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If you are interested in buying a home around the Atlanta metro area, we have a complete list of homes for sale. Our MLS database is updated hourly, so our listings are up to date, we only show homes that are available for sale, if a homes goes under contract, that listing is automatically removed from our MLS database. Below we have highlighted the main areas we provide services, if you are interested on any of those areas, one of or professional real estate agents will be glad to help you find the home you have been looking for.

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Atlanta Homes for Sale Sandy Springs Homes for Sale Dunwoody Homes for Sale
Brookhaven Homes for Sale Marietta Homes for Sale Roswell Homes for Sale
Alpharetta Homes for Sale Duluth Homes for Sale Lawrenceville Homes for sale
Kennesaw Homes for Sale Acworth Homes for Sale Woodstock Homes for Sale
Norcross Homes for Sale Chamblee homes for sale Diraville Homes for Sale
Tucker Homes for Sale Stone Mountain Homes for Sale Decatur Homes for Sale

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Foreign Real Estate Investors: How to Purchase Real Estate in the USA?

Telmo Bermeo Real Estate Broker

About Telmo Bermeo

Small Business Owner, specializes in marketing homes for sale in the Atlanta Area by using the most up to date Internet Marketing Tools.

Real Estate Broker serving the Atlanta Metro Area, for over 12 years. If you are planning to buy or sell your home in Atlanta, call Telmo Bermeo at 770-309-6417

Atlanta Real Estate

Atlanta Homes for Sale

What are the essential repairs to sell your home in Atlanta

What are the essential repairs to sell your home in AtlantaWhen the time comes to listing your home for sale in Atlanta, you might start to feel overwhelmed by all of the projects you might have done or think yo may have to do before listing your home for sale in Atlanta so you can pleased all your potential home buyers. You may also be enticed to begin spending money into cosmetic enhancements to add appeal to the buyers,but instead you may be doing harm to the sale of the house. The fact is that you shouldn't go crazy in doing unnecessary repairs to list your home for sale.

Perform a couple of tiny problems which have large impact, and you'll be glad you didn't spend a lot of money or were overwhelmed with lots of projects.

  • Kitchen: If your kitchen is showing some war and tear, out of your spending allowance, invest the most on your kitchen, if the kitchen is in disrepair, this will be sending the buyers out the door. The fact is that you most likely don't need to splash out hundreds of 1000's of dollars for a kitchen restoration to be able to please home buyers. Rather, do what you could to create your kitchen area feel as fresh and up-to-date as you possibly without investing a lot of money.
  • Fresh paint: Refurbished cabinets and clean vibrant surfaces might be all that's required to create real appeal.  What's true for kitchen areas can also be likely true for lavatories in your house. Now isn't the time for you to start knocking lower walls and making massive chances for your space. Rather, focus on adding fresh fresh paint, cleaning all surfaces completely and when you have to spend some money somewhere, consider upgrading your lighting and faucet fittings.
  • Bathrooms: Your bathrooms have to be sparkling clean, this could be achieved without having to put an excessive amount of money, replacing your faucets, lighting, and caulking around the tub may just be enough to convinced a home buyer.
  • Other spaces: On all other spaces of your home, focus your energy on making the most of the area you've by making rooms look as huge as possible. This might require you to temporarily put a number of your furniture, clothes and private possessions in storage. This helps purchasers truly visualize the potential your house has to offer and making it simpler to allow them to see themselves living there.  In case your style of furniture and decor is unconventional in some manner, you might want to consider employing an expert home stager to produce a more neutral, globally appealing look. These experts have the ability to make pieces and place them in ways that gives optimal exposure throughout the house.
  • De-Personalized: Finally, the most crucial factor to keep in mind is to de-personalize your house whenever possible. Although it might be sad to get rid of your photo wall recording your kid's school years, it truly pays returns ultimately. Home consumers wish to have the ability to begin to see the house as their own, not another person's, and to achieve that, they require a virtually blank canvas.

Selling a house is an extremely demanding process, but you will find things that you can do to really make it go more easily. By decluttering, removing excessive personal touches and doing a few simple things to freshen up the appearance of your home, you can get your home sold faster and for more money.

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Foreign Real Estate Investors: How to Purchase Real Estate in the USA?

