Disadvantage to Renting:

1. Little Personal Free-

dom

2. No long-term bene-

fits

3. Uncontrolled rent

increase

Advantages to Purchas-

ing:

1. Equity Building

2. Freedom of Décor &

lifestyle

3. Tax Benefits

4. Security & Stability

bound by laws other Real

Estate Salesperson are

not. Do not be afraid of

asking questions. Telling

your Agent exactly what

your are looking for and

being open to discuss

your current financial

position is the best way

to reach your goal.

AGENTS ARE NOT

PSYCHIC,

Be specific, voice your

concerns, stay in contact .

Remember! Your

agent works for you and

is acting in your best in-

terest..

RENTING VS PUR-

CHASING

Advantages to Renting:

1. Moving Flexibility

2. Little/No Mainte-

nance

Tiffany Hamilton, Realtor

Armor Realty of Tallahassee

Main: 850.210.5821

Fax: (888)772-0114

Tiffany@TiffanyHamilton.com

For Custom Home Search visit me at

www.TIFFANYHAMILTON.COM

Or

Call to schedule a private consultation

Its More than Buying a home

The Home Buying Process

6 S T E P S T O

P U R C H A S E

Talk to a Lender 1

Connect w/ Your

Realtor

CONTACT ME

2

Property Search 3

Make an Offer 4

Property

Inspection 5

Close 6

Your New

Responsibility *

Your Journey to Home 2 0 1 1 Volume 1, Issue 1

S P E C I A L P O I N T S

O F I N T E R E S T :

Develop a budget

Set aside the differ-ence in your current rent payment with your anticipated mort-gage payment

Take the opportunity to check out different neighborhoods

Know your credit, get a copy of your credit report!

GET APPROVED W/ A LENDER

If you have questions GIVE ME A CALL.

There are many options in real estate. The key is to find the option that suits your needs.

The Best Gift a

Realtor can receive

is a referral and

feedback on services

provided.

Take the first step: Call or Email

Residential

VACANT LAND

Rental

Commercial

Buying a home is a big

responsibility. Real es-

tate is a large part of the

US Economy; as the cur-

rent financial crises has

shown. Making the deci-

sion to become a home

owner should take

thought and planning

while consulting your

Real Estate Expert.

Prioritizing your needs

and purchases while

planning for an important

major purchase starts you

on the right track. Your

credit history can help or

hurt your financing op-

tions. Speaking with a

lender at the early stages

will reduce conflicts,

time, and missed oppor-

tunities.

Ask your Agent if they

are a member of the

Board of Realtors. Real-

tors are held to a high

ethical standard and are

P A G E 2

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Don’t Just Take My Word-Research

There are hundreds of

online locations and practi-

cally everyone claims to be

a real estate expert. Howev-

er, there are a few try and

true locations that provide

up-to-date information on

the real estate market. The

national association of real-

tors provided up to date

statistic and market re-

search. Your local realtor

and real estate board gives

you access to local pro-

grams and events. Friends

and relatives are a good

source for real life experi-

ences, but rely on a expert.

Every buyer has a different

experience and unless they

are in the industry, what

may have worked 5 years

ago may not be the same

today. Everything your

Realtor tells you can be

checked and verified. Ask

for reference locations.

funded housing counseling

agencies that can help you

sort through your options.

Also, contact your local gov-

ernment to see if there are

any local home buying pro-

grams that might work for

you. Are there special

homeownership grants ?

Answer: There is help avail-

able. Start by becoming fa-

miliar with the home buying

process and pick a good real

estate broker. Get pre-

qualified so that when you

find a house you like in your

price range you won't have

the delay of trying to get

qualified. Contact one of the

HUD-funded housing coun-

seling agencies in your area

to talk through other options

for help that might be availa-

ble to you. Should I use a

real estate broker? How do

I find one? Answer: Using

a real estate broker is a very

good idea. All the details

involved in home buying,

particularly the financial

ones, can be mind-boggling.

A good real estate profes-

sional can guide you through

the entire process and make

the experience much easier.

A real estate broker will be

well-acquainted with all the

important things you'll want to

know about a neighborhood you

may be considering...the quality

of schools, the safety of the

neighborhood, traffic volume,

and more. He or she will help

you figure the price range you

can afford and search the classi-

fied ads and multiple listing

services for homes you'll want

to see. With immediate access to

homes as soon as they're put on

the market, the broker can save

you hours of wasted driving-

around time. When it's time to

make an offer on a home, the

broker can point out ways to

structure your deal to save you

money. He or she will explain

the advantages and disad-

vantages of different types of

mortgages, guide you through

the paperwork, and be there to

hold your hand and answer last-

minute questions when you sign

the final papers at closing. And

you don't have to pay the broker

anything! The payment comes

from the home seller - not from

the buyer. HUD home, you will

be required to use a real estate

broker to submit your bid. To

find a broker who sells HUD

homes, check your local yellow

pages or the classified section of

your local newspaper.

Why should I buy, in-

stead of rent? Answer: A

home is an investment.

When you rent, you write

your monthly check and that

money is gone forever. But

when you own your home,

you can deduct the cost of

your mortgage loan interest

from your federal income

taxes, and usually from your

state taxes. This will save

you a lot each year, because

the interest you pay will

make up most of your

monthly payment for most of

the years of your mortgage.

