Dec 3, 2009
Protect Your Deposit When Buying Real Estate
When you start the process of buying a home or any type of real estate, you’ll no doubt hear the term “earnest money deposit” (EMD). So what exactly is an EMD?
An EMD becomes relevant when you are ready to make an offer on a property. In most states, your Real Estate Agent prepares the offer on your behalf. The offer usually takes the form of a written contract that is submitted to the seller by way of their agent.
In addition to the offer document, sellers typically expect an EMD. An EMD is a monetary deposit submitted via check to demonstrate to the seller that you are a serious buyer. In some regions of the country, only a photocopy of the check is submitted with the offer, and the original check is delivered to the appropriate entity if the offer is accepted. Ask your Real Estate Agent to clarify how deposits are handled in your region of the country.
The check is usually made out to an independent third- party such as a Title Company, Escrow Company, Real Estate Attorney or your Real Estate Broker. Ask your Real Estate Agent to clarify who will hold the EMD.
The amount of the EMD sellers expect varies by region. The EMD amount is based on the customs and practices for a region, but is generally from 1% to 2% of the purchase price. In a competitive market place where demand exceeds the supply of homes, some buyers may offer a higher EMD than expected to impress the seller of their intent. In determining the amount of your EMD, consult your Real Estate Agent and balance the need to demonstrate your serious intent, against the good business practice of minimizing the deposit amount.
The amount of the EMD is usually applied to reduce the purchase price of the property or to cover closing costs, as you dictate. For example, if you are purchasing a $300,000 property and you give an EMD of $3000, then the remaining balance owned at closing is $297,000 (plus closing costs). Alternatively, you may direct that the EMD be applied toward the closing costs.
Once a valid contract for purchase is created, an independent third-party usually holds the EMD until the purchase is either completed or cancelled. At this point, the money belongs jointly to both the seller and the buyer.
In cases where you make an offer that is accepted but later decide to cancel the offer, the terms specified in the contract (or state law) will dictate if, and under what circumstances, the EMD is returned to you. Be aware that you could loose your deposit if you do not not comply with the terms of your contract. Your Real Estate Agent can provide you information about how EMDs are dealt with if a contract is cancelled.
Since state law varies by region and practices can differ even within the same state, be sure to consult your Real Estate agent about the rules that apply to EMDs in your region of the country. You should also be aware that the EMD is not related to any down payment that you make toward your home loan.
Watch the video related to buying real estate
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Help answer the question about buying real estate
How do I learn about buying real estate foreclosures?
All of the websites seem to be fake and want to make me join etc.
I am wondering how to invest in real estate foreclosure listings for real!
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San Diego Real Estate
Riverside Real Estate
Pacific Beach Real Estate
YES ,
I make about 60K a yr in rent on an avrage of 6 homes
Its not all proffet. I try to make at least 200.00 a month more than the MTG , INS, & Taxes The longer U own it the the smaler the MTG Payment ,The ins & tax goes up And tennants Move out etc. Long Turm is ok Property Values aventuly go UP and then U can Cash in eather sell it Keep it for income / retierment
Good Luck
Hi Paul I was wondering can you get me a loan specialist on the FHA 203k rehab loan and the repo loan for ohio and detroit? and get me a list of properties the qualify in both cities
where the turf..meets the surf….. your fingers not pulsating that much,
if you have time to write the 1st chapter of a very boring book.
Well first and foremost you need to come up with the money. Here are some ways. . . . This is the biggest challenge and where most people give up on the whole idea. . . .
1. Get a mortgage http://www.jeremydrobeck.com
2. Ask friends & family to lend you the money
3. save up the $$$
4. withdraw from a 401k
5. move the money to a self directed IRA and then use the the IRA to buy property
6. personal loan
7. Get a peer to peer loan online.
Hi
I am a real estate agent in Los Angeles Ca.
If you can help me where to find those banks notes .
Where do I need to start?