Telmo Bermeo Real Estate Broker

About Telmo Bermeo

Small Business Owner, specializes in marketing homes for sale in the Atlanta Area by using the most up to date Internet Marketing Tools.

Real Estate Broker serving the Atlanta Metro Area, for over 12 years. If you are planning to buy or sell your home in Atlanta, call Telmo Bermeo at 770-309-6417

Atlanta Real Estate

Here is the Top Real Estate Markets in Georgia

Atlanta Homes for Sale | Alpharetta Homes for Sale | Marietta Homes for Sale | Sandy Springs Homes for Sale | Decatur Homes for Sale Roswell Homes for Sale Lawrenceville Homes for Sale | Kennesaw homes for sale

Atlanta Homes for Sale

When Buying a Home in Atlanta, What are the most important requirements?When Buying a Home in Atlanta, What are the most important requirements?

The decision to purchase a home is probably among the biggest decisions you will ever make in your lifetime, so to give you a good starting point, I have outlined the basics that you need to know before you start to look for your dream home:

  1. Get your credit in order: You may think you are ready to buy your first home in Atlanta, but you know what your credit score is? Do you know what types of loan are available to you? A credit score will determine the interest rate your will be paying on your mortgage. A minimal score of 620 is required to purchase a home with an FHA loan program.  Most lenders prefer higher scores before making you a loan. To improve your credit score, get a credit report from any of the 3 credit bureaus an make sure your report is clean, if you see any unpaid debt or credit discrepancies, call and make arrangements to either pay It off or if it is a mistake, ask the credit bureau to remove it.  This will increase your credit score substantially. A credit score of 681+ is ideal to get a mortgage loan with a low interest rate.
  2. Income: Employment is one of the essentials to qualify to purchase a home. Your employment has to be continues for at least one year or more, if you have change employment in the last year, your current job has to be similar to the prior job to count as employment on the sale career. To consider all your income, make sure you have all pay stub checks, W-2 forms from all your employers including any bonus you have received.

If you have any other source of income such as dividends and interest income from your savings accounts, provide the most recent statements so this will be included on your income.

  1. Save for Down payment: In order to purchase your home, you have to come up with some money for down payment.  The minimal down payment you will need is 3.5% of the sales price if you are buying a home with an FHA insured loan. For conventional mortgage loans, you will need at least 5% for down payment.
  2. Pay your taxes: In order to qualify for a loan, most lenders will verify that you have paid your federal taxes for the last two years, if you haven’t done so, the lender will not give you a loan if your taxes are not paid.

These are the four more essential requirements to purchase a home in the Atlanta area.  If you meet these four basic requirements, you can move to the next step in the home buying process.

The next step in the home buying process is to speak with a loan officer to get a loan pre-qualified letter. At this point, the Lender will ask for documentation such as:

  • Bank Statements for the last 90 days
  • Pay check stubs for the last 30 days
  • Copy of your tax returns for the last 2 years
  • W-2 form for the last year if you are an employee
  • W-9 form is you are self employed
  • Complete a loan application
  • Employment verification form

Different lenders may ask for more documents, but the list above should get you started to get approved for a mortgage loan in Atlanta.

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Search Homes for Sale in Atlanta

Foreign Real Estate Investors: How to Purchase Real Estate in the USA?

Telmo Bermeo Real Estate Broker

About Telmo Bermeo

Small Business Owner, specializes in marketing homes for sale in the Atlanta Area by using the most up to date Internet Marketing Tools.

Real Estate Broker serving the Atlanta Metro Area, for over 12 years. If you are planning to buy or sell your home in Atlanta, call Telmo Bermeo at 770-309-6417

Atlanta Real Estate

Here is the Top Real Estate Markets in Georgia

Atlanta Homes for Sale | Alpharetta Homes for Sale | Marietta Homes for Sale | Sandy Springs Homes for Sale | Decatur Homes for Sale Roswell Homes for Sale Lawrenceville Homes for Sale | Kennesaw homes for sale

Atlanta Homes for Sale

Selling Your Home In Sandy Springs? Review the Benefits of Staging

Selling Your Home In Sandy Springs? Review the Benefits of StagingTo improve the probability of selling your home, you have to consider all your options to make your home attractive to your potential home buyer in Sandy Springs GA. Staging your home is among the most overlooked methods home sellers can make their homes more appealing to potential purchasers. IF you are thinking of selling your home and want to get the most money out of it, stage the house to give the feel and look and the coziness of a family you want to sell it to.

