It’s hard. Rents are on the rise and Wisconsin home prices are up 10.3% over the past 12 months, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
“A Hard Rains A Gonna Fall” to quote one poet. Sometimes it helps to take breath and…think. Pause and think about goals and objectives, short and long-term. Take a break from the noise. It’s July so I’ll keep it short. Below are a few things to ponder if you’re considering buying a home: 1. Determine what you can afford and still have some balance to your life. Good choices lead to financial freedom. 2. When you buy a home, know the risks of concessions and don’t give up protections that you need. 3. Understand the contingencies and disclosures in the contract and what they mean. They’re in the contract for a reason…and not always to protect the buyer. 4. Forget the “Love letter” to the owner. Such letters carry a liability that may hurt your negotiating position. The film below (see link) speaks to housing. It’s a 3-minute trailer of a film I saw in Telluride, CO years ago at Mountain Film, a documentary film festival my wife and I attend annually. I watched it recently and it reminded me that buyers need to think about wants vs. needs. (To see the trailer you may have to highlight the link and rightclick) vimeo.com/ondemand/tinyinternational/28422870 While I don’t advocate you buy this small a home, I do advocate that when it comes time to buy a home you work with someone – from a fiduciary position – who cares about your long-term interests more than a sale. Good choices lead to financial freedom. I’ll write about numbers 1-4 above in upcoming E-notes.
Contact Seamus, Mike or me if you want to discuss real estate. We’ll find a tiny coffee shop, listen to you, and then provide some insight f from our years of experience helping over 1,800 buyers find the right balance, even in this crazy market. Thanks for reading, This email was sent to [email address suppressed]. |