Three reasons why fall can be a great time to buy a home

If you’re in the market for a home, here are three reasons why fall can be a great time to buy.

  1. Motivated Sellers

Sellers who have been unsuccessful are now ready to negotiate.  This is the time to work with your experienced agent and make the right offer for you on your dream home!

  1. Less Competition

Back to School season is over and what that can mean for you is more options to create your dream home!

  1. The Holidays are Right Around the Corner

So are the opportunities to get all the financial impacts on taxes in – you may encounter a seller ready to sell and close by year end.  Also – everyone is looking towards holiday planning and may just want to be done dealing with the property.  You may even get an incentive if you are willing to close the deal faster than other buyers.

Factors We Must Consider while Choosing the Right Organic Crib Mattress

Mothers are always looking for buying the best things for their babies. Once you start looking for the right crib mattress, you are sure to be spoilt for choices. Many health-conscious parents wish to purchase non-toxic or organic crib mattresses for promoting a healthier nursery ambiance for their little one and give the baby a relatively safe start from the very beginning. There are certain significant features that include surface fabric, support, allergy considerations, breathability, and absence of harmful chemicals.

Examine the Surface Fabric Properly

Often crib mattresses have a nice and organic surface made of cotton but the materials that are used inside the mattress may not be organic and could prove to be toxic and hazardous for your baby. So it is best to buy crib mattresses that are totally certified by the GOTS or the Global Organic Textile Standard.

Organic crib mattresses could be waterproof or non-waterproof. Organic mattresses are different from the standard mattresses in terms of the high-quality, organic, and safe materials that are used for waterproofing and the organic fabric used on the crib mattress surface for your baby’s health and safety.

Waterproof

Waterproof crib mattresses are definitely more hygienic. They are easier to clean, require lesser maintenance, are spill-proof and deal with messes, allergens, and dust mites relatively better than standard ones.

Quilted

Quilted surfaces are pretty common with normal full-sized mattresses, and there is no reason for them not to exist on baby-sized mattresses either. They are made of fabric and feel good to the touch but are not waterproof and can be a bit of a challenge to keep clean. If you are going for one of these, it may be a better idea to go for a waterproof organic protector crib pad, which goes a long way in making your job easier.

Check the Breathability of the Crib Mattress

Breathable mattresses and crib bumpers are very important for safety and also the comfort of your child. Flat and firm support is still the most important factor, but a breathable crib pad and mattress will maximize the airflow, keeping your little one well-rested and comfortable all night long. These crib pads are typically made from cotton fibers with a polyester mesh that allows air to flow beneath and around the baby for a much cooler mattress and dramatically improved sleep quality. You may browse through valuable resources such as https://www.countingsheep.net for important information on sleep issues, health, and mattresses.

Look for Crib Mattress Support

The most crucial feature of the baby’s crib mattress is a flat and firm support. Babies would be requiring a firm mattress. The mattress has to be firm enough to remain flat despite the baby’s weight on it. According to the crib safety tips provided by the ‘Consumer Product Safety Commission’, baby crib mattresses must be tight-fitting and firm without any comforters, pillows, or soft bedding items.

Ensure that the Harmful Chemicals Are Absent

Harmful chemicals could easily be avoided by choosing the organic and non-toxic crib mattress. However, you need to be alert because sometimes you could come across dangers where you are least expecting them. Consider checking if there are flame retardants or any other harmful water-proofing chemicals, adhesives or glues present in the crib mattress that you are buying for your little one.

Conclusion

You must always buy an organic crib mattress for your baby as they are chemical-free, non-toxic, hypoallergenic, breathable, and has much superior temperature control as compared to the standard mattresses. Moreover, you must choose an organic crib mattress for your baby because these mattresses are biodegradable and sustainable ensuring a healthy environment for your baby to grow in.

Shopping Tips for This Year’s Home Buying Season

A whopping 50 percent of homes are sold in the summer. Even though there can be benefits to buying at other times of the year, you might find that shopping for a home during the traditional home buying season is ideal, since you can go house shopping while the weather is warm and so that you can buy a home and move in-between school years for your kids.

 

Regardless of why you are choosing to go shopping now for your home, you probably want to make sure that the process goes as smoothly as possible. Luckily, if you follow these tips, you can help ensure that you have the best possible success when shopping for a home.

 

Set Your Budget First

 

First of all, you’ll want to set your budget first. There is really no reason to waste your time looking at homes that you can’t afford, after all. Plus, you don’t want to buy more home than you can easily afford, which can make things a lot more stressful once you’re actually in the home and making your mortgage payments.

 

There are online calculators and basic formulas that you can use when deciding how much of a home you can afford. However, you will generally only want to use these numbers as a starting point. Only you really know how much you feel comfortable paying for a home each month, so it can be worth it for you to sit down, make a budget and get a number in mind of how much house you can afford before you ever start shopping around.