This article provide you some tips about how to capture the eye of the potential buyer.  Before you decide to add furniture and organize and move thing around, start by doing a thorough cleaning and removing all personal pictures from the walls. If the paint is faded or have stains, apply a new coat of paint, repair or redo the hardwood floors to give a fresh look. Walk around your home and remove anything that is not working or is not presentable, make your house comfortable and inviting so your buyer can appreciate all that your house have to offer. Remember, they will be committing to live in this house for many years, therefore, they want to purchase a house that is in great condition and it meets all their expectations.

For the home sellers that have moved out already, and your house is empty, we recommend hiring a staging company to move furniture in at least the family room and master bedroom. You may think staging cost a lot, I can tell you is not necessarily chip, but it will cost you a lot more if the house seats empty for an extended period. One of our associates had a new  home for sale in Sandy Springs, for several months the house would not bring a home buyer, even though, the owners reduced the price twice. As a last option, the owners decided to hire a home stagger, upon staging the house, they re-listed the home for sale at a higher listing price, few weeks later the house was under contract. The owners not only recuperated the costs of staging, but they also sold the home at a higher profit.

Atlanta homes for Sale

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Not only you have to stage the interior, but the exterior  has to be plush as well. Home buyers drive by homes for sale all the time. When they see a front yard that is not maintained, the grass is growing out of control, the flower bad is dead, and the bushes are not trimmed, they automatically assumed the interior is just as bad. First impressions are very important when  selling your home, make your exterior as inviting as possible so all your potential home buyers take the time to visit the interior of your home.

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Search Homes for Sale in Atlanta

Foreign Real Estate Investors: How to Purchase Real Estate in the USA?

Telmo Bermeo Real Estate Broker

About Telmo Bermeo

Small Business Owner, specializes in marketing homes for sale in the Atlanta Area by using the most up to date Internet Marketing Tools.

Real Estate Broker serving the Atlanta Metro Area, for over 12 years. If you are planning to buy or sell your home in Atlanta, call Telmo Bermeo at 770-309-6417

Atlanta Real Estate

Here is the Top Real Estate Markets in Georgia

Atlanta Homes for Sale | Alpharetta Homes for Sale | Marietta Homes for Sale | Sandy Springs Homes for Sale | Decatur Homes for Sale Roswell Homes for Sale Lawrenceville Homes for Sale | Kennesaw homes for sale

Atlanta Homes for Sale

Atlanta Real Estate, the most fundamental steps of buying or selling your home

Atlanta Real Estate, the most fundamental steps of buying or selling your homeThe most fundamental steps to Buy or Sell your Home in Atlanta

Buying or selling a home is very difficult and stressful. The number of homes sold in the area you are buying or selling will have a major impact on how the process of buying or selling is developed. When buying or selling your home, in order for the transaction to be successful, it is important to understand the basic steps in the purchase and sale.

Here we will show some of the most important steps to buy or sell your property in the Atlanta area.

Selling Your Home in Atlanta.

Normally it is not a good idea to sell a home in a time of need, the ideal situation would be, you have plenty time to plan properly the sale of your home to make  sure you don't feel under any pressure. Even though, you have properly planned the sale of your home, you will always encounter unforeseen items making the process of selling your home a bit challenged.

Here we list some of the different challenges in selling your home:

  • Select a good real estate agent in Atlanta: Select a good real estate agent to make the process of selling a home a more pleasant and stress free transaction.  Agents that are familiar with the local Real Estate market and seasoned agents with lots of marketing experience should be the ones selected to market your home for sale in Atlanta.
  • Highly Saturated Markets: Ideally, people sell their home in a seller's market a market with lots of prospect buyers (sellers market). But unfortunately, that doesn't happen as often as we would like it. When the market is saturated with homes for sale, sellers are facing strong competition forcing them to list their home at a more competitive price
  • Establishing the price of your home: If you list your home for sale at a very low price, many buyers tend to assume that something is wrong with your house. But if the price of your house is very high, the buyers will not be interested in your home because they believe that after a few months you will drop the price down.
  • Maintenance and Repairs: If you are considering listing your home for sale, one of the first steps to do is: complete all necessary repairs and make sure it has been well maintained both inside and outside of your home.

