When you start the process of buying a home or any type of real estate, you’ll no doubt hear the term “earnest money deposit” (EMD). So what exactly is an EMD?

An EMD becomes relevant when you are ready to make an offer on a property. In most states, your Real Estate Agent prepares the offer on your behalf. The offer usually takes the form of a written contract that is submitted to the seller by way of their agent.

In addition to the offer document, sellers typically expect an EMD. An EMD is a monetary deposit submitted via check to demonstrate to the seller that you are a serious buyer. In some regions of the country, only a photocopy of the check is submitted with the offer, and the original check is delivered to the appropriate entity if the offer is accepted. Ask your Real Estate Agent to clarify how deposits are handled in your region of the country.

The check is usually made out to an independent third- party such as a Title Company, Escrow Company, Real Estate Attorney or your Real Estate Broker. Ask your Real Estate Agent to clarify who will hold the EMD.

The amount of the EMD sellers expect varies by region. The EMD amount is based on the customs and practices for a region, but is generally from 1% to 2% of the purchase price. In a competitive market place where demand exceeds the supply of homes, some buyers may offer a higher EMD than expected to impress the seller of their intent. In determining the amount of your EMD, consult your Real Estate Agent and balance the need to demonstrate your serious intent, against the good business practice of minimizing the deposit amount.

The amount of the EMD is usually applied to reduce the purchase price of the property or to cover closing costs, as you dictate. For example, if you are purchasing a $300,000 property and you give an EMD of $3000, then the remaining balance owned at closing is $297,000 (plus closing costs). Alternatively, you may direct that the EMD be applied toward the closing costs.

Once a valid contract for purchase is created, an independent third-party usually holds the EMD until the purchase is either completed or cancelled. At this point, the money belongs jointly to both the seller and the buyer.

In cases where you make an offer that is accepted but later decide to cancel the offer, the terms specified in the contract (or state law) will dictate if, and under what circumstances, the EMD is returned to you. Be aware that you could loose your deposit if you do not not comply with the terms of your contract. Your Real Estate Agent can provide you information about how EMDs are dealt with if a contract is cancelled.

Since state law varies by region and practices can differ even within the same state, be sure to consult your Real Estate agent about the rules that apply to EMDs in your region of the country. You should also be aware that the EMD is not related to any down payment that you make toward your home loan.

The real estate market tends to be cyclical with some periods favoring buyers and other periods favoring sellers. As with other free markets, the pricing and availability of real estate is directly related to the forces of supply and demand. While many real estate markets in the United States are experiencing a substantial slowdown, other markets remain robust, and some even continue to grow. What makes the situation even more complicated is that even within a particular city or county, there may be some areas that are hot and others that are cold.

In regions of the country in which the real estate market is slowing, there are some things homebuyers can do to increase their chance of getting the property that they want on terms that are favorable. Below are some strategies to consider:

1. Clarify What You Want. Be sure to understand what kind of property you want (e.g. bedrooms, bathrooms, size, yard, location, etc.). Identify items that you “must have” and items that you would be willing to forego if your other priorities were met.

2. Consult Experts. You’ve no doubt heard the saying that “all real estate is local,” so arm yourself with the best information available. Consult a local real estate expert who can guide you about what communities are hot and which ones are not. Obviously, you are more likely to find deals in communities that have excess supply and limited demand than vice versa.

3. Understand Market Data. Obtaining and evaluating data can be one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. Identify communities that you find desirable and ask your real estate agent to provide you relevant sales statistics. For example, your agent can provide you:

a. A summary of how many properties are available in communities that you deem desirable.

b. How long properties are taking to sell this month, last month, last quarter, last year, etc.

c. How many properties have sold this month, last month, last quarter, last year, etc.

d. Changes in the median and average price of properties for a community this month, last month, last quarter, last year, etc.

e. Data on the sales price to list price ratio (SP: LP). This ratio provides information about how much, on average, sellers are reducing their price.

f. Detailed data on properties that are similar to the type of property you desire (often known as “comparables” or “comps”).

4. High Inventory Communities. Identify, or ask your agent to identify, communities that appear to be particularly slow, and that have an unusually large inventory of homes. You will have a broader variety of options in these communities, and you may increase the likelihood of finding a better deal.

5. Loan Pre-Approval. Be sure to consult with your bank or mortgage broker and obtain a loan pre-approval document. This not only let’s you know how much you can afford, but it also demonstrates to sellers that you are a serious buyer and that your offer is worthy of serious consideration.

6. Seller’s Motivation. While information about why a seller is selling is usually confidential, there are situations in which the seller will allow their agent to disclose important factors regarding their personal situation. Be sure to ask your agent to inquire about any information that the seller has disclosed to his/her agent that can be conveyed to your agent. This information may help you decide on making an offer on a property and the price you wish to offer.

7. Home Inspection. A home inspection conducted by a qualified inspector can provide you valuable information about the condition of a property. Moreover, if there are items that need repair or replacement, you can use this information to modify your offer price or terms.

8. Expand Search Scope. As mentioned above, even within a particular city or county, there may be some areas that are hot and others that are not. Be sure to provided detailed information about what you want to your agent, so that he/she can provide you a variety of community options.

9. Be Patient. Time is on your side when there is excess supply and insufficient demand. Try not to “fall in love” with a house so much that you cannot be objective. It may be that multiple offers and counter-offers occur before you either get the property you want or decide to walk way from a deal. You may also want to look at more properties than you normally would, so that you are exposed to a variety of options.

