Zillow Advice RSS: Question-Discussion-Guide,Home Buying,Austin- TX

I got scrammed by Century 21

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:16:00 GMT

Century 21 misrepresented a listing, and when it came down to the title clearing - it just didn't. A second mortgage was "discovered". Well, I find I'm out a couple grand for a house that I could have never bought for the listing price. This doesn't seem right to me, but I'm not really sure what to do. My realtor is also a Century 21 realtor, and I believe her loyalties are with them. Ah, the problem with the dual agent.

48 replies

How can I find homes in a neighborhood that have the word "view" in their listing?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:49:00 GMT

3 replies

Home appraised at $555k, seller asking $455k. Motivated seller. Needs $40k in updates. Good deal?

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:38:00 GMT

11 replies

Can an agent typically get a better price on a builder's existing new home than I could?

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:56:00 GMT

The agent selling our current home feels he can do better than we can on a new home purchase.

14 replies

Does Rent vs Buy really make sense for Condos?

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:11:00 GMT

I am a young professional and a potential first time home (condo) buyer and I would really like to move closer to downtown, therefor I am considering buying a Condo. However I know I probably won't want to live in it in for longer than 3 - 5 years.
I have been doing my research but I am really stuck on whether it makes sense to buy a condo which will basically cost me quite a bit more than what it costs for rent every month, and from what I am seeing in Amortization tables, I am not going to really build up any significant equity in 5 years time. So I will basically still be paying rent and just calling it a mortgage.
So on the surface, and according to rent vs buy calculators, it doesn't seem to make a ton of financial sense. But that makes me wonder, how does anyone justify buying a condo on a 30 year FHA mortgage? I imagine that most people buying condos aren't expecting to live in them for an very long time like you would need to in order to really build up equity and make it a good investment, so are they all just wasting their money?

I guess if property value goes up it counterbalances things, but even in Austin's fairly stable market (relative to others now), can I count on that? I'm also worried about new condos or conversions going up slightly closer to downtown and whether or not they'd hurt the value of the one I'd be buying.

Or is renting an easy enough option, where I can count on being able to rent it out and buy something else at the same time in 3-5 years?

I know there's a lot of variables here, but in general, any advice on how I can make this decision?

16 replies

(Moved): How do I post a blog on Zillow?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:31:00 GMT

This discussion has been moved to the following location: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/How-do-I-post-a-blog-on-Zillow/279743/

0 replies

credit score

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:43:00 GMT

what is the ideal credit score to purchase a home/

3 replies

Have Opportunity to Buy House w/Owner Financing BEFORE my Chap.7 is Final

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:23:00 GMT

I live in Texas and am currently in Chapter 7 bankruptcy that should be final in a couple months. Last month I had to move because my previous apartments did not renew my lease. I moved into some townhomes. Shortly afterwards I learned that the owner was selling them (they are selling slowly & the owner has owned them since 1990). There are about 76 units and only a handful have sold. I also learned that as of January '09 the owner was financing the sales. Long story short, the owner who is fully aware of my bankruptcy is willing to finance the sale of the townhome for $75,000 (as is-not upgraded) & wants to use my First Time HomeBuyer's Tax Credit of $7,500 for the 10% down payment. The terms are 8.5% fixed for 30 years. The HOA dues are 193.32 which includes the water bill and also property damage & liability of up to $1,000,000. I asked my bankruptcy attorney if it was okay to purchase a house before my bankruptcy was final and he said yes. But we were concerned about the $7500 tax credit possibly being a problem so he put in a call to the Bankruptcy Trustee and at the present time we are still awaiting his answer. My question is: what my attorney told me about it being okay to purchase a house before my bankruptcy is final is the opposite of what I've been reading on the internet. I've been reading that you have to wait up until 2 years or so AFTER the bankruptcy is finalized before you can apply for a house loan. Does anybody out there know if this is true or is my attorney correct about being able to purchase a home while still in bankruptcy?
Many Thanks ! ;)

10 replies

can i unlock my rate now?

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:47:00 GMT

i lock my APR last week but I wanted to unlock it now because rate are going low.

7 replies

How much less should I offer on new construction in Austin, TX?

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:02:00 GMT

There are two builders that are constructing homes in the same small community. Both look like very quality builders - one international and one local. The base prices are fairly similar. I will not pay retail for a home and both are already including 30K worth of upgrades. One additional room takes up the entire budget.

What percentage of their base price should I offer? How negotiable are builders in the Austin, Texas market? Any advice / insight is appreciated. Thanks.

1 reply

What do homes sale for approximately in Parkridge Subdivision austin texas 78748 2/2

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:35:00 GMT

1 reply

how do i edit my listings??

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:01:00 GMT

1 reply

for this foreclosure in pfluggerville tx. what is the minimum recommended price bid?

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:11:00 GMT

$211,900 6bed 4bath 3612 sq feet built 2007, 2side masonary.

2 replies

People's comments on Covered Bridge subdivision in SW Austin?

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:56:00 GMT

We are debating whether to buy a resale house in Covered Bridge vs. building a new house in Meridian subdivision, any advice/comments?

1 reply

why is the map on zillow a little horizontal strip? So unhelpful for looking at a map.

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:11:00 GMT

Just wondering why the visible area on Zillow.com isn't a big square like google maps? It's so hard to tell what part of a city I'm looking at with just that tiny horizontal strip of a map. I really use this rescource a lot and I love Zillow, but it seems like it would work much better if the map weren't such a small part of the web page.

1 reply

Any realtors near Austin Tx area? Need Help!!!!

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:02:00 GMT

Here is my situation

Recently layoff; months from retirement, excellet credit score, capable of providing down payment between $15,000-20,000; combined (self, wife) montly SS income benefits of $1400; First time home buyer. Would like to settle near Austin Tx area. What is the maximum loan amount I could find covering taxes, insurance and living expenses?
What options do I have? (FHA,USDA R&D) Help with the puzzle!!

5 replies

Is there anyway to narrow it down to one story vs. two?

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:07:00 GMT

I want to narrow my search to one story homes and not two. Thanks.

2 replies

Why can't I see comparable homes in Texas?

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:41:00 GMT

5 replies

How to find a good mortgage lender?

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:22:00 GMT

We are first time buyers and have been hoping to buy for awhile. We are going to owe a lot in taxes this year, so we are thinking now is a good time to buy. We were thinking of using the $6000 we have set aside for taxes as a downpayment since the $8000 credit will cover our taxes. Is this smart? We don't have much in terms of reserves, but our credit and payment histories are very good. How do I find an honest, reputable person to help us sort this out?

10 replies

Loan Help!

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:11:00 GMT