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Your Experience & Advice Made A Huge Difference!
"Our sincerest gratitude for all of your help, support & at one point, your shoulder to cry on. Buying our first house is situation unlike anything we've ever experienced ... a guide like yourself helped us to be more realistic & level-headed. We appreciated the fact that you were very "no-nonsense" & told us what we needed to hear, versus what we might have wanted to hear. Your experience & advice made a huge difference! You'll be the person we think of for our friends & relatives!"
Jennifer Eulberg
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First Time Buyers >The Real Bottom Line
An important part of buying a house is sitting down with your real estate agent or a mortgage lender to get a clear idea of how much you can afford. They will add up all of your monthly expenses, the mortgage payment, insurance, real estate taxes, homeowners or condo association fees--and the grand total can throw you into shock!
The important thing to remember is that the grand total isn't really the bottom line. When you add your tax savings to the equation, you may be pleasantly surprised. During the early years of your loan, almost all of the mortgage can be deducted from your state and federal income tax. The same is true of your real estate taxes. If you use part of your house as a home office, you may be able to qualify for additional tax savings. In some areas, homes with ground floor apartments are popular for offsetting part of the mortgage and offering even more tax savings.
When you make calculations about the monthly costs that include the tax savings, you may find that owning your own home is less expensive than renting a house or apartment of comparable size.
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| Q |
Where will you find the world's largest indoor waterfall?
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| A |
The lobby of the International Center in Detroit, Michigan has a waterfall of 114 feet, backed by 9,000 square feet of marble. |
See More Real Estate Trivia > |
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