While the above is not an exhaustive list of strategies, it is a good starting point of issues to consider when buying real estate, particularly in a market that favors buyers. Obtain the services of a knowledgeable Real Estate agent who can provide you with additional strategies to help you reach your real estate objectives.

You can receive money from your realtor if you search for homes on your own and let the Realtor Rebate help you with the closing. Most real estate buyers believe that the legwork done in searching the homes makes you eligible for the cash back. You need to ask for the home rebate back by talking to your realtor. This will also help the realtor with understanding your needs in the home buying process. For example With the $8000 Home Buyer Tax Credit drawing to a close before January 31th, you may want to close on a home as soon as possible so that you can take advantage of the incentive period which will expire on January 31th, 2010.

If You life in Virginia and buy your housing by hiring a Virginia Realtor Rebates upon last of the interior. Enclose Designer Sincere land industry is a nifty warning, as it offers you to get 2/3rd of the broker’s commission at the term of signing which may turn to thousands of dollars. Galore companies supply rebates. You beggary to assure that you use a certified visitor. That way all the money is kept in escrow ensuring that you are not at danger of losing your location vendee refund erst you next on the domestic.

You requirement to adjudge the change posterior on your tax repetition. Any lenders enjoin that they authorise the interchange hinder. So you essential to blemish with your financing society whether they give authorise the exchange approve refund. Formerly your pledgee approves the currency rebates, you can succeed with your Virginia Real Estate agent regarding the currency hindmost package. When you impact with a exchange backrest accompany, you may necessary to examine with impoverishment to reason a lender who does so that you instrument recognize the groove for the legwork regarding searching the Virginia homes for selling that you deprivation to buy.

When it comes to home insurance, I can promise that many people are attempting to think of ways that they can cost their costs and save some money.  Home insurance is not all that cheap — heck, most of the time, the insurance premium is by far the most expensive bill that you have and that is just because of everything that home insurance covers.

However … there are a ton of different ways that you can save money on your home insurance.  For example, did you know that upping your deductible can actually really help lower your insurance premium?  Also, installing things like a brand new roof and also making your home secure are great and easy ways to make your home insurance premium go down.

Saving money on home insurance is pretty easy — you just have to make sure that you know exactly what you are doing.

7. What are the “hidden” or total costs of the loan?

The stated interest rate is often artificially low when one considers all the costs of a loan. Points, for example, are direct percentages of the loan that the lender deducts from your loan. If your interest rate is 9% with two points that means your real cost of the loan is 11%. The extra 2% comes right off the top into the lender’s pockets. Other costs may include:

• Legal fees,
• Survey charges,
• loan application fees,
• Appraisal charges
• Every item that will be charged against your loan or that must be pre-paid.

For some loans, these charges can be tens of thousands of dollars. They often must be pre-paid before the loan will be approved or rejected. You will need to know whether you are likely to be approved before spending money just to qualify for a commercial loan.

Other questions to ask

• Will my interest rate go up if U.S. interest rates go up in general?
• Is a fixed-rate alternative available?
• Can I get a discount for paying your mortgage faithfully and consistently over a period of time?

Some lenders allow for decreases in the interest rates over time if you pay the mortgage on time. But if you want to refinance and repay your mortgage early, the lender may penalize you and charge extra interest. All of these details are important, and they can seem overwhelming.

Keep in mind how you expect your business to perform in the future and how you plan to repay the loan. Do not ignore worst-case scenarios. You do not want to be so optimistic about the possibilities that you lose sight of the fact that the lender may take away your business or livelihood if you do not meet all the terms. Sometimes the lowest interest rates represent the riskiest loans.

The Best Lender
When considering a commercial mortgage, borrowers should seek out lenders who are willing to fund the loan under acceptable time constraints, keeping in mind their general creditworthiness. Borrowers should look at both bank and non-bank funding in order to get their needs met in a timely manner. Asking questions and obtaining unbiased evaluations will reduce delay and frustration. Fortunately, new lenders have emerged to challenge banks on their traditional terms, so borrowers have more leverage now than ever before when seeking commercial loans.

Income Tax Savings

Because of income tax deductions, the government is subsidizing your purchase of a home. All of the interest and property taxes you pay in a given year can be deducted from your gross income to reduce your taxable income.

For example, assume your initial loan balance is $150,000 with an interest rate of eight percent. During the first year you would pay $9969.27 in interest. If your first payment is January 1^st, your taxable income would be almost $10,000 less due to the IRS interest rate deduction.

Property taxes are deductible, too. Whatever property taxes you pay in a given year may also be deducted from your gross income, lowering your tax obligation.

Stable Monthly Housing Costs

When you rent a place to live, you can certainly expect your rent to increase each year or even more often. If you get a fixed rate mortgage when you buy a home, you have the same monthly payment amount for thirty years. Even if you get an adjustable rate mortgage, your payment will stay within a certain range for the entire life of the mortgage and interest rates aren’t as volatile now as they were in the late seventies and early eighties.

Imagine how much rent might be ten, fifteen, or even thirty years from now? Which makes more sense?

Forced Savings

Some people are just lousy at saving money, and a house is an automatic savings account. You accumulate savings in two ways. Every month, a portion of your payment goes toward the principal. Admittedly, in the early years of the mortgage, this is not much. Over time, however, it accelerates.

Second, your home appreciates. Average appreciation on a home is approximately five percent, though it will vary from year to year, and in some years may even depreciate.. Over time, history has shown that owning a home is one of the very best financial investments.