Connie Inmon's Advice

You betcha! It is always best to have your own agent, NOT the builders sales person. Your agent, or a buyers agent, will make sure that you are getting the best deal, look at or remove contingencies, look at comparable homes in the area to make sure the price will hold up, help you with the inspections and so much more. As far as offering a lower price, its still a buyers market even on new builds so get YOUR agent and let that person get to work for you.Connie InmonRE/MAX Realty Center[Contact info removed by moderator]

 Fnord, If you have a lender you are working, they will assess your situation as a joint application and if there is a concern and you can qualify on your own, your lender will more than likely have you apply on your own credit. That is a common occurrence.

Just have a proof of funds letter from your bank signed by an officer verifying your funds (for whatever amount you might want to spend). Do not provide bank statements, that is not necessary.

Hi Cousin Eddy,Unfortunately for the market but good for the buyer there are plenty of short sale and foreclosure listings. These are normally found on your areas MLS listing service. A Realtor in your area can help you with that but make sure that person has short sale experience as it can be a time consuming process.Best of luck!

It really depends on the area or neighborhood you are buying in. If you get an existing home that is in good condition with upgrades that count in an established neighborhood with good schools, you are not competing with new construction that is priced lower per SF than the home you live in. If you are only planning on staying there for 5 years, don't sink a lot of money in it then when you go to sell you should come out in pretty good shape to build your new home. Best of Luck with your plans!

Never, no matter what the circumstances!

Depends on where the home is located. In Houston most homes have privacy fences. If a buyer looks at a home without a fence the extra cost to add a fence comes into play . In Houston and surrounding areas it is an important factor, out of the city and into the country, not so important.