Tools & Links
| Homeowner Associations & Covenants
Find links to many popular neighborhood homeowner associations by using a site called Neighborhood Links that we have framed in our site. Most of the time, covenants and restrictions and rules and regulations governing the neighborhood can be found on the site. When you purchase a home, you will want to confirm the cost of the homeowner’s association and make sure that there is nothing in the covenants that you find highly objectionable.
This site is the courtesy of Neighborhood Link. There is a section on the site that you can join as a neighborhood but this has nothing to do with janetgiles.com and I have no control over this site. See Neighborhood Link
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FORMS TO DOWNLOAD – (add list of forms on4.0 stick) Agent Docs are password protected and cannot be accessed by the public or anyone who does not hold a vallid real estate license; you may print in WORD or PDF buyer and/or seller documents. If you need to fax completed documents to us, please fax to 317.290-7679 and you may email the agent you are working with at your local Homechoice office. To return to Home click here – to Contact Us via email you may click here to do so. Our office number is 317 595-9995 should you have a problem with any document.
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TIPS TO BUYERS
Homebuying Mistakes
Whether you’re your first home or your third home, there are still some very common pitfalls to avoid. Many times these mistakes are made because of ego or ignorance. Make sure that when you decide to buy a new home that you stay objective and keep a level head when making your decision.
1. Mistake #1: Buying the most expensive home on the block. Remember that your home is an investment. Homes within the neighborhood escalate in value when the homes around it go up. If your home is the highest standard by which all homes are measured by, your value will increase much less than others.
2. Mistake #2: Falling in love with a house that is unattainable or out of your budget. We often want more than we can afford. BEFORE you begin searching for your next home, analyze your financial situation and decide what payment you can realistically afford. Talk to a financial representative or mortgage broker about current rates, your credit score and your ability to pay. A great preliminary move is to get pre-approved for a mortgage. It will give you the amount you can spend before you start looking so you don’t fall in love with more than you can afford.
3. Mistake #3: Paying too much for a house because of its neighborhood. Remember that despite what our culture often tells us, we are not measured by the zip code that we keep. In addition, it is a poor investment to buy a home that you know is not worth what you are paying just because it is in a fancy or popular neighborhood.
4. Mistake #4: Buying in an area near commercial zoning without checking into zoning. You see it every day in the news, people who are taking issue with their city planners because a new grocery store or mall is planning to come in next door to their neighborhood. Very often these people could have or should have known that there was a possibility this could happen to them because the land around them was zoned commercial. Make sure you check into zoning before you purchase.
5. Mistake #5: Buying a very nice home in a bad neighborhood. You can fix up a house, but you can’t fix a neighborhood. If you have checked property values and the homes around yours are going down, that is a red flag. It may look like a good deal, but in the end you’re likely to lose money on your investment.
6. Mistake #6: Rushing into the decision. Make sure that once you have found a home you would like to live in that you have thought over carefully all that comes with the home, the neighborhood and the lifestyle it will bring. Remember that once you have made an offer and have it accepted, it can be very difficult if not impossible to back out of the deal. Make sure that your decisions are well-informed, educated ones before sealing the deal.
7. Mistake #7: Skipping the home inspection. Many homebuyers skip the inspection process to save money. A home inspection will help you make a more educated decision about the home and will alleviate any ‘surprise’ expenditures for you in the future once you’re in the home.
8. Mistake #8: Poor future planning. Sit down with your significant other and analyze how you live and how you will live in the future. Make a list of criteria that is important to you in your next home. Rank those criteria in order of their importance. Use this check list as a guide when searching for your home. You don’t want to purchase your ‘dream’ home only to find out 8 months later that it is too small, doesn’t have enough storage and is really not what you needed or wanted for your lifestyle.
TIPS TO BUYERS – 2
Why Buy from Homechoice Giles Realty Group?
