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KAYE SWAINKAYE SWAIN

Kaye Swain Roseville REALTOR - Specializing in Over 55 Communities in Roseville CA Area

9167680127
KayeSwainRE@gmail.com
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Home Buying Tips for First Time Home Buyers

Thank you for sharing....

Want to find and clean a fixer upper or other cheap home for sale in Roseville CADo you have a good imagination? I do. Which comes in handy when shopping for homes in Roseville CA and having specific needs in mind. For example, many years ago in Southern California, we were first-time homebuyers with a big desire to buy and a teeny tiny savings account to use.

We were terrible savers then. We got better but, of course, life can still get in the way, causing savings to ebb and flow. That's especially true for many of us dealing with the Sandwich Generation issues, isn't it?

But, thanks to our good imaginations, we were able to look at an old 1940s fixer upper home and see beyond the ugly, unfinished paint job, the awful carpeting, the terrible looking and rather bedraggled front and back yard and see the good points:

  • The lovely neighborhood – experts recommend that you find the worst house in a great neighborhood for a good deal and that was definitely our situation
  • Cosmetic fixes only – there was nothing structural wrong with the home and we could easily move in, then make fixes as the years rolled by
  • Plenty of room for our baby – and, as it turned out, enough room to add on when said baby multiplied

Because of that, we bought the home for a bit under market value at a time when home prices had doubled and were mostly out of our reach!

I'm not going to tell you we turned it into the most gorgeous place around. That's a gift other bloggers have and we didn't. But we did get the carpeting replaced, added forced air conditioning to replace the swamp coolers that cooled us for a few years, painted periodically, improved the landscaping, and loved our neighbors and neighborhood for over a decade. It was a true blessing.

What looks like a lovely meadow of wildflowers is a fixxer uppers lawn that needs trimming

 Years later, in Roseville, California, I wanted a home that offered some needed multigenerational positives and again, I discovered a fixer upper.We negotiated a good deal for seller and buyer, painted and re-carpeted it with colors I liked and again, it was a blessing for us for many years.

Fixer Uppers are not for everyone. If you just want to be able to move in and do nothing, you definitely want to avoid them. And if they have major structural damages or needs, I'd personally leave that to an experienced contractor or “flipper.”

Some fixer uppers may have some clean up required

Both of my houses were just cosmetic fixer uppers. They were fine to move in to as is, but definitely needed some paint, lawn work, and, eventually, new carpeting. They had a few tiles chipped here or there that I could easily ignore, etc. There were a couple of messy piles we had to clean up. Those were all things we could fix if and when we had the time or money but could wait if necessary.

I also made sure I got an inspection with the second home. I was too “green” to know about those with the first house and didn't have a REALTOR® watching out for me then. It turned out OK but it could easily have been a disastrous moneypit. I have since learned my lesson and now always get – and always recommend – a good home inspection!

I always recommend that a home inspection be done on any home new or old

I also learned to get a home warranty (I love Old Republic) which I renew annually – even on my rental. I've always been glad to have them and never regretted them. They aren't perfect but they really help my budget.

Cosmetic fixer uppers can be a great option for first time homebuyers – especially with some financial programs that can help – primarily the FHA 203k. Fixers can be handy for those of us dealing with special circumstances like multigenerational needs where we might need more room but have less cash available. And in that case, many hands can often turn sweat equity into future savings for boomers and seniors. And in both of my fixer upper cases, we got the added pleasure of mature landscaping that, once whipped into better shape, provided years of shade, smiles, and sweet bouquets. A delightful joy all around.

Kaye-Swain-real-estate-agent-blogger-in-Roseville-CA-near-Sacramento

P.S. Are you currently looking to buy your own first home or a fixer upper in Roseville California or anywhere in our greater Sacramento area? Here's a showcase of many in the area. Click on any of these house photos to search more

 

You can also click here to download my free mobile app that lets you do a MLS search while you drive around, or even better, give me a call at 657-229-KAYE and let us do it for you. We can get inside of our MLS directly to do a very specific keyword search tailored specifically to your real estate needs. A huge help and time-saver for you.   🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink Saturday is a fun visit to lovely pink things including cute houses for real estate agents to enjoy

Kaye Swain REALTOR loves to visit the Dedicated House for Anything Blue Friday

 

Posted in: Real Estate Info Tagged: first time homebuyers, fixer uppers, home inspections, home warranties, multigenerational, Old Republic Home Warranty, sweat equity

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Kaye Swain REALTOR in Roseville CA real estate news and services including aging in place-multigenerational boomers and seniors old and vintage houses and first time home buyers

Hi and Welcome to KayeSwain.com.

Are you looking for homes for sale in Roseville CA and the surrounding area? I appreciate your stopping by and invite you to check out the various options available - from blog posts to inform you about this lovely Greater Sacramento Valley Area, to home searches you can set up - such as homes for sale Roseville, Lincoln, Rocklin, Granite Bay, Citrus Heights, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, etc, to fun real estate eye candy and more. And yes! This is true for residential neighborhoods, condo communities, and all of our lovely 55+ active senior retirement communities. If you have any questions about buying OR selling your home in Roseville or the surrounding Sacramento area, do give me a buzz at 916-768-0127 or email us at KayeSwainRE@gmail.com We're here to help you and your family with your real estate needs.

Kaye Swain Sun City Roseville Real Estate Agent

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Resources for Buyers

The Ultimate Home Buyer's Guide

Resources for Home Sellers

Click here for Kaye Swain’s ebook -> Your Home Sellers Guide 

 

 

Resources for Boomers and Seniors

  • Seniors First Resource Guide
  • John Palley,Attorney – Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law – offers an excellent and free book you can download as a pdf – “How to Live & Die With California Probate.” (Scroll to the bottom of his page and click the photo of the book)

 

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Kaye Swain Roseville Real Estate Agent, 916-768-0127, KayeSwainRE@gmail.com, CalBRE#01966207, with Keller Williams Realty, 548 Gibson Drive, Suite 200, Roseville CA 95678, (Each office is independently owned and operated)

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