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    Search Atlanta Homes for Sale

What to expect when selling your home in Atlanta

Although the process of selling a home varies, home sellers can expect the process to take place in roughly as follows:

  • List the house sale: Complete the contract to list your home for sale with a real estate agent in Atlanta
  • Receive offer: Once your house is available for sale, buyers will begin to submit offers to your agent, if you don' agree with their offer, you will submit a counter-offer to the buyer's agent.
  • Under Contract: If the offer is accepted, the buyer puts his money in good faith in an established by the buyer or seller and you can tell that your home is under contract account. His house is no longer available for other buyers.
  • Inspection: Normally the buyer as part of its bid, ask a few days to do a research of your home, this research may include: structural inspection, electrical inspection, plumbing inspection, and a research with municipal authorities, State of the county to make sure there are no problems listed with those agencies.
  • Close: If there are no problems with inspection, then you will proceed to close where you will transfer the title of  your home to the new owner.

Buying a house in Atlanta

Buying a home in the Atlanta area includes much more challenges than just browsing a website and finding the home that's right for you.

A buyer should be prepared to have many challenges while purchasing their home, below is s short list of some important challenges in buying a home.

The challenges of buying a home

Some of the main challenges of buying a home include:

  • Knowing the local market: Buyers who move to Atlanta from other cities, usually are not familiar with the local market, if this is the case, it is very important to have a good realtor who will guide and represent you in the purchase of your home.
  • Unpredictable markets: local real estate markets fluctuate a lot, the fact that the housing market is in favor of sellers this month, does not mean that next month is the same, this is where a good agent will come in handy.
  • An inspection does not ensure that all is well with the house: The fact that the house has been inspected and the owner has agreed to make some repairs, does not mean that all is well with the house. It is possible that after you have closed the deal some problems may appear. To cover this issues: agents recommend that buyers obtain a policy that helps with the cost of repairs if something breaks after buying the house. These policies are called "Home Buyers Warranty: and help with expenses such as: air conditioning damage, damage to the plumbing, and appliances among others.
  • Finance: Before you start looking for houses, buyers must obtain a Loan pre qualification letter from a local lender. Upon making an offer, the Buyer buyer will make a deposit of earnest money. In many transactions, buyers are also responsible for a portion of the closing costs. Closing costs can cost up to 3% of the total purchase.
  • Choosing an agent: The agent you choose, must be familiar with the local real estate market and should have a great reputation as a tough real estate negotiator.
  • Negotiations: The agent you have chosen is usually the person to negotiate with the agent representing the owner of the house. For many reasons, negotiations often drag on for days or weeks and sometimes with no results for buyers or sellers.
  • Insurance: Once the offer has been approved by the buyer and seller , one of the things that the buyer has to obtain is a home owners insurance policy, this insurance is essential if you are buying a house with a loan from a Lender.
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    Sandy Springs Homes for Sale

What it is the expectation when buying a house.

Many Atlanta Home Buyers are browsing real estate websites to find their dream home in Atlanta, however, browsing and finding your dream homes is just a small part of the whole buying process.

Process to purchase your home in Atlanta

  • Find your home: To make sure purchase your ideal home, it is recommended that you look at many houses before settling on one. Be sure to visit the open houses offered in the neighborhood you are interested, this will help you compare prices and other details to the houses you are interested.
  • Pre-Approval: This is the first step that all buyers must do to get an idea of ​​how much you can spend on the purchase of your home in Atlanta. When presenting an offer to a seller, you need to also provide a copy of the pre-approval letter in order for the seller to take you seriously
  • Negotiation: Making an offer is only the beginning of the whole process, home buying negotiations can last up to several weeks and in some cases months and worst of all sometimes all these negotiations ends up with no agreements.
  • Inspection: Before closing, it is recommended that the purchaser make an inspection. To do the inspection, choose a certified and experienced home inspector.
  • Purchase and Sale Agreement: The purchase and sale agreement contains many clauses, among the most important are: Offering date, Sales price, Earnest money clause, Due Diligence period, real estate representation clauses, and closing date
  • Financing: In order to get the best mortgage loan available on the market, it is recommended to work with a local loan officer who represent many lending institutions. To get a loan approved by a lender's underwriter may take up to 4 weeks, be sure to give you enough time on the purchase and sales agreement.
  • Appraisal: An appraisal representing the Lender and in most cases paid by the buyer will do an appraisal of the house you are purchasing. If the appraisal is less than the amount you are paying, you can say that you purchase a home below market value. If the appraisal is more than what you are paying, you may have to come up with additional funds to purchase this home.
  • Closing: After completing all the above steps, then it is time to complete the transaction by closing at an attorneys office which was stipulated on the purchase and sales agreement. At this time you will paid the amount stipulated on the sales contract and the Seller will give you the key to the house and also provide you the property title with your name on it.

