Home Much Laguna Niguel Home Can You Afford?

Understanding how much home you can afford is vital to your home buying success. As an experienced Laguna Niguel realtor, I have seen one too many clients jump the gun and begin house hunting before they receive a mortgage pre-certification from a lender. While it’s great to be eager, sometimes finding your dream home before you know how much home you can afford can cause more heartache then happiness. It’s never fun to find out that the Laguna Niguel home of your dreams is outside of your price range.

The best way to avoid this pitfall is to meet with a lender you trust and go over your finances. If you don’t have a lender, ask your realtor for a referral or call me at 949-939-0300 and I’ll be happy to provide you with a list of experienced and reputable lenders that serve the Laguna Niguel real estate market.

Now if you’re like most buyers and really want to start the house hunting process before you have a chance to meet with a lender, at least take a look at the Laguna Niguel Real Estate Mortgage Calculator tool on my website. This tool will help you determine monthly payments on various loan amounts and give you a better idea of what you can really afford. If you have any questions, just shoot me an email at Brad@BradColeman.com.

Understanding the Slow Laguna Niguel Real Estate Market

No matter if you’re buying or selling a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market, it can be a bumpy road to navigate – especially if you don’t have an experienced realtor by your side to help. Even if you’ve bought or sold a home before, the market changes dramatically from year to year and the process may be quite different the next time you deal with Laguna Niguel real estate.

Just think about it. A few years ago, Southern California was a seller’s dream. You could sell a property in a matter of minutes and usually for well more then it was listed for. But today, the Orange County real estate market is far different. We have gone from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market and understanding what that means is crucial to making the best deal possible on the next Laguna Niguel home you buy or sell.

One of the most important aspects to understand about the buying and selling process is how to effectively negotiate a sales price on a home. A home is listed for sale at one price, but it usually doesn’t sell for that exact amount. In a seller’s market, where demand is super high and supply is low, the listing price is usually just a starting point for negotiation, and the sales price for a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market can be thousands more then in the end. In a buyer’s market, like the one we are in right now, the list price is usually the price that the sellers is hoping to get, and the sales price usually falls a bit short of that target.

A rookie mistake that buyers often make, especially those in a slower market, is to low-ball a seller on an initial offer for a house. If you’re a seller, chances are you may not know exactly how to deal with such a low offer. A great way to handle it is to have a trusted Laguna Niguel realtor to guide you through the counteroffer process. If however, you’re less then impressed with your realtor’s advice or are just looking for additional input, check out the December issue of my Laguna Niguel Real Estate Update. We have a great article about handling low-ball offers on your Laguna Niguel home in the issue, and it may come in really handy for both buyers and sellers in today’s market.

If you have questions about buying a Laguna Niguel home or about selling a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market, ask a realtor you trust for advice and guidance. If you need to find a Laguna Niguel realtor you can trust, give me a call at 949-939-0300.

Laguna Niguel Dream Home Finder

Owning your dream home is a great feeling. But everyone’s dream home is different. Some people might think a modern condo in the middle of the Laguna Niguel real estate market is the perfect home, while others may be dreaming of a 4 bedroom, single-family home with a great view of the ocean. No matter what type of home you’re thinking about, now there’s a fast and easy way to find it – all from the comfort of your couch!

The Laguna Niguel Dream Home Finder tool is a great way to find the home of your dreams. Just check out this tool on my Laguna Niguel real estate website and get started with your house hunt today. Simply answer a few questions about what you are looking for – from the number of bedrooms to your ideal school system and I’ll do all the rest.

Soon you’ll have a list of all the homes in the Laguna Niguel real estate market that could be your dream home. If you have any questions about how to use the Dream Home Finder tool or about buying or selling a Laguna Niguel home, call me at 949-939-0300.

Laguna Niguel Real Estate Consumer Information

Another great resource for buyers and sellers in the Laguna Niguel real estate market is the Consumer Info page on my Orange County real estate website. I developed this page to help people buying or selling a Laguna Niguel home find great resources that can help them better understand the current market and relocation process as well as get more education on mortgage options, home improvement basics and insurance rates.

If you are planning on selling your home in the near future, you can visit the Laguna Niguel real estate Consumer Info page to get a better understanding of how to get the most money for your home as well as find great packing and moving tips. If you’re a buyer, you’ll definitely want to check out the insurance and mortgage articles so that you understand exactly what to look for when shopping for a mortgage lender and insurance broker.

Remember, if you don’t understand an article you find on my Consumer Info page or if you have any questions about Laguna Niguel real estate, call me today at 949-939-0300.

How Much Laguna Niguel Home Can You Afford?

