Ask your kids too when you want to buy a new dream home

Let's say that your credit is ready and you have your down payment. Now it's time to start looking for a home. You can find houses in the classified section of the newspaper, online, or with a realtor. If you choose to go with the latter, make sure you get firsthand recommendations. This is not the time to entrust your newly licensed brother-in-law with the largest purchase of your life. You need a trained professional who has access to all the houses in your area and who can negotiate on your behalf. Only go for the best when it comes to a real estate broker. You'll need an honest professional on your side. If your chosen abode is desirable, there will usually be multiple offers - many people will try to buy that same house the same day.

The decision often depends on the quality of your real estate broker, howmuch she advises you to offer or even how she presents you and your family to the seller. Sellers tend to be emotional about their house and want to see it end up in the hands of someone who will cherish it asmuch as they did. An experienced real estate agent will paint your family as deserving of the beautiful home you are seeking to buy. If you want to enjoy your house hunting experience, keep your eyes peeled for open houses. An open house is literally that: a home that is open to inspection by the public, usually on weekend afternoons.

You and your exceptionally well-behaved kids are more than welcome to wander into any house in America that displays an open house sign. Inside, the real estate agent in charge of selling the property will give you a tour of the house, as well as printed information regarding costs, size, taxes, special features, and so on. If you're serious about owning a home, go to open houses even if you're still several months away from making a purchase. You'll begin to get a sense of costs and availability, crucial information in home-buying negotiations. After a few visits to open houses, you'll be like an old veteran of the housing industry.

Open houses can help prepare you for the day you're ready to make your purchase. Attending an open house lets you imagine owning a home like the one you're visiting. It helps you develop dreams of moving beyond your current status as a renter and stepping up to being a full-fledged owner. You'll also determine what features you are looking for (new kitchen, extra bathroom) and which are not necessarily requirements but would be nice (pool, fireplace, hardwood floors). It never hurts to visit open houses in affluent neighborhoods. No one will hassle you. Simply drive into the nicest neighborhood, park your car in front of any open house sign you see, and wander in. It's none of their business that you drove up from the 'hood! Walk right in and act as if you can afford that house, even if it costs a couple of million dollars.

Pretend you're an up-and-coming R&B star, if you like (just refrain from singing). Not only will you have fun, but also you'll begin to ask yourself how you can afford such a home.Why shouldn't you live in the biggest house on the block? A source of important information is a website called Fastweb. If you don't own a computer, I recommend that you go with your child to the local library to view this site. Fastweb asks for your name, address, ethnic or racial identification, and other information in order to match you with more than $1 billion in scholarships - money that you do not need to pay back. The few minutes it takes to fill out these Internet formsmight yield more money than you could possibly hope to earn in a year. Fastweb is a for-profit site, which means that unless you opt out of some of the preferences, your e-mail box will be bombarded with spam (not the canned meat product, but junk e-mail). Simply check "no" for each option and see whether Fastweb's scholarship database can provide you with any leads on free money. If Fastweb seems helpful, you might want to change your preferences to receive notifications.

Unfortunately, you'll have to be wary on your quest for scholarship money. Many scholarship scams take advantage of the desperation that many parents and students feel as they seek to fund a college education. Follow this general rule: if you're asked to put up money, walk the other way. If you have to include a fee of even $5 in order to win a scholarship, it's probably a rip-off. The same is true if you are "awarded" a loan that requires an advance fee, or a scholarship that requires a "disbursement" or "redemption" fee. Also be on the lookout for the "guaranteed scholarship search service." Any time you have to pay money for the guarantee that your child will win a scholarship, you can be certain it's a scam. If you get a letter advertising a free financial aid seminar, the seminar might include some good information, but chances are they are going to hit you up for expensive financial aid consulting services that you don't need.

A family financial summit would be a great time to research college scholarship and loan possibilities. Have your child search the web with such keywords as "college tuition," "scholarships," and "financial aid." The web is a rich source of information, and you might be amazed at what your child finds in only a matter of minutes. Never think of a college education for your children as an unattainable luxury. In today's America, it is the ultimate necessity. Your children cannot afford to be without a college education. The money and the information are out there. In short, your children are going to college.

Ask your kids too when you want to buy a new dream home

Legal Disclaimer

Related Articles