Your credibility in the investing world is based upon your credit score. It does not matter if you have purchased one home or ten homes, if your credit score is lower than the threshold used to determine credit approval, you could be facing higher interest rates and even higher mortgage payments. The credit score you have today, does not have to be the one you have tomorrow. Building credit credibility requires a bit of time and a great home budget.

To start the process of rebuilding your credibility, you need to know what factors are lowering your credit score. A complete credit report with credit score is a great place to start. This report will tell you the negative reports that have been filed that are lowering your credit score and thus your loan credibility.

Once you know what factors are hurting you financially, you can make a list of the items you can change today and those that will take a bit more time to resolve. The most immediate changes that can be made include the repayment of current bills, loans and credit cards. Paying your bills on time has a huge effect on the credit score, so even if you pay off every negative past due payment on the credit report, it may not have the same impact as paying your current bills on time would have.

Next, pay off the smaller bills one at a time. If there are silly bills on your credit report that are considered negative and continue to lower your credit score, pay those off. If the bills are larger, contact the companies and try to work out a smaller final payment or a payment plan. Once these bills start being reported as Paid On Time or Paid in Full, the credit score and your credibility will improve.

Time is the key to building credit credibility. The lender does not believe in quick fixes and neither does your credit score. Over time, with patience and attention to paying ALL of your bills on time, the credit score reported by all bureaus will rise and that will mean your actions are paying off. It will take one to two years to rebuild the credibility needed to secure the lowest home interest rates on your loan.

The lower the home interest rate, the less money you will have to repay. This is a huge factor in being able to afford the home you are currently living in and maintaining that credit credibility you have worked so hard to secure.

	Fairfax County Real Estate and homes for sale
	Alexandria | Annandale | Burke | Centreville | Chantilly | Clifton | Dunn Loring | Fairfax Real Estate | Fairfax Station | Falls Church | Fort Belvoir | Great Falls | Herndon | Lorton | Mclean | Oakton | Reston | Springfield | Vienna |

Buying that first new home is a change that is filled with anxiety, excitement and energy. In the midst of these emotions, a homebuyer could make some very real mistakes that may haunt them for years to come. The process of buying that first home starts with a home search, but is it really a search if the potential buyer has chosen the perfect home without ever looking?

The Internet opens a huge portal in the real estate world. All a buyer needs to do is log onto the Internet and search for homes in a given area. Once the search is narrowed down by price, bedrooms or square footage, there will be a short list of homes that fall into the acceptable category. From here, buyers click on images and maps to find out where the home is located. With enough legwork, the buyer can also find the address and visit the home before even seeing a real estate agent.

This type of search is great for knowledge, but the real estate agent is trained to know about the pros and cons of every home. Just because the home looks great on paper, does not mean it is the perfect home for the buyer. The search should empower the buyer, not limit them to the results only THEY find.

Another huge pitfall is assuming income. Buyers may choose to enter into an adjustable mortgage or an interest only loan for the first few years of homeownership because they PLAN on making more money in the future. This is a huge mistake. Life change, things happen and if that income hike is not there, the mortgage (in full) will eventually come due and the owner will see the Foreclosure sign before they can write the check.

The key word when searching for that first home is LOGICAL. The buyer needs to be logical about the home they need, logical about what they can afford and logical about the amenities in the home. Just because you think you want a particular home does not mean that is really the home you need or the home you will love for the next 30 years.

Owning real estate is a huge step in life and one that should never be taken lightly. A real estate agent, or even a seasoned home owning friend, can help start the search process for that new home and help the virgin buyer steer away from the bad and the ugly choices they may make out of haste.

	Prince William County Real Estate and Homes for sale
	Bristow | Broad Run | Catharpin | Dale City | Dumfries | Gainesville | Haymarket | Manassas | Manassas Park | Nokesville | Occoquan | Quantico | Triangle | Woodbridge |

For some reason, renters have a tendency to skim over the pages of a rental contract and sign their name on the bottom line without really understanding what they have read. This can be a disaster for the renter when the fine print becomes a reality.

There are several key aspects of a rental agreement that need to be overviewed before the lease is signed. These include:

Pets - If you have a pet and the landlord swears you will be able to keep your pet in the rental unit, make sure that phrase is included in the lease. Word of mouth means nothing once you sign the lease and it clearly says, NO PETS.

Guests - Guests are often written into a lease with a time limit on how long they can stay. This time limit is not a legal inclusion, just the most common limit used for rental contracts. If you have a large family and many guests will be coming in and out, make sure that time limit is lifted. No one wants to look at their mom or dad and say, you have to leave because my guest time limit is up.