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Foreign Real Estate Investors: How to Purchase Real Estate in the USA?

Telmo Bermeo Real Estate Broker

About Telmo Bermeo

Small Business Owner, specializes in marketing homes for sale in the Atlanta Area by using the most up to date Internet Marketing Tools.

Real Estate Broker serving the Atlanta Metro Area, for over 12 years. If you are planning to buy or sell your home in Atlanta, call Telmo Bermeo at 770-309-6417

Atlanta Real Estate

Here is the Top Real Estate Markets in Georgia

Atlanta Homes for Sale | Alpharetta Homes for Sale | Marietta Homes for Sale | Sandy Springs Homes for Sale | Decatur Homes for Sale Roswell Homes for Sale Lawrenceville Homes for Sale | Kennesaw homes for sale

Atlanta Homes for Sale

Buying a Home in Atlanta, What would my monthly Mortgage Be?Buying a Home in Atlanta, What would my monthly Mortgage Be?

To find out your mortgage monthly payment, you can use the mortgage calculator below. The numbers will be an approximation of your monthly payment. There are some many variables in calculating your exact mortgage payment making it really hard to come up with the exact amount. Here are some variables you need to enter to get the monthly estimate:

  • Price of your home your are purchasing, this would be the exact amount your are paying for the house your are buying
  • The loan amount your are borrowing, this is the price of the home less the down payment
  • The interest rate you will be paying on the loan
  • The loan term, such as 10 year, 20 year or 30 year loan term
  • The amount of taxes you will be paying for this property. Your real estate agent will provide you the exact amount
  • The cost of your home owners insurance, Your insurance agents will give you the cost to insure the property your are buying
  • PMI Insurance, if you are buying a home with less then 20% down payment, you will have to pay PMI insurance. Your Loan Officer will provide you this amount
  • How much is the closing cost you will be paying this property

If you input all those numbers in the calculator listed below, you will have an idea what your monthly mortgage payment will be.

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Search Homes for Sale in Atlanta

Foreign Real Estate Investors: How to Purchase Real Estate in the USA?

Telmo Bermeo Real Estate Broker

About Telmo Bermeo

Small Business Owner, specializes in marketing homes for sale in the Atlanta Area by using the most up to date Internet Marketing Tools.

Real Estate Broker serving the Atlanta Metro Area, for over 12 years. If you are planning to buy or sell your home in Atlanta, call Telmo Bermeo at 770-309-6417

Atlanta Real Estate

Here is the Top Real Estate Markets in Georgia

Atlanta Homes for Sale | Alpharetta Homes for Sale | Marietta Homes for Sale | Sandy Springs Homes for Sale | Decatur Homes for Sale Roswell Homes for Sale Lawrenceville Homes for Sale | Kennesaw homes for sale

Atlanta Homes for Sale

How to Get a Real Estate License in Atlanta Georgia

How to Get a Real Estate License in Atlanta GeorgiaBecoming a Real Estate Agent is a tempting idea. You do work with your own schedule, making it ideal for people who have small children or have to care for their loved ones, working as a real estate agent allows you to take your vacation on your own time and for as long as you want. You have the complete control of the size of your business, you can keep it small or you can grow as large as you desire and the more important benefit is, it is impossible to hate your boss because you are the boss. The work in Real Estate is similar to that of a big company with the only difference that if you are a responsible, honest worker and likes to work hard, all the financial rewards will stay with you.

Before you jump on the Internet and start advertising your services as a real estate agents, remember there are important steps and procedures to follow before you can start selling homes in Atlanta. Here are the steps you must do before you start working as a real estate agent.

Step 1 General Requirements

If you have decided on a career in real estate in the state of Georgia, these are the requirements to qualify and get a real estate license.