 

Get Prequalified

 

If you are unsure of whether or not you will be able to actually qualify for a mortgage, it can pay for you to work with a mortgage lender to get prequalified. Few things can be as upsetting as house shopping and falling in love with a house only to find that you can’t actually buy it because you can’t get approved for the loan. By working with a lender now, you can determine if you will be able to get a mortgage and can get an idea of how much you will get approved for.

 

Make a List

 

Before you start shopping, think about the things that are most important to you. You might want to have a certain number of bedrooms to ensure that the home will be a good fit for your family, for example, or you might prefer a home that has a nice, large yard for gardening. Making a list of these things can make it easier for a real estate agent to show you homes that you will actually be interested in and can help keep you focused on what you really want so that you don’t start looking at homes that won’t be a good fit.

 

Don’t Be Afraid to Negotiate

 

When looking at homes, don’t be afraid to negotiate. In many cases, you can negotiate a lower price on a home. Some sellers are also willing to take certain steps to sweeten the deal and encourage you to choose their home out of the ones that you are looking at, such as by covering closing costs or adding in a budget to swap out the flooring or to paint.

 

Plan for Other Costs

 

You shouldn’t just be thinking about the cost of buying the home. You should also be planning for other costs, such as by saving up for closing costs, shopping around for home and auto insurance quotes so that you can secure affordable homeowner’s insurance and thinking about how much you will have to spend in utility deposits and moving expenses.

 

If you are getting ready to start shopping for your dream home, you probably want to ensure that the process goes smoothly. Luckily, following these tips can help you enjoy the best possible success when shopping for the home of your dreams.

The American Dream: Home Ownership

The National Association of Home Builders ("NAHB") recently reported that Americans still believe in home ownership.

Americans still believe that a strong housing industry means more jobs and more money to keep local economies growing, and that the government should continue to promote homeownership through tax incentives.

A new survey found that nearly three out of four American voters—73 percent—believe that it is reasonable and appropriate for the federal government to provide tax incentives to promote homeownership.

And 81 percent of voters are convinced we should do more to improve the housing finance system because we need policies that encourage homeownership if we want to rebuild the middle class.

"Every new single-family home built creates three full-time jobs and increases the property tax base that supports local schools," said National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Bob Nielsen, a home builder from Reno, Nev. "The American public recognizes that to restore the health of the economy, we need policies that support opportunities for homeownership."

The poll, which was conducted on behalf of NAHB, also found that an overwhelming majority of respondents oppose eliminating the mortgage interest deduction and would be less likely to support a candidate for Congress who wants to do away with this vital tax incentive.

"Despite the current housing downturn, Americans still see homeownership as a key building block of being in the middle class and creating strong jobs in their communities," said Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, which conducted the survey along with Public Opinion Strategies.

Other key survey findings include:

•75 percent of voters say that owning a home is the best long term investment they can make.

•73 percent of voters who do not now own a home say that it is a goal of theirs to eventually buy a home.

•Among voters who are aware of proposals under consideration by Washington policymakers to raise the down payment requirements for a home loan, 92 percent believe it will make it more difficult to buy a home.

Neil Newhouse, partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies, said, "The administration and some in Congress are floating plans to curtail or even abolish the mortgage interest deduction and impose changes that would make it much more difficult and expensive to get a home loan. This is in direct opposition to the views of most Americans, who want the government to encourage growth in the housing market and to maintain tax incentives to keep housing affordable."

http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?sectionID=1047&genericContentID=162180

 

For more information, please visit www.crestico.com.

Financial Health

Did you know that the average credit score required nowadays to get approved for a loan is 140 points HIGHER today than it was just a few years ago? That’s a lot when you consider that credit only ranges from 100 to 850.

One of the most important factors in getting a loan to buy a home has been credit, and it remains to be quite significant when filling out applications for loans. This is in large part, due to the economy. The mortgage crisis we have been witnessing over the past 4 years had major impacts on the lending industry and institutions became less willing to extend credit, even to those who are well-qualified.

Financial responsibility is key! Those with poor credit are faced with less and less options, making it harder and harder to realize the American dream of owning your own home.

Qualifying for a loan isn’t the end of the story.. it’s just the beginning. Just because you qualify doesn’t mean you are getting a good rate. The difference that just 0.25% can make on a $500,000 loan is over $1000 a year, multiplied by 30 years, that’s $30,000 that could have been saved over the life of the loan. What could you do with an extra $30,000?

In this market, many people are eager to buy a home, thinking “oh the prices are so low – we gotta get this house!” but keep in mind, while the price may seem low – the interest rate you qualify for may not be as attractive. So, tend to your financial health, clean up your credit – then start making offers on homes.

For more real estate advice, or to have any questions answered regarding the home buying process, visit www.crestico.com.