5 Steps for Getting Ready to Buy

Access the full version of this article from the RE/MAX website.

Lisa Escue (CDPE), with RE/MAX Masters II in Grapevine, Texas, outlines these steps you should take before buying a home.

Step 1. Find a Local Lender You Can Talk To in Person
Local lenders understand your market and know of loan programs that might be beneficial to you.

Check with your lender on any local programs that might help with closing costs or in other ways. Even though the media have pronounced the 100-percent-financing option dead, this is not always the case. Check it out for yourself and then get preapproved for a loan so you know how much house you're able to buy.

Step 2. Be Specific in the Area You Want To Live 
Educate yourself. Familiarize yourself with the neighborhoods you're interested in, the taxes and school districts. This not only helps you narrow down your search when you need to move fast, but also helps you figure out potential mortgage payments. Find a home in your desired neighborhoods.

Step 3. Find an Agent Specializing in the Area You Want to Live 
This will save you time and effort. Once you've identified a real estate agent, trust him or her to do the job. Agents who are thriving in this challenging market have proven their worth. They have the resources and skills to help you find your next home.

Step 4. Don't Shy Away From Houses That Need Some Work
Just because a house needs some paint or cosmetic fixes doesn't mean it's not a good buy. Most real estate agents have an address book full of trusted businesses they work with to help you fix up your new home. There’s an HUD program known as 203(k) that enables you to fold repair money into a primary mortgage; ask a RE/MAX agent in your market about the program.

Step 5. Be Prepared To Act 
Sometimes the first home you see is the right one for you. Don't discount it. Remember, good deals still go fast. Take advantage of the electronic tools your real estate agent has to offer. In many instances, real estate agents have access to better information than what you can find in a standard Internet search.

City of St. Pete Beach: Melissa Yardy and the sunset capital of Florida

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St. Pete Beach, Florida, is Melissa Yardy’s turf. The Pinellas County destination is where Yardy’s RE/MAX Preferred real estate office is located. This article tours the sunset capital of Florida and highlights some of the reasons why real estate brokers like Yardy believe that the city of St. Pete Beach is a great place to live in.

Residents of St. Pete Beach, Florida, live the good life. With the area boasting of pristine, white sandy beaches, year-round sunshine, and abundance of recreational facilities, restaurants, and shopping areas, it comes as no surprise that many consider the barrier island community as one of the most enjoyable places to vacation and live in -- something Melissa Yardy can attest to.

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Located just off the Pinellas County mainland of Saint Petersburg, the sunset capital of Florida has attractive neighborhoods with a family-friendly beach community atmosphere. It has a community center complex where various special events and programs for children, teen, and adults are held. St. Pete Beach also has an aquatic center with a junior swimming pool for future Olympians. Moreover, the city’s public library is touted as one of the best in Pinellas County.

But the allure of St. Pete Beach to both vacationers and homebuyers is its award-winning beaches. In fact, St. Pete Beach was recently voted as the top beach destination in the country by travel site TripAdvisor. It is also a popular winter residence for people living in Canada and Europe.

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Whether you’re looking for a vacation spot or planning to buy a property in the city, St. Pete Beach has a lot to offer. For more information on St. Pete Beach properties, visit this Melissa Yardy website.

Buy a house or rent an apartment? Melissa Yardy and things to consider in choosing a place to live in

“Should I purchase a new home or just rent an apartment?”

This is among the many questions real estate brokers and realtors like Melissa Yardy hear from people who are looking for a place to live in. To help them decide on whether to buy a house or rent an apartment, below are some pointers from industry experts:

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• Financial considerations. Buying a home includes paying for insurance, property tax, and maintenance, among others. A down payment for a house can amount to hundreds of dollars, and this is needed to get a mortgage. On the bright side, the value of a house can appreciate, and the IRS offers tax benefits. Meanwhile, renting an apartment is a pretty good option for those who can’t afford a down payment and can’t meet the monthly financial obligations of ownership.

Realtor Melissa Yardy owns a RE/MAX Preferred office in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

• Space. Most houses on the market offer a lot of space, including outdoor space, which can be a huge incentive for couples with children and individuals with pets.

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• Noise. People who need a quiet environment may not enjoy living in an apartment. Apartment living means having neighbors right next door, and in the room above or below.
  

• Lifestyle. Experts suggest picturing out how one will live in an apartment or a house. Those who like their current lifestyle must make sure that the neighborhood they’ll move into allows for the same, or better, type of existence.

Both renting an apartment and buying a house have their own pros and cons, but ultimately, the choice boils down to personal preference.

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If you’re looking for a property in Pinellas County, Florida, visit Melissa Yardy’s website for details.

Melissa Yardy: Building a trusted name

In the real estate industry, building a remarkable reputation is tough and challenging. For business leaders like Melissa Yardy, reaching success and becoming a support system to hundreds of customers have never been an easy climb.

