When it comes to moving to a new neighborhood you may find yourself easily excited as you are nervous, however what many buyers fail to understand is the amount of research that should be put into your neighborhood search vs. just the house search. We’ve all heard the saying that a good home can be ruined by a bad neighborhood and when it comes to purchasing a new home, your new neighborhood should reflect your dream home in the best way possible. So, what should you research and how?

Related: Understanding Down Payment Gifts and Where they Come From

Check Local Groups

It seems that anything and everything can be found online these days, including information about your new neighborhood. Look for local neighborhood groups, reviews, social events, etc. Many social media platforms will you understand what the current residents feel for the neighborhood, and it can give you a bird’s eye view of how the neighborhoods functions, noise complaints, traffic flows, etc. all with a few clicks of your mouse.

School Districts

While not true in all cases, in most, neighborhoods that are surrounded by highly rated school districts are generally more sought after, better kept, and in many cases offer additional amenities and events for families to enjoy. You’ll want to ensure that you do ample research if the home you love resides within a poorly rated school district as this may cause buyer’s remorse later down the line.

Check the Commute

Proximity to dining and shopping is indeed important, however, proximity to your workplace may be more vital. While it’s fairly easy to put your point A to point B into a map and estimate your commute based on miles traveled, this isn’t always the most accurate way to understand the neighborhoods traffic flow or commute times. Check traffic patterns, transit routes if needed, and get a true understanding of the commute times needed. Google is a great source to research traffic patterns. This will also help you understand the rough traffic flow both in and out of your neighborhood, a neighborhood “rush hour” if you will.

Related: Should I Buy in a Gated or Non-Gated Community?

Both surrounding and within Sunset Beach you’ll find some incredible neighborhoods, from existing homes to condos and even new construction homes, we would love to help you research and find the perfect neighborhood.

If you’re currently searching for a new home, are ready to sell your home and need a qualified seller’s agent to assist you, or if you have any further questions regarding Carolina Real Estate, please feel free to contact our office at any time.

It seems that more and more new construction homes are popping up across the nation and with so many master-planned communities that seem to boast true resort inspired living, it’s easy to see why new builds have become such a desirable option among buyers. Unlike building a custom home on your own, when choosing to purchase a lot within a new development, or a new phase of an existing development, nearly all the work is done for you.

Related: Thinking About a New Construction Home? Don’t Forget These 4 Things

The builders are already hired, plans are already approved by the city, etc. which means all you must do is select your lot, pick a few finishes, compare upgrade options, and then with a little patience, you can move into your new home. Seems simple, right? While in many instances it is indeed a painless experience, there are still a few different hiccups that you can easily run into which can delay the build, and ultimately, might push back your completion/move in date.

Weather Conditions

No matter how strict of a building schedule your home builder’s may have, unforeseen weather can throw a huge wrench in the timeline of your home’s completion. Even just one day of severe weather can set the crew back more than a week pending on rainfall, wind, etc. as it can either cause damages, or the equipment is unable to perform properly until the ground has fully dried and can withstand the weight of machinery and equipment. 

Supply Shortages

Unfortunately, we aren’t’ the only ones who might see supply shortages at the local home improvement stores and many builders may also run into shortages on building materials. Should this problem arise, your builders may be stuck waiting for the needed supplies to move forward with the build.

Human Error

We are all only human after all and mistakes do happen. Whether a small mistake, or large, pending on the severity of the error that is made, the construction crew may have to delay your move in date to properly fix and mistakes that were made.

Sloppy Paint Jobs

As one of the last finishing touches prior to moving in, oftentimes the construction grade paint job may be left a little sloppy. In this case you may require additional painting or touch ups prior to moving in, and while this won’t delay you drastically, you may have to wait a few extra days for the paint to dry prior to moving in.

Related: Exploring Sea Trail Plantation in Sunset Beach

All hiccups aside, it is important to remember that there are risks involved in all home purchases that could potentially delay your move in date. Whether due to one of the above-mentioned scenarios, or a problem found with an inspection of an existing home, the trick is to try and be aware of potential problems before they arise to help you plan accordingly.

If you’re currently searching for a new home, are ready to sell your home and need a qualified seller’s agent to assist you, or if you have any further questions regarding Carolina Real Estate, please feel free to contact our office at any time.

