Goran Jovanovic

Hallandale Beach is located in the Broward County, center of a dynamic economic region that continues to enjoy significant prosperity and growth. Residents enjoy a high quality of life with sensational weather, recreational and cultural facilities and one of South Florida's best beaches.

Downtown Hallandale Beach is located just 15minutes from the Fort Lauderdale International Airport and 35 minute drive from Miami International Airport.

Hallandale Beach is located just 12 minutes Port Everglades, the deepest harbor in the Southeast.

With easy access to US-1 and I-95, one can easily access Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County and all points in between. The Florida Turnpike is located 5 miles west of I-95 and links Hallandale Beach with the central portion of the state.

Housing Opportunities

Hallandale Beach offers residents an array of new and exciting housing choices. Whether you and your family prefer a house along the Intercostals Waterway, an urban contemporary apartment, or a condominium just steps away from the ocean, housing choices abound.

Over the past ten years, the average increase in property value has been about 8 percent per year countywide.

The area also provides upper level education with 11 colleges and universities.

Campuses for Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Florida International University (FIU), and Broward Community College (BCC) are located within 10 miles of Hallandale Beach. Both universities rank among the nation's top 200 large universities in US News and World Reports annual survey of America's best colleges.

YOUR Hallandale Beach, Real Estate Expert!

Posted to FloridaSearchonLine.com by floridasearchonline on August 19, 2008

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Goran Jovanovic
Keller Williams Elite Properties
Ph:954-243-7570
http://:www.goranflorida.com

To contact me now:http://lead.goranflorida.sef.mlxchange.com

Your lender decides what you can borrow but you decide what you can afford.

Lenders are careful, but they make qualification decisions based on averages and formulas. They won't understand the nuances of your lifestyle and spending patterns quite as well as you do. So, leave a little room for the unexpected - for all the new opportunities your home will give you to spend money, from furnishings, to landscaping, to repairs.

Historically, banks use a ratio called 28/36 to decide how much borrowers could borrow. An approved housing payment couldn't be more than 28 percent of the buyer's gross monthly income, and his or her total debt load, including car payments, student loans, and credit card payments, couldn't be more than 26 percent. (In Canada lenders apply similar formulas to determine how much a buyer can afford. The Gross Debt Service ratio, or GDS, is not to exceed 32 percent of the buyer's gross monthly income, and the Total Debt Service ration, or TDS, is not to exceed 40 percent of the buyer's total debt load.) As home prices have risen, some lenders have responded by stretching these rations to as high as 50 percent. No matter how expensive your market though, we urge you to think carefully before stretching your budget quite so much.

Deciding how much you can afford should involve some careful attention to how your financial profile will change in the upcoming years. In the long run, your own peace of mind and security will matter most.

Goran Jovanovic
Keller Williams Elite Properties
Ph:954-243-7570
http://:www.goranflorida.com

To contact me now:http://lead.goranflorida.sef.mlxchange.com

Eight steps to buying your home


1. Decide to buy.

Although there are many good reasons for you to buy a home, wealth building ranks among the top of the list. We call home ownership the best "accidental investment" most people ever make. But, we believe when it is done right, home ownership becomes an "intentional investment" that lays the foundation for a life of financial security and personal choice. There are solid financial reasons to support your decision to buy a home, and, among these, equity buildup, value appreciation, and tax benefits stand out.

Base your decision to buy on facts, not fears.

1. If you are paying rent, you very likely can afford to buy
2. There is never a wrong time to buy the right home. All you need to do in the short run is find a good buy and make sure you have the financial ability to hold it for the long run
3. The lack of a substantial down payment doesn't prevent you from making your first home purchase
4. A less-than-perfect credit score won't necessarily stop you from buying a home
5. The best way to get closer to buying your ultimate dream home is to buy your first home now
6. Buying a home doesn't have to be complicated - there are many professionals who will help you along the way

2. Hire your agent.

The typical real estate transaction involves at least two dozen separate individuals - insurance assessors, mortgage brokers and underwriters, inspectors, appraisers, escrow officers, buyer's agents, seller's agents, bankers, title researchers, and a number of other individuals whose actions and decisions have to be orchestrated in order to perform in harmony and get a home sale closed. It is the responsibility of your real estate agent to expertly coordinate all the professionals involved in your home purchase and to act as the advocate for you and your interests throughout.

