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    Every Local Resource You Need if You’re Buying a Home in Brandon, FL

    Every Local Resource You Need

    Brandon, FL, is not only an unincorporated community that’s part of the Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater metropolitan area of Florida. It is considered a census-designated place (CDP) with about 115,000 residents.

    A census-designated place is merely a concentration of a certain population used for only statistical purposes by the United States census bureau. They usually include (but aren’t limited to) small rural communities, colonias, edge cities, and unincorporated resorts, as well as retirement communities. This designation has no real bearing on the residents of a CDP, and houses for sale in Brandon, FL, are in demand these days.

    The median home price of Brandon, FL, homes for sale is $410,000, which is up from its prior-year high of $340,000. This trend puts the area in a seller’s market, which means there are a limited number of Brandon, FL, homes for sale, with more people looking to buy them. In other words, demand outweighs supply, which could result in bidding wars, sellers receiving multiple offers on their homes, and offers higher than their original asking prices. If you’re planning on buying your dream home in Brandon, there are steps you can take and professionals you can hire to make your home buying process relatively easy and hassle-free.

    Analyze what you and your family need in your new home as opposed to what you want First, determine what features, neighborhood, price, and size your new home must have. This will help you hone in on your favorite properties by searching for additional features you would prefer.

    A mortgage payment calculator

    Local Resource

    When buying a home, don’t try to wing it when dealing with your budget. You never know what situations could arise during the time you decide to buy a house and the moment you receive the keys to your new home. You could lose your job or receive a promotion; you could get married or divorced; illness could change your life. Stay ahead of the curve by employing a mortgage payment calculator (MPC) – which is available online for free – to determine how much you’re willing to pay on your monthly mortgage. Remember that you should always have at least six months’ worth of double mortgage payments stashed away in a savings account in case of buying/selling delays or other life changes that can affect your income. An MPC allows you to assume many different scenarios; it takes into consideration the loan length, interest rate, and annual tax and insurance amounts so you can estimate your monthly payments.

    An updated online housing search application

    Local Resource

    Just because everything is on the internet doesn’t mean you’ll have complete access to housing information. Online real estate listing sites are not generally as up-to-date as the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), to which real estate agents have deep access. As a layperson, you can access MLS at www.mls.com, but even then, your access is still limited and doesn’t scratch the surface of the iceberg of information a Realtor can access. Why is this important? You may run across important information that affects your buying decisions and is not readily available to the public. This includes liens, hauntings, and other potential disasters that homeowners are required to divulge. Such information doesn’t always show up publicly unless a Realtor digs for it.

    A guide to the neighborhood

    Your new home, of course, is of the utmost importance in a homebuying decision, but along with that comes the area that surrounds your dream home amongst houses for sale in Brandon, FL. Here are some questions you should ask when researching your new neighborhood:

    Are there airports, railways, or freeways nearby? How loud are they? Do you hear noises only at rush hour or throughout the day and night?

    Where are the nearest hospital and urgent care center? Do emergency service vehicles pick up people in distress to transport them to the hospital, or is the neighborhood out of range?

    What is the topographical history of the neighborhood? Is it located in a flood plain or a tornado or hurricane alley? Is the ground stable (such as bedrock) or not (shifting sandy composite, etc.)?

    Recently sold homes

    Another piece of information to obtain from your Realtor is the “Neighborhood Sold Report.” This document will reveal what other homes have sold for in your new neighborhood, helping you understand if the home you’re looking at is underpriced or overpriced, and why.

    A local Realtor

    Don’t just pick a Realtor who works in the area to be on your homebuying team. This is crucial if you’re new to the area and don’t have friends, family, or colleagues who can answer your due diligence questions. A local Realtor who has lived and worked in the area you’re interested in is more likely to share insider information with you that could help prevent mistakes when shopping for the perfect home and neighborhood.

    A comparative market analysis (CMA)

    Local Resource

    Your real estate professional can easily process a comparative market analysis (CMA) of homes for sale in Brandon, FL. This information details all the houses in a certain radius distance from your dream home that shows you “comparables” that match your home’s size, lot size, age, and price, among other measures. This report is crucial to buying a house because it helps to ensure you’re not paying an inflated price for a property. Rarely do buyers swoop in and pay a premium on a home with comparables all around unless the local real estate market is aggressively seller-oriented and there is heavy competition for the home. The downside in this case is that the market will eventually soften and prices will drop, which can result in a lower profit if the owner later decides to sell his home.

    Find homes for sale in Brandon, FL

    Reach out now to local expert The McIntosh Group to start looking at houses for sale in Brandon, FL.

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