All Forum Posts by: Adriana Galvez

Also! Make sure you consider expenses as one of the first things you look into.

You deserve a beautiful home that screams home-sweet-home! 

So, three things to consider - Affordability including upfront costs to secure it, style, and location. I know finding the right home can feel.. time-consuming, but it doesn't have to be! Let's look at some key points you'll need to make it an easy-breezy process!

First! You'll need to understand your budget (this is very important) What can you afford? To figure this out Look at your income-to-debt ratio and do simple math. Don't be afraid to ask for help! We are not all accountants here and I know how forgetting even the smallest of things can be super embarrassing, but trust me it's not! Once that is out of the way, upfront costs will be decided based on your credit-score. The better the score the higher the chances of choosing how much can be put down as a deposit. 

Second, we want to understand your style & taste! What will make your new home feel like home? Also very important! So, in regards to exterior and interior design - in the case you want a fully furnished home - what stands out to you? Square footage of the home, how spacious you want your kitchen, certain rooms, etc. You don't have to be fully detailed, but try to be specific by making a list on a sticky note, notepad, iPad, whatever gets your point across. 

Thirdly, location! Where would you like to live? 

Making sure that tailoring to your needs is heard so make sure you're confident in yourself to voice what matters! Your agent wants to help you successfully buy the home that best suits you so make sure you have these 3 things ready before you talk to an agent. To better assist you, following FHA guidelines can help your agent and help you understand your rights! So please, don't contact a broker without understanding first how to approach this prior to purchasing.

Code of conduct in Virginia (which may or may not apply to any other state) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title36/chapter5.1/secti...

Many of the middle to lower class suffer the consequences of a housing crisis. What causes this? It is said that due to inflation the volatility of pricing on the housing market can fluctuate depending on one sole factor, the Federal Reserve. To create an equilibrium of ease, T-bills a.k.a Treasury bills, also Treasury Securities can be purchased. These are considered investments. 

Taxes are a certainty regardless of where anyone stands financially, so the yield return of investment referring to the capital gain received will be taxed. Tips (Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities) creates a fixed rate on the original principle which helps protect your investment risk to a minimum depending on how high or low inflation stands. The U.S. department of Treasury sells these bonds directly with no hidden fees, or they can be purchased in the secondary market which require a fee per purchase. 

In good faith, these bonds are purchased to help prevent inflation from rising. The up-side, interest rates decrease on housing and other governmental-economical issues can subside reducing risk. The down-side interest rates rise on housing and inflation continues to increase.

Sources: https://home.treasury.gov/resource-center
https://www.fidelity.com/fixed-income-bonds/individual-bonds/us-treasury-bonds
https://www.treasurydirect.gov/forms/sec0011.pdf