  •  Be 18 years of age
  • Be a resident of the state of Georgia
  • Pass the state exam
  • Have completed high school or have an equivalent certificate
  • Get your criminal background report from  GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
  •  Complete 75 hours of classes from an approved school

Step 2 Education

To become a real estate agent in the state of Georgia, you must complete 75 hours of classes from an approved school, without missing any classses. Classes can be taken in different ways, you can take them on your computer or you can attend a school of real estate that is approved by the Georgia Real Estate Commission.

To complete and be eligible to take the state exam; these are the requirements:

  • Have completed all hours of pre-license course.
  • The average of your home work during the course of pre-license should be 75% or more (This is only for students in pre-license)
  • Pass the school exam with a minimum average of 75%.

Step 3 State Examination

To take the state exam and become licensed real estate in Georgia, you must meet the following requirements:

  • Have completed the course of 75 hours of pre-licensing
  • Apply for the test at AMP (Testing centers in Georgia) to take the state test you needed to take the final results of you exams taken during 75 hours in school or computer. This information should be taken with you on test day.
  • Effective January 1, 2012, the Georgia "Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011" requires all applicants for real estate licensure or appraiser classification to submit to the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC): (1) a "secure and verifiable document" for identification purposes as defined in O.C.G.A. §50-36-2 and (2) a "signed and sworn affidavit verifying the applicant's lawful presence in the United States" as required in O.C.G.A. §50-36-1.  The forms may be accessible through the Georgia Real Estate Commission website at the following link: www.grec.state.ga.us/forms/reforms.html

Step 4 Get the License

Once you have complied with all those requirements, including passing the state exam, you will be eligible to receive your license as a real estate agent in Georgia. Real estate licenses are only issued by the Georgia Real Estate Commission, to receive the license, you must complete the following requirements:

  • Submit a report of criminal record, no problem. (Note that the report of criminal records has to be obtained in the last 60 days)
  • Submit a "Sponsoring Broker" form.
  • You pay $ 171.00 for state license

These are all the requirements to obtain and work in Real Estate in Atlanta. If you are in the process of obtaining your license and need a sponsor Broker , please call us, we will be very happy to assist you. You can call me at 770-309-6417 and ask for Telmo

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Search Homes for Sale in Atlanta

Foreign Real Estate Investors: How to Purchase Real Estate in the USA?

Telmo Bermeo Real Estate Broker

About Telmo Bermeo

Small Business Owner, specializes in marketing homes for sale in the Atlanta Area by using the most up to date Internet Marketing Tools.

Real Estate Broker serving the Atlanta Metro Area, for over 12 years. If you are planning to buy or sell your home in Atlanta, call Telmo Bermeo at 770-309-6417

Atlanta Real Estate

Here is the Top Real Estate Markets in Georgia

Atlanta Homes for Sale | Alpharetta Homes for Sale | Marietta Homes for Sale | Sandy Springs Homes for Sale | Decatur Homes for Sale Roswell Homes for Sale Lawrenceville Homes for Sale | Kennesaw homes for sale

Atlanta Homes for Sale

You want to buy a house in Atlanta? Do you know how much you need for a down payment?

When you are saving money to buy your first home, it can be daunting to think about the amount of money you need to save to become a first time home owner. While there are loans that require only 3.5% down payment which is insured by the FHA (Federal Housing Administration), these loans require you to have mortgage  insurance for the duration of the mortgage, this makes monthly mortgage payments higher.

Most banks make mortgage loans with a down payment of 10% or 20%, although there are some lenders who offer conventional loans that require only 5% initial down payment. For those types of loans, we advised to consult with your  lender to see what is the best option is for you and also to find out what are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these loans.

Why 20% is an ideal lenders loan?

Atlanta homes for sale

Atlanta homes for sale

Mortgage lenders evaluate your credit profile, your debt ratio to income, work history and how much you have saved to confirm if you are a person who could make monthly mortgage payments without problems. 20% down is considered an ideal amount by the lenders because you are investing a significant amount of your own money and making the lender risk is minimal. When buying a house with 20% down, you will have a lower monthly payment and will not pay for the loan insurance PMI (private mortgage insurance)

Advantages and disadvantages of putting 20% ​​down

  • Besides eliminating the need for PMI, by putting 20% down payment, it will be easier to qualify for the mortgage loan and the interest rate will be lower as well.
  • The other benefit is that you will have to burrow less money and therefore your monthly payments will be lower.
  • In addition, you will own 20% of the value of your home, giving you the ability to get a home equity loan from another bank for an amount equal to 20%

On the other hand, getting 20% down payment to buy a home of about $ 200,000 is $ 40,000, this may take many years to save this amount, Keep in mind, when buying a house you will also need money for other expenses such as; closing costs, prepaid taxes, moving expenses and an emergency fund. It is also possible that while you are saving money for the down payment, house prices and interest rate  may go up.