Our user-friendly website allows a buyer to search for homes and save favorite homes and create searches that are automatically emailed to the Buyer when a new listing appears that meets the search criteria. You will also be informed when a property on your Favorites list has a price change or an open house!
We never charge a transaction fee at closing. We have found that many offices are now charging a transaction fee or technology fee as high as $250 to the buyer…not us.
BEST OF ALL…it pays to buy from us! We have many buyer incentives from our Preferred Partners! Buyers never pay us a commission to use our years of experience. Builders, sellers and banks pay us the commission. In today’s market, you need a savvy, experienced agent to help you and you receive our services for FREE. The cost of doing business has recently prevented us from offering rebates to all of our buyers but we still try to rebate 1% on new build sales (if we have not been showing you existing homes but we are exclusively acting as a buyer’s agent and take you directly to a builder). Even if your new home doesn’t qualify for our rebate, you will automatically qualify for other discounts and incentives provided by our Preferred Partners. Rebates on new construction is typically 1% of purchase price but your Homechoice agent must register a buyer upon the first visit to a new community. Ask your agent how you can get cash back and discounts on many home improvement projects when you are a registered buyer.
Your new home is a click away. Make the right brokerage choice and use a Homechoice Company! Contact Us by phone 317.595.9995 or email [janet@janetgiles.com] now to start your home search.
TIPS FOR BUYERS
Finding the Right Neighborhood
Moving to a new area can be stressful. Even if you have lived within a city for a very long time, moving to a new neighborhood can mean a complete change of lifestyle. When you decide it is time for a change, how can you locate the best neighborhood for you and your family?
1. Drive around the area. Drive down the streets and up and down nearby streets. Check to see if the places you like to go are nearby. If you have kids, is there a school nearby? Is there a grocery store and/or mall nearby? Think about the area you live in currently and right down the things about that area that you like. Use that comparison sheet when you are driving around as a checklist for the criteria you would most like to see in your new neighborhood.
2. Check public records for comparable home sales data. Are the values of homes going up, down or remaining steady? Remember your home is an investment. You will want to watch for neighborhoods that are increasing in value, because it is a good indicator that your home will increase too. If home values are going down or seem to be erratic, find out why.
3. Check zoning! This is very important. If there are empty spaces of land around or nearby your neighborhood, make sure you find out what that land is zoned for in the future. Very often people buy homes in areas near future commercial zoning and find out about it once it’s too late. Don’t wait until they’re erecting that future plaza mall in your backyard to figure out that the gorgeous lot behind your new home is zoned for commercial builds. Once you have found out the zoning, make sure you feel comfortable with it before you buy the home.
4. Find out about future development. Often development can signal higher property values, but it can also mean more traffic and congestion. Make sure that you are comfortable with the development and it’s proximity to your new home.
5. Visit the area at night. If you can, visit the home at night. Often times the view of a home is nice during the day, but can turn into a bunch of parking lights at night. Listen to the neighborhood at night. Is there a lot of activity or does it seem fairly peaceful?
6. Find out about crime. Make sure that the neighborhood has a safety level that you feel comfortable with for your family. Check with local police departments or go online for crime statistic information in the area.
7. Check into the local schools if you have or plan to have children. Find out about the school district and don’t be afraid to ask about test scores.
8. Test the commute. If you can, visit the neighborhood during the week to figure out how long your commute will be each day. If you utilize public transportation to get to work, find out how far away it is, and if it is in an area you feel comfortable visiting each day. Many people buy a house without calculating how long it will take them to commute. Remember commutes can be very stressful, tiring and even costly each day. Take that into account when you are making your decision.
9. Talk to the neighbors. Current residents have nothing to gain by convincing you to live in their neighborhood. They will most often give you an honest, reasonable analysis of the area and what they like most and least about living there. You’ll also have a chance to socialize with future neighbors to find out if the people in the area share you common values and goals.