When you’re thinking about buying a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market, one of the first steps you should take besides finding an experienced Laguna Niguel realtor is to figure out how much Laguna Niguel home you can afford. Once you know what price range you are best suited for, you can more easily begin the house hunting process. Otherwise, you will be wasting precious time by looking at homes you may not be able to afford.

A great way to find out how much home you can afford is to check out the Mortgage Calculator tool on my Laguna Niguel real estate website. You can use this tool to find out what different mortgage amounts and rates will cost you on a monthly basis. If you’re ready to take the plunge, you can also contact a mortgage lender to get you pre-approved for a home loan. This will help you get an even more precise home price for your search. Feel free to call me today at 949-939-0300 for more information on becoming pre-approved for a home loan or buying a Laguna Niguel home.

The Best Time to Buy a Laguna Niguel Home

If you haven’t been keeping up with the latest Laguna Niguel real estate news, you might not be aware that the market in Southern California is slower then it has been in years. While selling your home today might take some extra work, buying is the best option for people that have been thinking about purchasing a home of their own. In the past, buying a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market or other Orange County real estate market meant that you had to work tremendously hard to compete with other buyers for properties in the area. Today though, buyers have more homes to choose from, and with home values flattening, buyers have more negotiation room then even.

So what does this mean for you? Simple! This means that if you want to buy a home, now is the time to do it. Your money will go farther today then ever before and your choices of homes are greater then you can imagine. You can learn more about buying a Laguna Niguel home in today’s market by visiting the “It's A Buyers Market. So, When Are You Going to Buy?” article on my Web site.

As always, if you have questions about this article or about buying a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market, feel free to call me anytime at 949-939-0300.

More Laguna Niguel Real Estate Buyers' Tips

When you’re thinking about buying a home, one of the first steps you should take, besides finding an experienced Orange County realtor, is finding a trusted mortgage lender who can help you understand how much home you can afford. In addition, your mortgage lender will help you understand how changes in your life can affect your loan amount.

For instance, if you qualify for a loan and then make a big purchase such as a car or boat, you may no longer be eligible to borrow for your full loan amount. Changing jobs can also affect your mortgage approval. Most lenders want to see stability from borrowers and changing jobs can impact your approval. For most people, it will not be a problem, especially if their new position provides a higher income, but its best to check with a mortgage specialist before you make any employment changes.

You can find out more about the dos and don’ts of qualifying for a mortgage by checking out the Buyer’s Tips page on my Laguna Niguel real estate Web site. If you have questions about any of the tips, tricks or articles, feel free to give me a buzz at 949-939-0300.

Support local Marines and Sailors

As a Laguna Niguel realtor, I take great pride in the communities I work and know that many of our neighbors in the Mission Viejo and Laguna Niguel areas are proud to serve in our armed forces. I have had many clients who have moved to this area after being stationed at Camp Pendleton and I am always excited to help them in any way I can adjust to their new home.

As a huge supporter of our local troops and their families, I wanted to let everyone know that there are great ways that you too can help support the military personal living throughout the Laguna Niguel real estate market and Mission Viejo real estate market. On Wednesday, November 14, 2007 from 6:00 p.m. to midnight, the Marines and Sailors of the Headquarters Battalion will be hosting their annual formal ball at Camp Pendleton. This event will include a social hour, ceremony, dinner and dancing.

You can show your support for our local troops by sponsoring the cost of a table for eight at $300 per table. Your sponsorship will help offset the costs of entry level Marines and
Sailors attending as well as those associated with putting on such an event by the Headquarters Battalion. If you are interested in attending the event or sponsoring entry level Marines and Sailors, give me a call today at 949-939-0300.

HomeAid OC's Project Playhouse

HomeAid Orange County is an organization that has always been close to my heart. I do my best to work with the housing foundation in every capacity I can, and right now that means helping promote Project Playhouse. Project Playhouse is an awesome fundraiser and allows people the opportunity to buy raffle tickets to win a really cool and unique playhouse. If you’ve been to an Angel’s game recently, you’ve probably seen me out there (yes, I do actually take a break from selling Laguna Niguel Real Estate on occasion) selling raffle tickets for Project Playhouse. You’ve probably also seen the great Angel’s press box playhouse – which is one of the playhouses that HomeAid Orange County is raffling off during this year’s Project Playhouse.

There are several playhouses up for raffle this year and you can check them all out by visiting HomeAid Orange County’s Project Playhouse Web site. These are really magnificent playhouses unlike anything you’ve ever seen and you should definitely check them out. If you want to buy a raffle ticket, you can always stop by and see me at my Laguna Niguel Real Estate office – check my Web site for the address – or just give me a buzz at 949-939-0300. You can also learn more about HomeAid Orange County and my commitment to this organization by visiting the HomeAid OC page on my Laguna Niguel Real Estate Web site.