The Rebecca Francis team

Estate houses in Lehigh Valley? Ranked in the top 1% of Berkshire Hathaway agents nationwide, Rebecca L. Decker Francis and her team focuses in the Lehigh Valley luxury home market. Mixing their professional marketing expertise, business acumen and extensive relations both locally and abroad, Rebecca and her team can help buyers and sellers alike achieve their goals. Whether buying or selling a fine home, their access to the latest technologies and market research, along with their ability to network with other top luxury agents will benefit clients and enhance their buying or selling experience. Find extra info at click here for Rebecca Francis Team.

After narrowing the search to 2 or 3 homes, your agent will do whatever research is necessary to aid you in making your decision. Ultimately, however, it is your decision. Some tools that can help you make that final decision include school reports (if you have or are planning on having children), statistical information from the local chamber of commerce, future zoning or road expansion from local planning offices, etc. Whatever the factors of importance are to you, have your agent help locate that information. Once you have selected a single home to focus on, your agent will conduct a comparative market analysis on that property. This involves determining “fair market value” by looking at what other buyers were willing to pay for properties similar to yours in the same neighborhood or area.

You might hear the word “budget” and cringe a little, but you shouldn’t. Budgeting is not hard, and it doesn’t mean you have to stop doing things you enjoy. Budgeting is simply creating a plan for your money so you have a better idea of where it’s going every month. A popular and effective way to budget is with the 50/30/20 rule. How it works is 50% of your income goes towards the necessities (bills, food, housing, etc.), 20% of your income goes towards savings and the remaining 30% you can use for whatever you please. This is a nice and easy way to break down your paycheck, but you might need to adjust it a bit to fit your lifestyle. Mortgage: This one’s a tricky one, but mortgages are generally considered good debt. They are usually long-term loans with low interest rates, so you’ll still have money freed up for investments and such. The interest from mortgages is also tax deductible, so that’s a bonus. In the end, it’s up to you to decide whether purchasing a home is the right move, as the value of a house will not always rise as some people think. You’ll also have to add in the expenses of property tax, utilities, and home insurance.

Location is by far the most important part of buying real estate. You can change condition, you can change price, you can’t change the location of a house. If there is one thing a buyer should never sacrifice on its location. The location of a house will have the largest impact on its price, and potential future appreciation. One analogy we use to demonstrate how important location is this: If you take the least expensive home in the world, and you put it in downtown New York City, it is worth millions. If you start shopping homes for sale in all different locations you’ll never build a proper frame of reference to understand what constitutes a great deal, a good deal, and a lousy deal. You want to become an expert in a certain area so that when it comes time to make an offer, you can do so with conviction and confidence.

While you might have your hands full with an overzealous real estate agent, it’s important not to neglect your mortgage homework. Mortgages are often just mailed in, with little attention given to where they are originated. Your real estate agent will have their preferred lender that you “really should consider using because they’re the best,” but you don’t have to use them or even speak to them. I’ll typically say get a quote from them as a courtesy to keep things amicable, and to appease your agent, but also shop around with other banks, credit unions, lenders, and mortgage brokers. At the same time, think about how you want to structure the mortgage, including down payment, loan type (FHA or conventional), and loan program. The 30-year fixed isn’t always a no-brainer, though right now it’s a tough argument to go against it.

Consider the possibilities of added free time in your schedule when your door-to-door commute is cut in half and your spending power is multiplied thanks to an affordable cost of living. Picture the opportunities for learning—ranging from numerous public, charter, and private K-12 offerings to nationally-ranked colleges and universities—that will enable you and your family to thrive. To top it off, you’ll be surrounded by world-class healthcare providers offering everything from general practice to specialized surgery, rehabilitation, athletic performance training, and more. All that (and more) is Made Possible in Lehigh Valley. The region has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing economies in the nation, and is just a short drive away from major mid-Atlantic cities including New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. See additional details on https://rebeccafrancisteam.foxroach.com/.