Firstly, ask yourself the hard questions and find out if you are actually ready to commit. Make sure you will not be moving in the next few years with maybe a job change or marriage. Most of all, if you had filled for bankruptcy lately, due to various reasons, job loss, health expenses or divorce, wait until your finances are fixed. Do not make yourself a victim to higher interest rates due to bad financial status. Even if it’s a no-down payment program you find, make sure you are secure enough in the future, probably an expected increase in income, to pay your debts regularly, unless you want to put yourself in a greater financial risk.

If you are nervous, relax, be patient, consult friends who have knowledge of real estate trends especially in the neighborhood you are looking to buy, get to visit few open houses (Check out homes for sale in Brewster, Fairfield real estate or Pawling properties, online or at events in the Duchess county), check your credit status, make sure the score is not below 630 and get a bank to pre-approve your loan. Then is the time to look for agents, interview them, a good agent can recommend you good mortgage brokers too, so you can make the best of the loans on offer, taking advice from reputed firms. (more…)

Banks and building societies have effectively scrapped the traditional ‘ new homes premium ‘ in their mortgage valuations- that’s the extra price for a square foot of space that buyers were previously willing to pay on the assumption of no repair bills and lower energy bills.

Nobody doubts, either, that the building industry needs a massive boost, having scrapped tens of thousands of jobs. Sales of new homes might struggle to reach 75,000 in 2009, while starts may shrink as low as 60,000. (more…)

Buying a house is normally considered by any person as a very exciting moment, a time that he waited for so long and finally he fulfills his dreams. Once you plan to buy a house, you would usually look around for houses that suit your requirement as well as your budget. As soon as you found a property, the next step that you would do is make an offer. Generally, the offer is a financial offer and is done after taking several factors into consideration. There can be times when some reasons may trigger you to back out of an offer. Even if this is definitely not a very polite thing to do, some reasons are valid enough for you to back out and here you can not put your safety or financial security at stake.

The two most vital reasons that always prompt you to back out an offer are associated with debt or the strength of the house. The debt aspect is essential as you do not want to buy a liability, rather than an asset. If a property is coupled with arrears of tax payments or maintenance fees, then there are only few advantages that you can get when you buy such kind of property. These liabilities can put you in a lot of trouble later one.

Another main reason is the physical condition of the property. If you can see that the house has a lot of physical problems, something which was either hidden or could not be seen when you had an initial inspection, then it is wise that you back out of that deal. You do not want to end up spending a huge amount of money just to repair all those damages of the house. Even if the property comes with a cheaper price, but the cost of the repairs you will be incurring will still be equivalent as buying a high class property. You need to secure that what you have been paying for is fair enough of what you will be getting. (more…)

As Dubai continues to set new records for building and growth, its man-made islands are some of the more exceptional projects to behold in the Emirate. The Palm Islands are three sets of man-made islands, each shaped in a variation of a palm tree, while the World is a collection of 300 man-made islands forming a map of the world. The projects’ unique qualities has set them apart from the numerous Dubai building projects.The first of the Palm Islands to be conceived and constructed, the Palm Jumeirah, is currently the largest man-made island in the world. It has a trunk, crown with 17 palm fronds and a crescent surrounding it. The first phase of the project, 20 Shoreline Apartment buildings on the trunk, is nearly complete. Individuals and families began moving in late last year and the handover of properties continues.

Individual homes and villas located in the fronds are nearing completion and will be ready for the first owners to move in soon. 28 beachfront hotels are in the works for the outer crescent, including the Atlantis Hotel, a 1,500 room resort and water park. The Trump International Hotel and Tower will be the centerpiece of the trunk. The premier Marina Residences will consist of six towers at the very tip of the trunk. The Marina, Residences, which will have 940 apartments and 40 townhomes, is expected to begin handover to the new occupants and owners by the end of 2008.

The Palm Jumeirah

The first of the Dubai Palm Islands to be conceived and constructed, The Palm Jumeirah is also the smallest at 5 km in diameter. This island contains hotels, villas and apartments as well as retail shops and a marina. Each frond will make up a distinct, private neighborhood. The outer crescent will form a breakwater and have a number of luxury hotels and restaurants along its 11 km length in addition to residences. The trunk of this island is 2 km long and contains luxury hotels and residential apartments surrounding a 7.8 hectare park. The whole island will be connected by a monorail to whisk residents and visitors to their intended destinations on and off the island.

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