10. Find out if there is a Homeowner’s Association. HOA’s can be very positive, or negative depending upon the rules and people involved. Read the bylaws carefully and make sure that you understand them and that the restrictions are ones that you can live with each day. Many associations have provisions as to what color you can paint your house and what kind or style of landscaping you can use. Some are more relaxed and flexible, others can be rather stringent. Make sure you find out before you purchase the home because they will play a large role in your lifestyle within the area.
Finding the right neighborhood for you doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Following these simple guidelines will help give you a great start to finding your perfect new home!
TIPS FOR BUYERS
Buying a Home with Resale in Mind
Buy a Home that Appeals to the Masses
Don’t pay a premium for a home with an amenity that is just for your own pleasure and wouldn’t have the same meaning to other buyers. If you plan to make the home your unique domain that’s okay too but just remember that certain amenities don’t always return value if you need to resell the home quickly or you are expecting a high return on the value.
Lot and Landscaping
Even though most real estate value is usually concentrated in the building, the lot is important, too. Obviously, it should be as level as possible. Assuming the property is in a typical neighborhood, the lot should be rectangular – no odd shaped lots or oddly situated lots. Yard sizes are smaller in modern homes than in older homes, but there should still be a decently sized front and back yard. Do not buy a house where the entire back yard is taken up by a swimming pool, for example.
Do not purchase an over-landscaped property, either. You would normally pay a premium for that, which you may not be able to recover when you sell. You will get your best value if the house is moderately landscaped or under-landscaped for the area. You can always improve the landscaping during your ownership by improving the grass and adding bushes and trees. Just do not spend too much.
House Size
In each residential neighborhood, houses will vary in size and rooms, but they should not be too different. If resale value is an important consideration, you should not buy the largest model in the neighborhood. When determining market value, the homes nearest to yours are most important. If most of the nearby houses are smaller than your house, they can act as a drag on appreciation.
On the other hand, if you buy a small or medium house for the neighborhood, the larger homes can help pull up your value. This is one of those times where determining your “wants” versus your “needs” can be extremely important. Buying what you need in a more prestigious neighborhood may provide more financial reward than getting what you want in a less desirable neighborhood.
Bedrooms and Bathrooms
Three and four bedroom houses are the most popular among homebuyers, so if you can stick in that range you will have more potential buyers when it comes time to resell. Five is okay, too, as long as you do not have to pay too much extra for the additional bedroom.
There should always be at least two bathrooms in a house, preferably at least two and a half. One bathroom with a place to wash up for day-to-day visitors, one for the master bedroom, and at least one to be shared by the other bedrooms.
Closets, Garages and Laundry
Walk-in closets are extremely desirable for the master bedroom. For the rest of the house, just be sure there is plenty of closet space. Don’t forget space for linens and towels. Garages add to the resale value and you should always make sure to get at least a two-car garage. Lately, three-car garages have become desirable in some areas of the country. The laundry facilities should be located somewhere convenient on the main floor of the house, but not in a place it will create an eyesore. Think about whether you want to walk up and down stairs when carrying loads of laundry.
The Kitchen
The kitchen is really the most important room in the house. The larger the kitchen, and the more updated the kitchen, the quicker the resale. Family activity centers around the kitchen and having the dining room, breakfast nook and even family room adjacent to the kitchen extends the ability to entertain in this popular area.
There should be easy access to the back yard, as there will be occasions for barbecues and outdoor entertaining. In addition, it should be a short trek between the garage to the kitchen so hauling groceries in from the car does not become a horrendous chore.
Fireplaces
Everyone loves a cozy warm fire and today fireplaces can be put almost anyplace with the new ventless type fireplaces. Usually a fireplace is in the family and you will pay more to have more than one fireplace so make sure that you don’t over pay if you are rarely going to use it. One fireplace will always add value but two may not.
Swimming Pools
Swimming pools do not necessary add value because of safety issues for families with small children. Having a pool may limit the number of potential homebuyers when are ready to sell, so by a home with a pool for your own enjoyment not as an investment
TIPS FOR BUYERS