I thank you/
I am an agent, I closed on a property yesterday for 434K and the house appraised 2 years ago for 800K…it really depends on the bank, some banks don’t even accept FHA lons, It also depends on the condition of the house..in most cases form my experience, your offer will not be accepted without signing a bank adddendum, you have to read that document carefuly and consult an attorney..
The first goal is to live within a budget. You'll need to do this to properly handle the house payment and still put some aside for retirement.
The next goal is to aggressively save for a down payment.
While you're saving for the down payment, read and research the home buying process.
You dont need to join a website to get listings. However, what we have done at the office is purchase a marketing kit from http://www.getthoselistings.com it worked well because we were able to target specifically the listings we wanted…and my boss was thrilled because our completive advantage increased drastically! But check it out, and if you have any questions I'd be glad to help (or I'm sure you can contact the site owner).
No.
But anyone who tells you at your level of experience and knowledge to go in debt to invest and buy real estate by using your home as security is doing you a disservice, especially as roller coaster natured as California real estate is. There will even be someone who will counter my comments herein to say how wrong I am and tout their success. I recall the Bible verse that says "Many are called but few are choosen." So as you are filing the bankruptcy forms it is too late, and you'll remember to not do it again. I have helped people like you write the letters of explaination for their financial failures enough to know that for the average person it is not a wise decision to gamble with the family home and its security.
You need to save some funds, for in the next yr or so there will be forclosures in CA that you will be able to get favorable bank financing on at good prices. I'd suggest that a better investment is a commercial income producing property that has long term leases and low turnover with "credit" tenants if possible.
A lot of these guru people that tell you to go in debt also have disclaimers in small fonts that also say "…these results are not typical." There will be a few that do succeed and those few will be the featured guests- who are also compensated for their endorsement. Several of those same guru pitching their material have also been bankrupt but they do not tell you that, because you would then not buy their program because it did not work for them not does not work for most people. That is why they now "tell" you how to get rich, as they get paid- by you up front for their "knowledge" or technique. Many simply tell you what you want to hear, an easy way to get wealthy when in fact there is no such way or everybody would be doing it.
True, real estate is a good means to grow wealth but there are better ways to invest in real estate with less risk than leveraging your home thereby putting it, possibly your marriage and family at risk.
I don't know what you mean by savings. The mortgage interest and property taxes are deducted on schedule A as you already know. That helps to reduce the amount of tax you owe at the end of the year. (if you would have owed any). I guess what you are asking is how much each paycheck will you save in federal income tax??
To figure that out you have to know how much interest per year your mortgage will be and how much property tax your house will be charged.
After you know those answers you can divide the total by the number of paychecks you receive a year and then have your employer reduce your federal witholding by that amount.
Better question is what area in Manhattan can you afford. Before meeting with the broker you should let him/her know what your price range is. Questions to the realtor should be:
How much down payment
Monthly maintenance
How difficult to be accepted by Condo Association
Amount of money in reserve for major repairs and renovations of common areas.
How often have owners been charged with special assessments.
Do some research of average condo prices per sq. footage,
Good luck
My dealings with relo companies have been mixed. It used to be more common for companies to offer relocation packages to employees of a *certain position*. The benefits to the employees can vary widely.
Sounds like you are dealing with a buy-out. That's a pretty sweet deal for the transferring employee. Typically, an appraisal is done and the employee and the company reach an agreement of a buy-out price. At that point, there is little incentive for the transferring employee to negotiate the price down from what the company has agreed to pay.
At this point, you will typically do all negotiations with the owner, not the relo company. Some times, after the property is under contract between the owner and a buyer, but, just before closing (a couple of days), the relo company will buy out the owner and then closing documents and will show the relocation company as the seller of record. Just depends on the deal the owner (transferring employee) has.
You may just have to wait and see if you can negotiate with the relo company AFTER the buy-out. It may take a while until the relo company recognizes that the asking price is too high. Then you may be able to negotiate a lower price.
Good luck.