HomeAccountSearch
Coinciding Settlements Clauses - Moving Issues

People who are selling their home in order to buy another frequently put a "coinciding settlements" clause into their contract offer on the new home. One reason for doing this is so they can move from one home to the other at the same time.

Coinciding Moving Day?

One reason people want coinciding settlements is so they can move out of one house and into the other the same day. Sometimes this works out. Sometimes not. If it doesn't work out, don't freak out.

For example, if the house you're buying is a new one, it may not be completed and have an occupancy permit by the date specified. Are you going to risk losing the sale of your old home by insisting that settlement be delayed? Not if you're smart and you really want to make this change. You might explore delaying settlement, or the option of a "lease back" period. If those ideas don't fly, it's time to cope.

Depending on your budget and the length of time between moving out of your old home and moving into your new one, you could:

1) Have the moving company store your furniture and household goods, or

2) Rent a "smart box," pack your household items into it, and leave it parked in front of your old home, or park it in front of your new one (depending on who grants permission), or

3) Store your things in the basement or garage of your new home (with permission), or

4) Rent a storage unit by the month, or

5) Store your things in the basement or garage of a relative or friend, AND

A) Stay in a hotel or motel for a few nights, or

B) Stay in an extended-stay hotel or motel suite, or

C) Stay with family or friends, or

D) Go camping, or

E) Some combination of the above.

The point is to act like a mature adult. Be flexible. You're making a big change. The chances it'll go off without a hitch are slim. Keep things in perspective. Practice creative problem solving. You'll be proud of yourself and have a smile on your face when moving day comes.


 

Coconut Grove Real Estate - Cocowalk Caribbean Style

Coconut Grove is located in the state of Florida and it has distinction of having the first hotel in South Florida built in it. At the time of its being built that is in 1882 it was referred to as Bay View Inn. Later its name got changed to Peacock Inn. City of Coconut Grove, which is also referred to as Cocoanut Grove, is located in the city of Miami in Miami Dade County. Lying towards west of Biscayne Bay, whole of this city comes under single zip code of 33133. Average home price is from $600,000 to $1,700,000.

This city has witnessed several stages of development during its appreciably long history. Out of all these stages of development, first one took place in 1825, soon after opening of lighthouse, operated by John Dubose, in Cape Florida. Next phase of development made its presence felt in this then quaint city in second half of the nineteenth century. This period, especially the 1870s, saw an influx of a large number of people to Coconut Grove. People who came here during were mainly a mixture of Northeast Americans and British immigrants. But from that time onwards a lot of development has taken place in this city.

Today this city happens to be one of the most popular cities in not only state of Florida, but also in the United States. As its name suggests this city has a touch of Caribbean life too. And this becomes most evident during Goombay Festival, which transforms this city takes on an atmosphere completely reminiscent of Caribbean lands. Shopping is one major attraction in this city in Florida. Food is another specialty of this city, which is sometimes also called as just “Grove”. Due to concentration of a large number of food outlets in this city, Grove is also known as Food Court of Miami. Besides all these, an annual art festival held over here is another major crowd puller. The Vizcaya Museum, Cocowalk, Monty Trainer’s The Playhouse are a must see in a visit to this city.

A holistic combination of all above mentioned factors has made this city very attractive to real estate hunters as well as real estate dealers. As it is the market of real estate is witnessing a massive upswing in recent times. This corner of the country has not been an exception to this trend. People are large numbers are flocking to this city with intention of making this city their home. With an active nightlife, especially after this city got annexed to city of Miami, this city is has now become a dream destination for many. Prices of homes have already crossed hundred and seventy five thousand dollar mark. And numbers of empty estates which are available for sale are also dwindling at a very fast rate. And if this rate of growth is maintained by Coconut Grove, it will soon outstrip some of its more illustrious counterparts. The nightlife is this city is only second to South Beach.

Coconut Grove Real Estate is coming back from the recent boom years and is expected to rebound by 2009. Coconut Grove Real Estate is slow, following two fantastic boom years.  A few excellent communities in Coconut are Fairhaven, Terranium and Utopia. Condos subdivisions include  Beacon Harbour, Cloisters on the Bay, Grovenor House. Upscale Hotel Resorts include Ritz-Carlton and the Sonesta Bayfront Hotel.  Coconut Grove Real Estate is an excellent investment opportunity as inventory levels continue to rise.

Closing Costs When Buying A Home

Closing costs are often the last thing a person thinks of when buying a home. While closing is the joyous moment the home becomes yours, the costs can be surprisingly aggravating.

When you purchase a home, condo or other property, you will go through a period known as escrow. During escrow, various issues related to the property transfer are worked out. The last day of escrow is known as the closing day and you are going to be paying closing costs.

Closing costs come in many forms. Some involve significant dollars while others are relatively painless. Here’s a list of typical costs:

Escrow Fees

An escrow agent is essentially a third party that works with the seller and buyer to finalize the transaction. For this assistance, the escrow agent will charge a fee. Depending on your area and the agent, you can expect fees from a few hundred dollars to around a thousand or so. Make sure you find out the fees before picking an escrow agent.

Home Loan

Obtaining a home loan in the current market is a highly subjective event. “Points” can be a major cost associated with home loans. Points are essentially a fee you pay or have build into the loan for the privilege of being allowed to borrow money. A point usually equates to 1% of the loan. On a loan of $300,000, one point would equal $3,000. If you have excellent credit, you can shop for a loan that doesn’t require you to pay points.

Home and Title Insurance

Insurance for your home and title are a must. If you are borrowing money to purchase the home, each is mandatory. If you are using your own funds, you should still get both forms of insurance. As each name implies, they provide insurance against issues involving your home and problems with the title transferred to you. You want to have clear title.

PMI

Private Mortgage Insurance, “PMI”, is mandatory if your down payment is less than 20% of the purchase price. You can expect to pay a few hundred dollars a year in PMI. Inspections, Appraisals and Miscellaneous Fees

In the home purchase process, you are going to use a variety of services to validate the property is your dream home. These services come with fees and you can expect to pay for home inspectors, appraisers and the like. Depending upon the state you live in, many of these fees may be built into your mortgage. Nonetheless, you need to know exactly what you must pay for on closing day so you can budget accordingly.

Closing escrow should be one of the happier days in your life, particularly if it is for your first home. Make sure you know the costs associated with it so you don’t have to spend the day running around borrowing money.

Climbing The Equity Ladder

If you currently find yourself in the enviable position of looking to buy a second property then congratulations. The equity that you stand to gain from this purchase can be considerable, just remember to plan properly, to maximize your gain. The first step in this process is to decide what the second home will be utilized for. Is it a vacation home? Perhaps a long or short-term rental? Either way, the more detailed about your forward planning you are, the smoother the process will be.

If you are looking at this purchase as a source of revenue then there are certain steps that you should take to ensure the home will bring in as much money as possible, thereby allowing you to pay off the mortgage quickly. For this type of investment, the cleaner the better. Nice homes are in high demand, and they fetch a good monthly rate. Enough so that the mortgage payment can be made easily with cash to spare. Also, ask yourself, "am I ready to be a landlord?" This will involve the task of finding and maintaining good tenants, and sometimes having to do what's right for you and your property, not what's right for the renters. If you have the tendency to be "too nice," land lording might not be for you.

No matter what your property is intended for, be sure to cover all the bases. Be as diligent as you were when buying your first home. Even more so, you will be able to apply any lessons you learned during that process on the new home, and avoid any mistakes or area of stress that were present in the first purchase. Many people buy a second house only to find themselves buying yet another. Once you start to climb the equity ladder its kind of hard to stop!