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As an expert in the business, Melissa always makes herself available for her clients’ queries and demands. Her extensive experience and deep portfolio in managing real estate transactions also made her a trusted mentor to her employees and partner to colleagues in the business.

“What a wonderful opportunity it is to work with Melissa,” remarks Douglas Swain, career development director at RE/MAX Preferred. “Her acute business sense and ability to access a situation fairly and quickly is inspirational. She is a well-respected member of the real estate community…”

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For real estate consultant Marie Drew, Melissa Yardy is one of the most intelligent, savvy, and kindhearted entrepreneurs known to the industry today. “Melissa genuinely cares about her agents and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to impart,” she says.

Being a colleague of the seasoned realtor has always been an honor for Kerry Beggs, owner of Coastline Title of Pinellas. “I have known Melissa for over 18 years. Her focus has always been on the success of the RE/MAX agents in her firm,” she states. For her, Melissa is a cornerstone and strong mentor of the Pinellas County real estate community.

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More information about Melissa Yardy can be accessed at MelissaYardy.REMAX.com.

Melissa Yardy: The roles of a 203K specialist

The Federal Housing Administration Section 203(k) program is geared toward the rehabilitation and repair of single family properties. Melissa Yardy, among other real estate professionals who specialize in investment real estate and completed a comprehensive training in FHA 203k program, helps investors come up with decisions that will build the foundation of a well-designed real estate venture. Partnering with 203k specialists can also open corporate opportunities such as affiliating with REbuildUSA, America’s largest association of real estate, lending, and home improvement professionals.

Melissa Yardy image credit: rebuildusa.com

The FHA 203k program oversees various single family mortgage insurance programs that operate through FHA-approved lending institutions. These offices submit applications to appraise the buyers’ property and have their credit approved. These lenders fund the mortgage loans which the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) insures.

Melissa Yardy image credit: rebuildusa.com

203K specialists, like Melissa Yardy, use their resources to help home sellers market their properties more effectively to a broader audience. Various REbuildUSA programs provide visualization tools and cost estimates to investors to help their prospective buyers determine more clearly the value of an available property. Throughout the process, the 203k specialist assists both parties in applying the benefits of the FHA 203k program, which include purchasing and renovating their home.

Melissa Yardy image credit: rebuildusa.org

Effective use of the 203(k) program in partnership with state and local housing agencies and nonprofit organizations has allowed many lenders to rehabilitate properties. It has also served a vital tool for community and neighborhood revitalization and escalated homeownership opportunities.

For your real estate needs, visit Melissa Yardy’s official website.

Melissa Yardy: Buying versus building

Most would-be homeowners are faced with the dilemma of choosing between purchasing a lot and building from scratch or buying a home ready built. Realtors, such as Melissa Yardy, would usually offer homes that are readily built, but sometimes offer empty lots for homeowners to build on. There are many key advantages to both building one’s home and buying one from scratch. The advantages of each would depend on the homeowner’s needs and financial capacity; one homeowner’s boon may be another’s drawback.

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Building homes takes time and money, something many first-time homeowners do not have. Homes built specifically to the homeowners’ needs, however, tend to be exactly what they need and want -- they get to decide how their home will look like.

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Finding a ready-built home that meets a homeowner’s needs is a challenge even for realtors, like Melissa Yardy, who must make extensive searches to find one that matches a would-be homeowner’s specifications. But once found, a buyer and realtor can close the deal with relative ease and the house can be ready for occupancy upon purchase with little to no alterations.

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The former is ideal for homeowners with more resources or time on their hands or have needs that need to be met specifically, whereas the latter is ideal for those who are in an immediate need to move in and have needs that can easily be met.


More resources on finding homes can be accessed at Melissa Yardy’s website.

Melissa Yardy: Joining RE/MAX in lending a hand for the Children’s Miracle Network

For Melissa Yardy and other RE/MAX agents, the power of many makes a difference. The company and its agents are one of the primary corporate sponsors for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which helps raise funds for children’s hospitals.

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Founded in 1983 by Marie Osmond and her family, John Schneider, Mick Shannon, and Joe Lake, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals began as a televised fundraiser in a small local studio. Today, it is one of the largest children’s charities in North America, raising over $4.3 billion in 2011, much of which was donated a dollar at a time.

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The organization focuses on helping as many children as possible by raising funds for children’s hospitals and keeping the funds close to the communities where they were sourced to focus the aid on local children.


Melissa Yardy is a licensed real estate broker and owner of a RE/MAX office in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

From Melissa Yardy

RE/MAX, one of the companies that form the founder’s circle of sponsors for the Children’s Miracle Network, and its agents contribute through the Miracle Home® program, in which associates, with each closed transaction, contribute to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Other agents play a more active role in c0ntributing to the organization through organizing fundraising events of their own, which RE/MAX calls Premier Community Citizenship.


More information on the contribution of RE/MAX agents to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals can be accessed here.


For more details on Melissa Yardy, visit this website.