Schedule a Consultation

Additional Tips for Buyers

• Why Your Offer May Not Be Accepted
• Why is Multigenerational Living Becoming so Common?
• House Broke: The Common First Time Buyer Mistake
• Why Was my Offer Rejected?
• 10 Tips for Moving Across the Country
• Buying a Vacation Home

It’s no secret that buying a new construction home is an exciting journey. Driving by the lot to see the progress, whether it be a poured foundation siding, etc. being able to literally watch the walls of your home being built provides an immense sense of pride among new homeowners. You may think that when it comes to a new construction home there isn’t much to worry about, after all, everything is new! Unfortunately, this isn’t the case and there are a few key things to consider before putting down a deposit and starting construction. 

Related: The House is New Can I Skip the Inspection?

#1 Reputation

First, and arguably the most important is to do ample research on the builders of your home. As with all things, some builders have better reputations than others, some use better materials than others, etc. Understanding the company behind the build is key in understanding the foundation and materials of your home. 

#2 Warranty

How does the warranty look? Nearly all new construction homes will come with a warranty from the builder. These often vary and can cover things both within the home as well on the exterior of your home and can often save the buyers hundreds, and even thousands of dollars in repairs within the first few years. Make sure to see what is covered under the warranty prior to purchase, and if the warranty isn’t up to expectation, you may want to consider alternative home warranty options.

#3 Research Lenders

Buying a home is stressful on its own, however with many new construction homes you’ll find that the builder often recommends (and in many cases pushes) you use their preferred lender to speed along the process and keep all the paperwork and documents in house. For some this may be a good option, however you should never feel as if it’s your only option and just as with any home purchase, research the lenders carefully and shop around for rates before finally settling on a lender to use. 

Related: Is There Competition When Buying a New Construction Home?

#4 Ask About Incentives & Negotiate

While you may not be able to negotiate the price as easily with a new construction home, there are indeed still negotiations that you can try to make. Things such as upgrades, buying incentives, etc. are all common offerings among new construction homes and can be used as negotiation tools. 

If you’re currently searching for a new home, whether a new construction home or existing home, are ready to sell your home and need a qualified seller’s agent to assist you, or if you have any further questions regarding Sunset Beach and Carolina Real Estate, please feel free to contact our office at any time. 

Schedule a Consultation

Additional Tips for Buyers

• Why Your Offer May Not Be Accepted
• Why is Multigenerational Living Becoming so Common?
• House Broke: The Common First Time Buyer Mistake
• Why Was my Offer Rejected?
• 10 Tips for Moving Across the Country
• Buying a Vacation Home

Whether you’re a first-time home buyer or a long-standing homeowner saving for a down payment, here are ten tips to boost your savings quickly.

Eliminate extra expenses

Saving for a down payment will need to take precedence over other extra spending so it may be time to make some sacrifices. If you have monthly subscriptions you can do without, such as cable, movie streaming, automatic shipments for beauty boxes, coffee deliveries, or other extras, call and discontinue the service and set the savings aside.

Related: Should You Buy a New Construction Home? Here’s a few Perks

Sell unused goods

Most people have made an impulsive purchase they don’t really need or have a gift they received but never used. Another way to set money aside for a down payment is cashing in on these goods.

Many second-hand clothing stores pay cash for clothing in good condition. Books, household goods, DVD’s and other items can be sold in online community apps, garage sales, or specialty stores that purchase these items outright.

Automate your savings

Whether you have a savings account or not, open a new account specifically for your down payment. Sign up for direct deposit and have a percentage of your paycheck deposited directly into this new account. Make it off-limits for everyday use. Opt out of a debit card that would make it easy to spend from this account.

By saving just a hundred dollars a month, you can have over a thousand saved in one year. Any other money saved from eliminating extra expenses or selling unused goods (see above) can be deposited into this specific account to watch your cash accrue even quicker.

Reduce your budget

Most budgets have room to give or take from certain areas. If you have a higher than necessary food budget, think of ways to temporarily decrease your spending. Add more inexpensive staples to your diet, such as beans and rice, to forego high-end meal items such as meat, fish and seafood.

If you have a clothing or shoe budget, make do with what you own and save the extra money you would have spent in this department.

