Mistakes Made When Buying A House
A home is a place of residence or refuge and comfort. It is usually a place where an individual or usually a family can rest and relax, communicate, share, feast and be able to collect and store their personal properties.
Therefore it is important that when you consider a place to call your home, it must be a safe and pleasant place to be in.
Buying a house is more often than not, the single largest investment most people ever make; yet all too often it’s a decision made in rush without adequate thought and preparation.
In this article we will explore some of the house-buying mistakes to watch out for in your property hunt.
1. Solo Mission
Buying a house is a complex transaction and should not be undertaken alone.
You need to enlist the help of these individuals early in the buying process : Real Estate Agent, Banker, Lawyer and Property Inspector.
It is also wise to get referrals and advise or tips from family and friends.
When assembling your team, select rightly. Lack of experience in the person who’s suppose to be your guide can make your property hunt a frustrating experience.
2. Love At First Sight
You may be in love with the house at first sight, but you have to ask yourself if the house fit your family’s needs and budget.
You have to make sure that you make a list of your needs and wants and also check whether the house fits your requirements.
Besides that, you should check out the neighbourhood and the communities before you buy by visiting at different times of the day and week.
Even if you do not have kids, you should also check out the local schools to make sure your resale value will be good.
Get past the love at first sight to consider what it’d really be like to live there.
3. Pre-qualified and Pre-approved Financing
Being pre-qualified gives you a general idea of how much you can afford to borrow.
It is a good idea to get in touch with your banker or mortgage officer early in the buying process so that you are aware of the amount you can borrow as this will determine your budget for the home.
The mortgage officers will also be in a position to advise you on aspects of financing i.e. the possibility of having joint borrowers to strengthen the application or to lengthen loan tenures should a need arise.
Being pre-approved means your banker has verified your information and credit rating and agreed to provide you with a specific amount of money.
You are in a better position to go house hunting knowing exactly how much you can afford and that you have the financing ready.
4. Over-Buying
You may qualify to borrow more, but you have to ask yourself again whether you can afford it or not.
Borrowing more would mean higher monthly loan commitments for just the purchase of the house. You have not considered the cost of improvements on the house i.e. renovations and furnishings.
What you need to do is analyze your monthly costs – food, transportation, entertainment, car loans and other commitments. Therefore you have to be sure to budget enough to cover closing costs (often two to five percent of the purchase price), plus moving and maintenance.
Beyond mortgage payments, there’ll be costs like insurance. You don’t want your house to deprive you of your lifestyle.
5. Misplacing your trust
Remember that buying a house is a business transaction.
Your decision is binding.
You should do your own research and know your support team’s roles and responsibilities and not just depending on what one says 100%.
6. Verbal Agreement
Get it right and get it in writing.
Written agreements almost always trump verbal ones when it comes to contracts.
Don’t set yourself up for surprises when you move into that new house and some of the items in it are now missing.
There are many details that make up the purchase contract that governs the particulars of your house purchase.
It is not unusual for an item to be missed; especially those requests made by you of the seller or seller’s agent. If you ask for a toilet to be repaired or a chipped tile to be repaired, don’t simply take someone’s word that the item will be repaired prior to transfer of the property. Make sure every item that you agree on is put in the purchase contract.
Verbal agreements are hard to prove and even harder to enforce. They can lead to an ugly “he said, she said” situation.
Once the property transfers to your name; problems or issues that you thought were going to be repaired are now your responsibility. Don’t let miscommunication or failed promises ruin the purchase of your dream home.
Get all commitments – no matter how small – in writing.
7. Fine print
You need to understand what you’re signing.
As soon as possible, review the documents you’ll be signing. You must always ask for documents in advance, make time to read them and ask questions, where necessary.
Don’t just skim through the purchase contract. Real estate contracts are long and dense, but you need to know what you’re committing to.
Wrong assumptions, poorly written or missing clauses, and not understanding how the clauses affect the purchase can lead to increased costs or a void contract.
Do not sign documents in a hurry. Do not rush the closing.
8. Resale
You should avoid buying a home that costs much more than neighbouring homes and think before buying the most expensive house in the area.
Your neighbours’ lower house values will weaken yours.
Remember, markets change.
If you buy intending to flip your investment and the market falls and you have to sell, your selling price may not be enough to even cover your mortgage.
9. Wrong Price
Many home-buyers forget that the market value of a house is affected a great deal by its neighbours.
The best way to gauge a fair offer price is to get your real estate agent to pull prices that comparable homes nearby recently fetched. The listings will show not just the amounts but how long the house has been on the market and its condition and size.
Note that the nearby houses will affect your house’s value. That means the most expensive house on the street may be pulled down in value by its cheaper neighbours, while a low-end one will benefit from posher surroundings.
10. Conditional Offer
It is good practice to have your offer to purchase the house conditional upon securing financing.
The last thing you want happen to you is the forfeiture of your deposits for backing out on a purchase transaction because of it.
One thing is being pre-approved, the other is the property itself.
The banks will do a valuation on the property to confirm the market value and then to determine the margin of loan they are willing to offer you. There may be other conditions are well that you might want to add in at this point.
11. House Inspection
It is well worth your money engaging a House Inspector to check out the house before committing to the purchase.
These Inspectors know what to look out for and can advise you accordingly on the state of the house, whether it is in need of repairs so that you are fully aware of the additional expenses needed.
Don’t take the word of the seller that certain repairs and maintenance has been made to the home. A formal inspection of wiring, plumbing, and general structure of the home is needed to avoid nasty surprises.
Inspection reports are great negotiating tools when it comes to asking the seller to make repairs.
If a professional home inspector cites specific repairs in the inspection report the seller is more likely to agree to them than if you simply try to negotiate based on your observations. As we mentioned above, make sure that any last minute items that arise based on the inspection report or your own visual inspection during the walk through are addressed in writing and completed before you take ownership of the property.