You can also deduct the

property taxes you pay as a

homeowner. In addition, the

value of your home may go

up over the years. Finally,

you'll enjoy having some-

thing that's all yours - a

home where your own. Can

I become a homebuyer

even if I have I've had bad

credit, and don't have

much for a down-

payment? Answer:

You may be a good

candidate for one of the

federal mortgage pro-

grams. Start by contact-

ing one of the HUD-

KNOWLEDGE IS

KEY. WORK WITH

YOUR REALTOR TO

HELP YOU

ACHIEVE YOUR

HOME BUYING

Y O U R J O U R N E Y T O H O M E

USEFUL SITES

www.Realtor.com

www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com

www.HUD.gov

Www.floridahousing.org

www.tbrnet.org

G reat customer

care is my

number one

goal for every

real estate transaction.

My role is to provide

detailed, accurate

and timely information

throughout the home

sale transaction so my

clients can make the

best decisions possible.

If you are selling

or buying a

home, please contact

me for exceptional

customer service or

recommend me to

friends and family, and

I will provide them

with the same thorough

service.

Tiffany

Questions and Answers provided by HUD.Gov

“To provide exceptional service, making the home buying and

selling process so exciting that you can’t wait to tell you friends, family,

and acquaintances that Tiffany Hamilton is your REALTOR® for life.”

My Statement to You

Special Offer

When you close on your

new home with Tiffany

Hamilton, you will re-

ceive a Housewarming

Planner courtesy of Tif-

fany Hamilton your Real

Estate Agent.

Courtesy

of

Tiffany Hamilton,

Realtor

P A G E 3

Y O U R J O U R N E Y T O H O M E

Name

Address

Phone

Getting Pre-Qualified for a Home Loan

First Question

A number of factors determine the price range of homes you will want to preview– on is the loan qualification value. Have the following items ready when you contact one of our preferred lenders.

Check Credit Score

Currently Employed

List of Monthly

Types of Loans

203K

FHA

Conventional

Notes:

Third Question

Past Due balances

Car Payment

Bankruptcy

Student Loans

Second Question

Medical bills

Collection Accounts

Fourth Question

Bank Account

Foreclosure

Eviction

Quick Notes:

Why Should you use a REALTOR?

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

Technology

has definitely

changed the

way we live

and work. And

it's no different

for real estate.

Today, there

are multiple resources at con-

sumers' disposal. The Internet

has become a popular tool for

homebuyers to peruse the list-

ings in any city or state. Besides

home searches, consumers can

find information about commu-

nities, schools, mortgage op-

tions, and even property ap-

praisals. With this wealth of

information, should you still

have a real estate professional

represent you during your home

-buying process? Absolutely.

Given the sizeable mone-

tary outlay—possibly the single

largest financial transaction in a

person’s lifetime—it seems rea-

sonable, even smart, to call in a

specialist.

Ask yourself, who better

to know the home buying pro-

cess and resources needed for a

smooth transaction? He or she

knows the local area including home

values, taxes, utility costs, and

school data, and may even be knowl-

edgeable about resources pertaining

to your special interests or needs.

As your single point of contact,

we can manage the entire transac-

tion and helping prepare for a

smooth and uneventful closing.

If you’re about to begin the

process of buying or selling a home,

consider involving a real estate pro-

fessional. When the stakes are high,

it’s comforting to have a specialist

by your side.

er, that you are serious about

your decision, that you are

ready, willing and able to

purchase a home. I will help

you find a lender you are

comfortable with....(STAY

AWAY FROM INTERNET

LENDERS!!), someone who

we can communicate with

directly!

4. Looking at Homes

What are the important and

necessary elements of a

home. Relaying this infor-

mation to your REALTOR®

will insure that we are on the

same page, that we do waste

time looking for something

that will not fit your needs or

lifestyle. There are many

ways a REALTOR® will pre-

sent properties to you during

this process. This is where the

fun begins!

5. Choosing a Home

You will know it when you

walk in it. Trust me on this one.

6. Making an Offer – The

Sales Contract

It’s not as scary as it seems. I

will explain each clause and

make sure that you are comfort-

able with this step!

7. Due Diligence

There will be deadlines for you,

and for the seller once a Con-

tract has been fully accepted and

executed. I will coordinate these

details for you!

8. Closing

Making sure that all details have

been taken care of, including

title work, surveys and lender

required inspections is the last

step. Again.. I will coordinate

these details for you!

9. What’s Next?

Moving,.. enjoying your new

home

I will guide you through this

process, answer your questions

on what you should expect from

a REALTOR®, help you find

where to look for financing, and

what to prepare for closing a

successful transaction.

Here are a few steps :

1. Are you ready?

Do you know what you

want, do you have the mon-

ey, is your financial house in

order?

2. Finding a REALTOR®

Well,.. you have come to the

right place. But, seriously.

Are you working with some-

one who is a professional,

who knows the market, who

can provide to you a track

record of sales and listings

and who is a full time

REALTOR®?

3. The Pre-Approval

This is most often a require-

ment when presenting offers

is today’s market. It means

that you have begun the pro-

cess of working with a lend-

Steps to Owning a Home This is a major

step but you

are not going

through it

alone.