Lawn Care - If the rental unit has landscaping, will you be in charge of keeping the grass cut and cared for? Many landlords would rather a professional service take care of the landscaping and are willing to add a few extra dollars to the lease to hire an agency.

Sub Leasing - Need a roommate? You can’t have one according to your lease. Roommates and subleasing out an apartment are often forbidden by leasing contracts. Again, if this is an intention in the future, make sure you have the acceptance written into the lease.

	Prince William County Real Estate and Homes for sale
	Bristow | Broad Run | Catharpin | Dale City | Dumfries | Gainesville | Haymarket | Manassas | Manassas Park | Nokesville | Occoquan | Quantico | Triangle | Woodbridge |

	Other Northern Virginia Counties and Cities
	Arlington County | Alexandria City | Falls Church City | Manassas City | Stafford County |

At any given time, there are millions of buyers waiting to snatch up their dream home. These buyers may be preparing to jump into home ownership, or waiting for that dream home to hit the market. Then there are people who believe renting a home is the best way to go. When debating the rent versus buy thought, homeowners will tell you to buy every time but only when you are ready.

Before beginning the process of buying a new home, a 15% down payment needs to be saved. This down payment required on the home could be less, but any home buyer would be happy to have money left in savings after getting that key than running around trying to liquidate assets to keep the home of their dreams.

The closing costs on the home will average about 5% of the price of the home. This is another bit of money that should be saved before the search even begins. If the potential home owner finds the home they wish to buy, they should be ready to buy right then and not after months of saving when that dream home could already be sold.

How much can you afford? This is question that will vary from person to person, but traditionally, the mortgage payment should not be any more than 25% of your total income per month. That is take home income, not gross income because the gross amount is never the same as the amount that available for use on payday. For instance, if a potential buyer brings home $6000 a month, the mortgage should be no more than $1500 a month.

This number may seem conservative, but the true cost of ownership involves more than just the mortgage payment. There are utilities, upkeep and property taxes in addition to home insurance that will need to be paid each month just on the home.

A self run credit report is also a huge item to look over before applying for any mortgage. If you walk into the office blindly, you could lower your credit score without obtaining a mortgage. When the lending company runs your credit report, that could lower your score and if it is too low to meet their lending guidelines, it will be for nothing. When you run your own report, the score is not affected and will not lower.

You usually have high hopes when you move into a new neighborhood. It’s a brand new life, a new experience, and you want it to go well. While you can choose the best house in the world, an excellent location, and a beautiful neighborhood, you can’t choose your neighbors. What do you do if you get your dream home, only to find that your neighbors are the stuff of nightmares? Here are the best ways to handle the top three types of problem neighbors and still enjoy your new home.

1) Gossips

It’s not uncommon to encounter a neighbor who loves to gossip. This can be extremely annoying, especially when you’re the subject of the gossip. Gossips love to find out every detail about what you’re doing and spread it all around the neighborhood. It’s irritating if you otherwise like the person, and downright upsetting if you don’t like the person at all!

You can deal with a neighborhood gossip by doing nothing to encourage them. Don’t give them too much information about yourself. If they ask you personal questions, either try to change the subject to something about THEM, or just tell them you can’t imagine they’d be interested in such a trivial detail about yourself. You could even outright lie to them (also known as propagating dis-information) if you’re comfortable with that. Just come up with a response you like and that deflects the personal questions in a kind and polite way.

2) People Who Make Too Much Noise

Yes, a fact of neighborhood life is that sometimes people make noise. Sometimes you can understand it and ignore it, such as holiday parties, once a year birthday parties, or the kids trying out new toys outside. But neighbors who are consistently noisy can be a problem. These are the people who play their stereos too loudly outside all the time, the people who mow their lawns at insane hours, those who keep their televisions on high volume with the windows open, etc.

The first thing you should do is let your neighbors know that their noise is bothersome. If kids are the problem, talk to their parents. Try to come up with an equitable solution for everyone. If no solutions can be arrived at, talk to other neighbors to see what can be done, or call the police, if necessary.

3) Creepy Stalkers

Once in a while, you come across a neighbor who just won’t leave you alone. He (or she) invites himself over all the time, makes a point to be outside just as you’re getting home or leaving, and seems to be watching your every move. If you’re unfortunate enough to have this kind of neighbor, you’ve got to tell him that you’re not interested. Don’t give him any reason to think you may actually be a little interested. Keep any communication with this neighbor perfunctory and speak only when necessary. If it continues to be a problem, you may have to go to the police and get a restraining order. However, remember, protecting yourself is your first priority.