Seven main roles of your real estate agent

A Buyer's Real Estate Agent:

1. Educates you about your market.
2. Analyzes your wants and needs.
3. Guides you to homes that fit your criteria.
4. Coordinates the work of other needed professionals.
5. Negotiates on your behalf.
6. Checks and double-checks paperwork and deadlines.
7. Solves any problems that may arise.

Eight important questions to ask your agent

Qualifications are important. However, finding a solid, professional agent means getting beyond the resume, and into what makes an agent effective. Use the following questions as your starting point in hiring your licensed, professional real estate agent:

1. Why did you become a real estate agent?
2. Why should I work with you?
3. What do you do better than other real estate agents?
4. What process will you use to help me find the right home for my particular wants and needs?
5. What are the most common things that go wrong in a transaction and how would you handle them?
6. What are some mistakes that you think people make when buying their first home?
7. What other professionals do you suggest we work with and what are their credentials?
8. Can you provide me with references or testimonials from past clients?

3. Secure financing.

While you may find the thought of home ownership thrilling, the thought of taking on a mortgage may be downright chilling. Many first-time buyers start out confused about the process or nervous about making such a large financial commitment.

From start to finish, you will follow a six-step, easy-to-understand process to securing the financing for your first home.

Six steps to Financing a Home

1. Choose a loan officer (or mortgage specialist).
2. Make a loan application and get preapproved.
3. Determine what you want to pay and select a loan option.
4. Submit to the lender an accepted purchase offer contract.
5. Get an appraisal and title commitment.
6. Obtain funding at closing.

4. Find your home.

You may think that shopping for homes starts with jumping in the car and driving all over town. And it's true that hopping in the car to go look is probably the most exciting part of the home-buying process. However, driving around is fun for only so long - if weeks go by without finding what you're looking for, the fun can fade pretty fast. That's why we say that looking for your home begins with carefully assessing your values, wants, and needs, both for the short and long terms.

Questions to ask yourself

1. What do I want my home to be close to?
2. How much space do I need and why?
3. Which is more critical: location or size?
4. Would I be interested in a fixer-upper?
5. How important is home value appreciation?
6. Is neighborhood stability and priority?
7. Would I be interested in a condo?
8. Would I be interested in new home construction?
9. What features and amenities do I wasn't? Which do I really need?

5. Make an offer.

When searching for your dream home, you were just that - a dreamer. Now that you're writing an offer, you need to be a businessperson. You need to approach this process with a cool head and a realistic perspective o your market. The three basic components of an offer are price, terms, and contingencies (or "conditions" in Canada).

Price - the right price to offer must fairly reflect the true market value o fthe home you want to buy. Your agent's market research will guide this decision.

Terms - the other financial and timing factors that will be included in the offer.

Terms fall under six basic categories in a real estate offer:

1. Schedule - a schedule of events that has to happen before closing.
2. Conveyances - the items that stay with the house when the sellers leave.
3. Commission - the real estate commission or fee, for both the agent who works with the seller and the agents who works with the buyer.
4. Closing costs - it's standard for buyers to pay their closing costs, but if you want to roll the costs into the loan, you need to write that into the contract.
5. Home warranty - this covers repairs or replacement of appliances and major systems. You may ask the seller to pay for this.
6. Earnest money - this protects the sellers from the possibility of your unexpectedly pulling of the deal and makes a statement about the seriousness of your offer.

6. Perform due diligence.

Unlike most major purchases, once you buy a home, you can't return it if something breaks or doesn't quite work like it's supposed to. That's why home owner's insurance and property inspections are so important.