If the seller agrees to make repairs, have your inspector verify the work is completed properly. Do not assume that everything will be done as promised.
If you’re buying a new house, off the plans from the developer, they will offer the Defect Liability Period upon Vacant Possession, where they will rectify problems, if any, with the house during Handover.
12. Buyer’s Remorse
No place is perfect. There will always be surprises. Don’t let a few initial blips spoil the whole ride.
And don’t miss a great house waiting for the perfect one!
Failing to jump on an opportunity, I believe, is a mistake. Too much shopping around can backfire. When you have done your homework and when you see something you that matches, go for it.
Source: asiaone
Disclaimer: Please be informed that the above mentioned stocks/indexes/investment instruments are solely for the purpose of education; it is NOT a recommendation or an invitation to trade/invest. For trading/investment advice, please speak to your remisier, dealer representative or financial adviser. Please understand that there is risk in every trade/investment venture, know your risk first before you venture into any of them.
Do You Have Something To Say? Add Your Comments Here!Foreigners Accounted For 22.7% of Singapore Private Home Sales in 3rd Quarter 2009
Foreign buyers are streaming back into Singapore private home market. They accounted for 22.7% of private home sale in 3rd Quarter 2009 – above the 19.7% average since the start of 2000.
Chinese buyers have dislodged those from India for the No. 3 spot in the rankings this year with a contribution of nearly 15% of the total foreign purchasers. This puts China just behind Indonesia in the 2nd spot and Malaysia at No. 1. In the past 2 years, India had been in the 3rd spot, but it has slipped to 4th placing.
About 54% of the purchases by China buyers were for resale homes. Like Malaysian buyers, they tend to prefer homes priced between $500,000 and $1million. one-fifth of them bought homes costing $1.5million to as much as $5million.
Indonesians tended to go for higher priced projects, particularly those priced $1.5million to $5million. They like properties located at Novena, River Valley and the Singapore River.
Recent data showed that foreigners who are not permanent residents tend to buy more pricey projects. The most popular project sought by foreigners was Sophia Residence, a project launched in July. Then came Caribbean at Keppel Bay, Ascentia Sky, One Devonshire and Viva.
Source: URA and Savills Research & Consultancy
Do You Have Something To Say? Add Your Comments Here!Measures to Ensure a Stable and Sustainable Singapore Property Market
1. Mr Mah Bow Tan, the Minister for National Development, announced today(14th Sept 2009) that the Singapore Government would take the following measures to ensure a stable and sustainable property market:
a) Reinstatement of the Confirmed List for the 1st Half 2010 Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme.
b) Removal of the Interest Absorption Scheme (IAS) and Interest-Only Housing Loans (IOL), with effect from today, i.e. 14 Sep 2009.
c) Non-extension of the Jan 2009 Budget assistance measures for the property market when the measures expire.
Reinstating the Confirmed List in 1st Half 2010 GLS Programme
2. Demand for uncompleted private housing units has picked up strongly since Feb 2009. The 10,017 units sold by developers in the first seven months of 2009 had already exceeded the 4,260 units sold for the whole of 2008. In response to the strong demand from home-buyers, developers have triggered four sites to date this year from the Reserve List of the 2nd Half 2009 GLS Programme, which together could yield about 1,600 units.
3. The Government will reinstate the Confirmed List for the GLS Programme in the 1st Half of 2010. While there are still 16 residential sites in the current Reserve List that can be triggered for sale by developers, MND will also replenish the supply when drawing up the 1st Half 2010 Reserve List to meet possible increases in demand. MND will announce the details of the 1st Half 2010 GLS Programme towards the end of the year.
Interest Absorption Scheme (IAS) and Interest-Only Housing Loans (IOL)
4. The Monetary Authority of Singapore will disallow the IAS and IOL with immediate effect from today, i.e. 14 Sep 2009. This measure will apply to all private residential projects. The only exception will be uncompleted private residential projects where the units had already been offered for sale under the IAS before 14 Sep 2009. The IOL will be disallowed with immediate effect.
5. The IAS and IOL are currently offered to buyers of uncompleted private residential properties. These schemes could encourage property speculation in a buoyant market where prices are rising rapidly, as they are forms of housing loans that entirely eliminate or substantially lower regular installment payments for property purchasers in the first few years before the properties are completed i.e. issued Temporary Occupation Permit. Under the schemes, a property purchaser will not have to make any significant payment, apart from the upfront 10-20% down-payment, until the housing project is completed.
6. Genuine home-buyers can continue to purchase private housing under the standard payment scheme. The removal of the Interest Absorption Scheme and Interest-Only Loans will also encourage prospective home-buyers to consider carefully their ability to afford the properties over the long term and not rush into any purchases. This will promote a more healthy and sustainable property market in the long-run.
Property-Related Budget 2009 Assistance Measures
7. A number of measures were announced in Budget 2009 in January this year to help stabilize the property market, in view of the sharp fall in demand and considerable uncertainty in the economic outlook at the time. These measures provided developers greater flexibility to adjust supply in response to a property market downturn.
8. In view of the recent strong demand for private housing and improved conditions in the property market, the measures will not be extended when they expire. The measures are:
a) Allowing one-year extension of project completion period
b) Allowing re-assignment of Government Land Sale (GLS) sites and private land owned by foreign developers
c) Giving developers up to four years to dispose of all private residential units in the development
d) Allowing developers to rent out unsold private residential units for a maximum of four years
e) Allowing up to 2 years of property tax deferral for land under development
9. The first four measures will expire on 21 Jan 2010, and the last measure on 21 Jan 2011.
Issued by the Ministry of National Development, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Law and Monetary Authority of Singapore
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