even seen your offer. As a seller, you can agree to the purchase price…

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Homeowners’ Associations – Friend or Foe?

Common now more than ever are homeowner associations. Just in Idaho there are more than 3,000 homeowners’ associations. If you’ve ever found yourself touring adjoining neighborhoods, but one maybe looks more spruced up and well cared for versus the other? Chances are there might be a homeowner association involved.

Ever wonder why in some communities most of the houses are similar colors? Most likely a homeowner association. When looking at home for sale- an HOA can make or break the deal. It’s important to know how these associations work and understand what you’re signing up for when you buy that new home.

What is a Homeowners Association

A homeowners association is just that. When a developer begins building a new community, they usually…

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FHA Loans in Idaho the Complete Guide

So What Is an FHA Loan?

FHA stands for Federal Housing Administration. In simple terms, this is a loan program that’s popular with first-time homebuyers that is backed and insured by the federal government. Now it’s important to know that this isn’t who will make you the loan, your lender will do that, but this is an entity that oversees and helps folks get into new homes. Also worth noting – not all lenders are FHA qualified and not all FHA qualified lenders are the same when it comes to interest rate, fees, etc. Like anything else, always shop around to get the best deal.

What Are the Advantages of FHA Loans?

When it comes to an FHA loan- What’s in it for me? A much lower down payment! I don’t know about you but growing up I always thought…

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Idaho First Time Home Buyer Programs

Reality Check: You’re Already Paying a Mortgage. Monthly rents have shot up throughout the area and now more than ever, folks realize that the amount of rent they’re paying every month could easily be paying an actual mortgage – for a home you own. There are many Idaho First Time Home Buyer Programs that can help you do just that.

National Programs & Grants

FHA

A significant portion of first time home buyers will utilize an FHA (Federal Housing Administration) loan. An Idaho FHA loan is a loan that is backed by the government and buyers are required to put down at least 3.5% of the loan amount in order to purchase a home. Let’s face it, 3.5% can add up. What most people don’t know is that there are Idaho first time home buyer programs out…

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Closing on Your Dream Home

You are now an expert on how to buy a house – you went to open houses, put in offers and found the home of your dreams! Fast forward to the closing, the end of the road of your home buying experience. Now you’ve found yourself in a conference room- pen in hand, ready to sign away. While the closing home timeline varies for every closing, most likely in the next couple of hours, you will officially be a homeowner!

What is a Home Closing? In simple terms, a closing is where the home purchase is finalized and ownership of a property is transferred from seller to buyer and made official with the county.

Things to Expect During the Closing Process

Your lender will send all the mortgage paperwork to the title company- who acts like an impartial 3rd…

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How to Buy a House, When You Have Never Done It Before

It’s taken some deep soul searching, but you’ve finally come to the conclusion that you’re tired of giving a large sum of money to your landlord every month and not having anything to show in return. Congratulations- you’re on your way to becoming a homeowner!

Now the question remains, how do I get started? Maybe you’ve poked around at what’s for sale on the internet and have seen homes that you think would be a good fit, but where to begin? While there’s tons of information about how to get started on your new home search I’m going to break it down for you in 6 easy steps to help you on your way from becoming a first time home buyer.

Ask yourself, “what is owning my own home worth?”

Meet with a Real Estate Expert

Not to toot my own horn,…

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Ten Common Home Inspection Items

As life events go a Home Inspection, whether buying or selling a house, can be one of the more stressful ones. No matter where you’re at in the process, as a buyer- once you’ve written your offer or as a seller once you’ve received an offer the next step is for the home to be inspected.

For home sellers- it’s not required, but suggested you have a pre-listing home inspection done prior to listing your home for sale. A prelist inspection of a home can provide peace of mind knowing that any unknown issues could come up makes for a smooth transaction.

No matter how long you’ve lived in your home, you may have items that should be repaired prior to listing your home. Not only may it come up during a buyer’s home inspection but certain repairs may…

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