A home owner's insurance policy protects you in two ways:

1. Against loss or damage to the property itself
2. liability in case someone sustains an injury while on your property

The property inspection show expose the secret issues a home might hide so you know exactly what you're getting into before you sign your closing papers.

• Your major concern is structural damage.
• Don't sweat the small stuff. Things that are easily fixed can be overlooked.
• If you have a big problem show up in your inspection report, you should bring in a specialist. If the worst-case scenario turns out to be true, you might want to walk away from the purchase.

7. Close.

The final stage of the home buying process is the lender's confirmation of the home's value and legal statue, and your continued credit-worthiness. This entails a survey, appraisal, title search, and a final check of your credit and finance. Your agent will keep you posted on how each if progressing, but your work is pretty much done.

You just have a few preclosing responsibilities:

1. Stay in control of your finances.
2. Return all phone calls and paperwork promptly.
3. Communicate with your agent at least once a week.
4. Several days before closing, confirm with your agent that all your documentation is in place and in order.
5. Obtain certified funds for closing.
6. Conduct a final walk-through.

On closing day, with the guidance of a settlement agent and your agent, you'll sign documents that do the following:

1. Finalize your mortgage.
2. Pay the seller.
3. Pay your closing costs.
4. Transfer the title from the seller to you.
5. Make arrangements to legally record the transaction as a public record.

As long as you have clear expectations and follow directions, closing should be a momentous conclusion to your home-searching process and commencement of your home-owning experience.

8. Protect your investment.

Throughout the course of your home-buying experience, you've probably spent a lot of time with your real estate agent and you've gotten to know each other fairly well. There's no reason to throw all that trust and rapport out the window just because the deal has closed. In fact, your agent wants you to keep in touch.

Even after you close on your house, you agent can still help you:

1. Handle your first tax return as a home owner.
2. Find contractors to help with home maintenance or remodeling.
3. Help your friends find homes.
4. Keep track of your home's current market value.

Attention to you home's maintenance needs is essential to protecting the long-term value of your investment.

Home maintenance falls into two categories:

1. Keeping it clean: Perform routine maintenance on your home's systems, depending on their age and style.
2. Keeping an eye on it: Watch for signs of leaks, damage, and wear. Fixing small problems early can save you big money later.

Goran Jovanovic
Keller Williams Elite Properties
Ph:954-243-7570
http://:www.goranflorida.com

To contact me now:http://lead.goranflorida.sef.mlxchange.com

Hallandale Beach is located in the Broward County, center of a dynamic economic region that continues to enjoy significant prosperity and growth. Residents enjoy a high quality of life with sensational weather, recreational and cultural facilities and one of South Florida's best beaches

Goran Jovanovic
Keller Williams Elite Properties
Direct:954-243-7570
Best Real Estate Deals
http://www.goranflorida.com

Production: http://www.floridasearchonline.com
floridasearchonline@gmail.com

Downtown Hallandale Beach is located just 15minutes from the Fort Lauderdale International Airport and 35 minute drive from Miami International Airport.

Hallandale Beach is located just 12 minutes Port Everglades, the deepest harbor in the Southeast.

With easy access to US-1 and I-95, one can easily access Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County and all points in between. The Florida Turnpike is located 5 miles west of I-95 and links Hallandale Beach with the central portion of the state.

Housing Opportunities

Hallandale Beach offers residents an array of new and exciting housing choices. Whether you and your family prefer a house along the Intercostals Waterway, an urban contemporary apartment, or a condominium just steps away from the ocean, housing choices abound.

Over the past ten years, the average increase in property value has been about 8 percent per year countywide.

The area also provides upper level education with 11 colleges and universities.

Campuses for Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Florida International University (FIU), and Broward Community College (BCC) are located within 10 miles of Hallandale Beach. Both universities rank among the nation's top 200 large universities in US News and World Reports annual survey of America's best colleges