Making a few minor changes to your house’s look and color scheme will make it easier for you to attract buyers. Before you embark on doing any changes however, find out the maximum amount your house is worth. Make sure you don’t spend too much on making renovations if it won’t add much to your house’s sale price.

If you want to repaint your walls, choose plain, pale shades as these will maximize the light and give the room a more airy feel. Research shows that buyers usually prefer earth tones to loud colors. To keep the room from looking bland, add a strong color to accent the room or use bold accessories like curtains or pillow cases.

Remove personal items like family photos as these could distract potential buyers. The buyer is interested in looking at the property, not your personal belongings, so be sure to keep them away when you’ve got someone inspecting your place. De-cluttering your house will also help the buyer imagine his or her own furniture and belongings in each room.

If you have a garden, add some color to it by placing potted plants or flowers. If you don’t have time to grow any, you can always buy grown ones.

Do not cook food with strong odors like fish. The smell of fresh coffee though is warm and inviting and will make the buyer feel at home. Try to make the potential buyer feel comfortable by offering him or her a drink and asking them if there’s anything they’d like to know about the property or amenities.

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Is there somebody involved in your mortgage who asked you to do something that seems suspicious? It could be just nothing, or it could be loan fraud. Loan fraud or mortgage fraud is defined as a misrepresentation or omission relied by a lender to obtain a loan. To avoid becoming a victim of fraud, watch out for these instances of mortgage fraud.

Altering employment income. It’s difficult to determine the income of self-employed individuals, but there are some employed borrowers who inflate their income.

Undisclosed kickbacks. This occurs when you make a deal with a home seller to give you a certain amount of money without the lender knowing because you failed to include it in the purchase contract.

Inflated purchase price. It’s mortgage fraud if you have two purchase contracts and give one to with the higher price to the lender, in the hopes of getting a higher appraisal.

Claiming occupancy. Lenders usually offer less favorable terms to buyers who do not intend to live in the property because the lender has a lot more to lose.

Remember – if it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably a scam. Remember that mortgage fraud is a crime and you can get prosecuted for it. When in doubt, consult a real estate lawyer before moving on with your plans.

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For the first-time home buyer, getting a mortgage sounds a little intimidating and confusing. Here are a few tips that may help you get a mortgage for less hassle and lower costs.

Determine how much you can afford based on your income and long-term debts. From here, figure out the maximum monthly payment you’re sure you can make. Buying too much can bury you chest-deep in debt, so make sure that your monthly payments are set at a comfortable amount. You can figure out this amount by using online mortgage calculators.

Make a budget and be aware of where your money goes. Find out how much you pay for your utilities, because buying a larger home means you’ll have to shell out more cash for utilities. Can you pay your bills on time while making payments for the mortgage? Is the home you want to buy in need of repairs or upgrades? Factor in these things while making your budget.

You’ll need to show documents before you can secure a mortgage, so gather things like tax returns, proof of current salary, assets, debts, etc.

Be aware about mortgage types and rates. The more you know about the types of loans available and the current rates, the more the negotiations will swing in your favor.

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Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can take advantage of SSS’s Direct Housing Loan Facility that aims to provide low-cost housing for your family in the Philippines. If you’re younger than 65 years old, a certified OFW, and an active SSS member with at least 12 months continuous contributions, you may be qualified to receive a housing loan. Loanable amounts for socialized housing is Php 300,000; for low-cost housing you can get a loan from Php 500,000 to Php 1,000,000. All loans can be paid in multiples of five for a maximum of thirty years, so long as it doesn’t exceed the building’s economic life. Interests rates are 9% for Php 300,000 loans, 13% for Php 500,000 and 14% for Php 1,000,000.

For details and more information, visit the SSS website or the SSS building at East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.

All the boxes are packed and the big day has arrived. Moving day can be a pretty hectic 24 hours, but there are things you can do to make the move less stressful.

Supervise the movers as they load your furniture and your boxes into the van. Have a list of how many items of pieces of furniture and check each item as they are loaded. Before leaving, inspect every single room, including the bathroom, to make sure you didn’t leave anything important behind.

Move all valuables like jewelry, legal documents, and small antiques with you. Don’t leave them with the moving company.

If you labeled all your boxes correctly, unpacking should be a more organized job. Unpack items according to room, starting with the kitchen so you don’t have to scramble through boxes for your pots and pans before dinner. If you have kids, have them get their boxes and unpack their things themselves. This way, they can organize their bedrooms as they want and lessen your workload. Have your toolbox at hand so you can reassemble furniture or appliances.

The Philippine Voyager website observed that many foreigners and expatriates have been lured into buying properties in the Philippines by many aggressive sellers. Upon investing in the land, however, they often complain of the poor construction quality, the inaccessibility of the location, and unreasonable home association dues. Most often, overseas buyers are too busy to inspect the property carefully and take note of the little details, or they get intimidated by the legal language in the contract.

To avoid getting the short end of the stick in a real estate deal, here are a few online tools that you can use to check the different aspects of the property you’re interested in:

Check the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board to see if the seller or developer has a license to sell or a development permit. This website also has a list of registered broker, developers, and salesmen that you can check to make sure that the seller who approached you is a legitimate one.

Use Google Earth to check the location of the house or condominium. Some maps provided for by the developer might be inaccurate to make the lots and units look bigger and more appealing.

You can also check out the websites of other developers or real estate firms to compare prices of nearby properties. Condo.Com.Ph has a list of all condominium units for sale and rent and is a very useful resource, especially if you’re looking for a place to rent.

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