Add income

If you have the option to work extra hours, take someone’s shift or add income in some other way, these are great opportunities to add to that down payment savings. If you don’t have these options, consider adding a second job.

Many retailers hire with flexible, part-time hours. Taking on a temporary job to reach a savings goal is a quick way to achieve your dream.

Cut bad habits

Whether it’s smoking, alcohol, candy, or coffee, many of our habits add up to a lot of extra cash. Make a decision to forego that favorite item and you may achieve more than one benefit – cash and health.

Put a hold on travel

Many Americans take multiple trips a year. They aren’t always elaborate, but they add up. To beef up that down payment, save the money you would have spent on gas, a hotel, eating out or other vacation expenses and put it into your savings.

Eat in

Everyone enjoys dining out from time to time, but the reality is it is far more expensive than making the same meal at home. Instead of dining out, choose to eat in and save the extra money you would have spent. If you need to get out of the house, make it a picnic and take the food you prepared at home.

Get a roommate

If you have the extra space, get a roommate to help with monthly housing expenses and then put the extra cash into the down payment savings. Splitting water, garbage and utilities will decrease your share of expenses, too, increasing the benefit of adding a roommate.

Related: Why Millennials are Buying Real Estate Together

Halt your retirement

There’s no doubt that retirement saving is necessary but for a short-term savings goal, halt your retirement saving and move the money to the down payment savings account.

Saving is never easy but making home ownership a priority will give you a reward that will last a lifetime. This is an investment that you will never regret so it’s time to roll up your sleeves and put in the hard work to achieve your goal.

If you’re currently searching for a new home, are ready to sell your home, or if you have any questions regarding Carolina and Sunset Beach Real Estate, please feel free to contact our office at any time. 

 

Schedule a Consultation

Additional Tips for Buyers

• Why Your Offer May Not Be Accepted
• Why is Multigenerational Living Becoming so Common?
• House Broke: The Common First Time Buyer Mistake
• Why Was my Offer Rejected?
• 10 Tips for Moving Across the Country
• Buying a Vacation Home

Now more than ever, there is an influx in new construction homes. While the housing style has been growing in popularity across the country, with more and more developments starting construction, many buyers are starting to prefer to purchase a new build to try and avoid the competitive market and bidding wars. While you may still face some competition, there are many different perks that play a role in making the ultimate decision to move forward with buying a new construction home.

Related: Should You Wait to Buy a House Until You Have a 20% Down Payment?

It’s Brand New

Easily one of the biggest perks is that the home is simply new. When buying an existing home many buyers will hire a cleaning company in an effort to make the home feel “clean” however there’s just something about knowing that you’re the first people to ever occupy the home that makes it feel extra special.

Customize, Customize, Customize!

Have you ever dreamt of building your own home but don’t know where to start? Luckily when choosing a new construction home, especially within a master-planned community a lot of the hard work is done for you. Simply choose the floor plan and lot, and voila! You don’t have to try and understand the blueprints, or research builders and materials, simply say, “good to go!” In addition, the customization options allow you to easily upgrade and customize your home without having to think about the difficulties of installation, making your home unique and one of a kind to fit your personal tastes without the added stress of construction.

Related: Exploring Sea Trail Plantation in Sunset Beach

Updated and Energy Efficient

Have you ever gone to plug something in only to find that there isn’t an outlet anywhere close by? When it comes to new construction homes you are sure to find ample outlets, conveniently placed throughout the home to ensure that the home is equipped with enough outlets to accommodate today’s appliances, electronics, etc. Additionally, many new construction homes are highly energy efficient, whether with solar panels, energy efficient windows, whole house fans, smart appliances, etc. your energy bill will generally be lower when choosing a new construction home vs. an existing home.

Immediate Maintenance and Repairs

Unfortunately, nothing is perfect, however, the chances of immediate repairs or maintenance is extremely minimal when purchasing a new construction home, and most times, even if a problem should arise, it is covered by a new home warranty which allows you to rest easy, knowing that the roof won’t need to be replaced in a few years, the electrical is outdated, etc.

Related: The House is New, Can I skip the Home Inspection?

If you’re currently searching for a new home, are ready to sell your home and need a qualified seller’s agent to assist you, or if you have any further questions regarding Carolina Real Estate, please feel free to contact our office at any time.