Advantages and disadvantages of a lower down payment.

If you buy a home with a down payment of 10%, a house of about $ 200,000, will require a $20,000 down payment. if you buy the house with a 5% down payment, the amount will be about $ 10,000, using a smaller down payment will allow you to become a home owner sooner. You can get your home faster because you don't have to have as much money. It is recommended to save a little more to avoid problems in case of an emergency or other arrangements such as maintenance and repairs.

The disadvantages of a smaller down payment is; you will have to pay PMI to your lender, thus making you monthly payments higher . Your mortgage interest rate will be higher, so your monthly payments will be larger, too.

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Search Homes for Sale in Atlanta

Foreign Real Estate Investors: How to Purchase Real Estate in the USA?

Telmo Bermeo Real Estate Broker

About Telmo Bermeo

Small Business Owner, specializes in marketing homes for sale in the Atlanta Area by using the most up to date Internet Marketing Tools.

Real Estate Broker serving the Atlanta Metro Area, for over 12 years. If you are planning to buy or sell your home in Atlanta, call Telmo Bermeo at 770-309-6417

Atlanta Real Estate

Here is the Top Real Estate Markets in Georgia

Atlanta Homes for Sale | Alpharetta Homes for Sale | Marietta Homes for Sale | Sandy Springs Homes for Sale | Decatur Homes for Sale Roswell Homes for Sale Lawrenceville Homes for Sale | Kennesaw homes for sale

Atlanta Homes for Sale

After your home is under contract in Atlanta, what should sellers Do?

After your home is under contract in Atlanta, what should sellers Do?When you have a signed contract with the buyer to sell your home, you may feel like you can breathe a sigh of relief. But you as seller still have things to do; as a seller you have to cooperate with the buyer, and the buyer's agent to fulfill the commitments made in the contract. In other words, before you can relax completely, you must comply with the terms of the contract prior to getting to the closing table.

Contingency Sale

While the burden is on the buyer to complete with the financing term for the purchase of your house and obtain homeowners insurance, there are some contingencies the contract that will have to be completed by the seller, especially if you are living at home. Most transactions include an inspection of the house, so you need to make your house available to the inspector and then negotiate with buyers especially if there are some problems to be repaired in your home. In addition to home inspection, some contracts and some lenders require a termite inspection and radon inspection. In each case, you or your real estate agent or buyer's agent will have to make the house available for inspection.

Another important step before closing is home Appraisal. If the assessment value of your home is higher than the selling price, your home buyers can relax and say they have bought a house below market value. Once the contract has been signed, the seller can not renegotiate for higher price. However, if the assessment is below the agreed price, then the buyer's lender will limit the amount of the loan to the lower value. The buyer may have to make up the difference to comply with the contract. Your real estate agent can advise you on the best way to handle this situation, but in any case you and the buyer are required to comply by the terms of the contract. Before going to the closing table, you and your real estate agent should review the contract and make sure it has fulfilled all the promises that have been made in the contract and all repairs or improvements are completed.Homes for Sale in Dunwoody

At Closing

Buyers and sellers often negotiate the closing date that is mutually agreeable. If you have sold your home and are not ready to move out, sometimes you can negotiate a rent from your buyer allowing you to stay at home after the closing date, be sure to do this in writing. Moreover, some Sellers allow buyers to move before the closing date. In any case, it is essential to have a written agreement about who is responsible if something happens to the house or its contents during the transition period.Generally, you are restricted to rent back your home for a maximum period of 60 days, because otherwise, the lender will see this as an investment property.

