10 First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes – MSN Money

 This is good advice for the first-time homebuyer, and it is a good review for seasoned buyers.

“A house is probably the biggest purchase you’ll ever make. And, if you can avoid these missteps, chances are you’ll be happy with the home you choose. Are you gearing up to buy your first place? Shopping for a home is exciting, exhausting and a little scary, especially in this market. In the end, your aim is to end up with a home you love at a price you can afford. Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, many people make mistakes that prevent them from achieving that simple dream. Arm yourself with these tips to get the most out of your purchase and avoid making 10 of the most costly mistakes that could put a hold on that sold sign.

1. Not knowing what you can afford.

We learned from the subprime mortgage mess, what the bank says you can afford and what you know you can afford or are comfortable with paying are not necessarily the same. .”

via HOUSTON – KATY AREA REAL ESTATE BLOG.

Dream No More – See this Vacation Home Lot on the Beautiful Island of Curacao

Have you ever dreamed of living on an island with pristine blue water ?
Check out this lot:

The residential estate is a large villa park for private house-owners, only meant for villa’s – non commercial. The estate is situated at the south side of the island next to the nature reserve: ”De Zout Pannen”

Lot location is in the Caribbean-Netherlands Antilles, island of Curacao, southeast of Aruba.
1248 mtr lot on the prestigious villa park: ”Zuurzak.” Home construction must start by November 2012.ot on the Beautiful Island of Curacao

Dreaming of building a vacation home on a beauiful island?

Dreaming of building a vacation home on a beautiful island? Dreaming of a vacation home on a small island? Here is just the most beautiful location to build that home.

Lot K-15  Villapark  in Zuurzak Residential Estates, Willemstad, Curacao

The Island of Curacao is located southeast of Aruba.
1248 mtr lot on the prestigious villa park: ”Zuurzak.”

Extreme Castles: Predjama Castle, Slovenia – Bing Travel

Check out these Castles! My husband, our son and I visited this castle in Slovenia quite by change of plans. We were to drive to Prague from Vienna, Bratislava, then onto Hungary. My husband and I flew to Vienna from Bahrain, and our son flew there from the States. The day we got there was the day Europe had the 100-year flood. All our well-made plans went out the window. We decided to keep the rental car and head south. In doing so, we went through Slovenia and discovered this wonderful castle built into the cave. It was awesome!

Extreme Castles: Predjama Castle, Slovenia – Bing Travel: “Extreme Castles: Predjama Castle, SloveniaA castle on an island is one thing, but a castle in a cave? Slovenia has just that in the form of Predjama Castle, built in the mouth of Postojna Cave, about 100 miles east of Venice, Italy. The in-cave location provided excellent defensive capabilities for the castle, whose history goes back at least to the 13th century; these days, cave tours are popular with visitors to the castle.”

via GOTTA TRAVEL.

Katy TX – Farmers Market News

Find homemade treats and handmade treasures every Saturday from
8 a.m. – noon at the Farmers Market at LaCenterra. This week’s market is conveniently located in Heritage Square.

via Katy and Houston Area News and Events: Katy TX – Farmers Market News.

Why it’s Time to Buy

By RUTH SIMON and JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG

Back in June 2006, when the housing market peaked, the prospect of a five-year national housing bust seemed unimaginable to most people. And yet here we are, with the latest Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller index showing that prices hit new bear-market lows, falling back to 2002 levels nationally and to 1990s levels in some battered regions.

via KATY – HOUSTON AREA REAL ESTATE: Why It’s Time to Buy: http://t.co/H7icZyR

Affordability Reaches Highest Level in 20 Years

Affordability Reaches Highest Level in 20 Years

Homes are more affordable to more families, according to the latest index for the first quarter of 2011 that shows affordability reaching its highest level in more than 20 years.

Nearly 75 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the first quarter of 2011 were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index. The previous high was set in the fourth quarter of 2010 with 73.9 percent.

“With interest rates remaining at historically low levels, today’s report indicates that home ownership is within reach of more households than it has been for more than two decades,” says Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders.

9 Reasons To Buy A House Now

9 Reasons To Buy A House Now

by Marc Davis

“If you’re planning to buy a house right now, the next few months may be the best time to buy. Waiting for both housing prices and interest rates to fall may not be a good strategy for potential homebuyers since analysts don’t expect any significant declines in these two most important home-buying factors. Here’s nine real estate trends that suggest you should get into the housing market sooner than later. (To learn more, check out 5 Tips For Recession House Hunters)

 TUTORIAL: Buying a Home

 1. Lowest Housing Prices in YearsNobody knows when the housing market will hit bottom, but prices are at their lowest in several years and may soon start inching back up again. So buying now or in the near future may be the right time. An abundance of bargain-priced housing is now available because of foreclosures and falling prices.

2. Interest Rates at a 50-Year LowInterest rates are near a 50-year low, according to housing analysts. By the second week of May, 2011, 30-year fixed mortgage rates had fallen to their lowest rates of the year at 4.63%. Although mortgage rates vary from day to day, the 30-year rate at this level is an attractive inducement to first-time buyers, or buyers who want to either move up to larger residences, or others, including many empty-nesters wanting to sell and move to smaller houses or condos.”

Get the other 7 reasons via Katy and Houston Area News and Events.

Real Estate Market Conditions Video Update – May 16, 2011

Here is this week’s market conditions update:
Real Estate Market Conditions Video Update

– Real Estate Outlook: New Legislation
– Mortgage Moment
– City Report: Move-In Ready
– Tornado Insurance
– Green Living: Summer Energy Savings
– A Message from Career Builder
– Why Buy this House?

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News- Foreclosed Homes Give Shelter to Tornado Victims

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-Foreclosed Homes Give Shelter to Tornado Victims.

Foreclosed homes could be used to provide temporary housing to victims displaced from the deadly tornadoes that ripped through Alabama April 27.  Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan says the government has identified 1,000 foreclosed homes in Alabama that may be used to house storm victims.

Along its nearly six-mile path of destruction in Tuscaloosa, Ala., tornadoes tore apart more than 5,700 homes and buildings, affecting an estimated 13,700 people, government officials say. Many of the 5,000 structures destroyed or badly damaged included rental homes and apartment buildings. Government agencies yet to have a clear estimate on how many residents were left homeless from the storms in the South.

Donovan says that some storm victims may be housed in rental homes, apartments, or in manufactured housing in rural areas. Nearly $24 million, so far, has been made available in federal grant money to help with storm recovery efforts in Alabama alone.