 Closing Services

The decision on who selects the closing attorney will vary from market to market. In many places, the buyer chooses a lawyer, but in others the seller chooses it. The lawyer  doing the closing does not represent the buyer or seller, instead, he/she represents the Lender. In a case that no mortgage is taking out by the Buyer and the Buyer is paying cash, then the Lawyer is representing the Buyer. The buyer will provide funds to buy your home and the lawyer will review the sales and will determine all the payments due bases on the sales contract. The title of the property is transferred to the buyers name  and the Lawyer will proceeds to register the property in the name of the new owner.

At the time of closing the appropriate adjustment related to property taxes are done, if the seller was paying taxes through an escrow account, and taxes have already been paid for the remianing of the year, then the seller will receive a credit for the amount paid in advance. The buyer will usually have to pay property tax in advance. Once the closing documents are signed and the keys of the house is transferred, you can move into your new home.

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Telmo Bermeo Real Estate Broker

About Telmo Bermeo

Small Business Owner, specializes in marketing homes for sale in the Atlanta Area by using the most up to date Internet Marketing Tools.

Real Estate Broker serving the Atlanta Metro Area, for over 12 years. If you are planning to buy or sell your home in Atlanta, call Telmo Bermeo at 770-309-6417

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What’s the Difference Between a Closed and Open Term Mortgage?

If you’re the type that isn’t comfortable just handing off all your mortgage activities to someone else without having a hand in them, you’ll want to know about closed and open mortgages, so you’re better informed. This aspect may seem relatively minor once you’ve been approved and have the house, but it can make a big difference if you have thoughts of paying your mortgage off sooner than you need to.

What's The Difference Between A Closed And Open Term Mortgage?

Closed Mortgage

If you opt for a closed mortgage, you will make set payments throughout the term of the mortgage. You’ll have a few options regarding how often the payments come out, but they will be the same each week, bi-weekly or monthly.

Also, when you select a closed mortgage you aren’t able to pay off your entire mortgage early without paying a penalty. This is significant if you come into a large sum of money, or if you sell your home at some point and pay it off early before you move.

Closed mortgages typically carry lower interest rates, and if you aren’t planning on paying it off early they are usually the better option for the typical home buyer. Some lenders offer convertible closed mortgages, which give you the same benefits as a regular closed mortgage, but you can convert it to a longer term without incurring prepayment charges.

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Open Mortgage

If you have a plan to pay off your mortgage in the near future, an open mortgage is probably the better option. With an open mortgage, you can pay off portions of your home or the whole thing, without any worrying about prepayment charges.

It’s possible to convert an open mortgage to any other term without prepayment charges, whenever you want. Since there is so much prepayment flexibility with open mortgages, the interest rates are typically higher than with closed mortgages.

Length of the Term

The length of your mortgage term is another element you’ll have to consider when working out all the details. The term refers to the number of years that your mortgage rules and parameters are in effect.

A long term mortgage term generally refers to a term that is longer than 3 years. If you currently have a 5 year term, then you are in a long term mortgage. On the other side, a short term mortgage refers to a term of less than 3 years.

Typically, a long term mortgage has higher interest rates because you have the security of knowing you are paying a certain rate for a specific number of years. With a short term mortgage, your rates are lower because you don’t have the same type of security and may have to accept higher rates if they increase by the time your term is over. Some people choose short term mortgages if they believe the rates will drop by the maturity date.

A Team Effort

It’s not uncommon for all the mortgage talk to get a little confusing for the average person, which is why a reputable mortgage broker can make the process so much easier. Together, you can work as a team and they can go out and find you the terms that best suit your situation and your lifestyle.

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I am Eric Jones, a businessman by profession. Business and entrepreneurship are my passion and I love researching on the various aspects of those areas. I make sure that I don’t miss out any updates and for this reason I read quite a lot. Law is yet another area which I am passionate to know more about.

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Search Homes for Sale in Atlanta

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Telmo Bermeo Real Estate Broker

About Telmo Bermeo

Small Business Owner, specializes in marketing homes for sale in the Atlanta Area by using the most up to date Internet Marketing Tools.

Real Estate Broker serving the Atlanta Metro Area, for over 12 years. If you are planning to buy or sell your home in Atlanta, call Telmo Bermeo at 770-309-6417

Here is the Top Real Estate Markets in Georgia

Atlanta Homes for Sale | Alpharetta Homes for Sale | Marietta Homes for Sale | Sandy Springs Homes for Sale | Decatur Homes for Sale Roswell Homes for Sale Lawrenceville Homes for Sale | Kennesaw homes for sale