Jacksonville NC, Home Inspections Are a Must.

I can not stress the importance of a Qualified Home Inspector and Detailed Inspection.  It can make or break a deal.  It can save you lots of money and headaches.  The cost may be something that you don’t want to deal with but it can certainly pay for itself in a short amount of time.  Seller’s may be reluctant to make many repairs, but at that point you can make an educated decision whether to continue with the purchase or not.  A qualified Home Inspector is licensed by the state.  So, ask if they are licensed.  Also, a reputable home inspector will not offer to make repairs on a home that they inspected.  That is a clear conflict of interest.

Do not look at the cost of a home inspection as an extra expense, it’s an investment in one of the largest things you will ever buy in your life.  In the long run it’s just a small part of buying a home and a necessary expense.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings. 

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

Onslow County NC, Public Sewer vs. Private Septic

Public sewer is certainly the easier solution, but private septic systems (tanks) when properly maintained can be fine too.  Public sewer includes community and city systems, and is maintained by the city or county, depending on where it is.  Private septic systems require some care.  If you do a lot of laundry in one day or take mulitple showers/baths in a day it can stress the system.  Just try to be mindful of how much water you are using in a day and it should be fine.  Of course you should always have the septic system inspected when you are buying a home with a septic system.  You will want to make sure it’s in good working order and request that the seller make any needed repairs.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

Jacksonville NC~VA Appraisals

VA Appraisals are not as strict or stringent as they once were.  Now we are lucky if the appraiser actually spends more then 20 minutes at a property, that includes from the time they pull in the driveway.  They used to look out for the veterans and active duty personel.  Can’t really say that much anymore.

Here in Jacksonville NC I have seen the appraisers go from calling fogged windows, bad roofs, bad siding, flooring.  Anything that would not be in “working order” for the veteran was supposed to be corrected by a seller.  Now it seems that as long as the place is not falling in it’s good to go.  Their mission is to let the mortgage company know their opinion on what the house is worth.

So, if you are buying a home using your VA eligibility make sure you have a home inspection done, along with any other inspections that might be needed.  i.e. septic, fireplace.  The VA appraisers will tell you that they are not inspectors, but they are also are not protecting the Veterans as well as they used to.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

Jacksonville NC~VA Loans are the standard

There seems to be some “mystery” around VA Loans, like they are special and unique.  While they are for Veterans & Active Duty personel they are not so unique that local mortgage lenders are unfamiliar with them.   You have a greater chance of that happening with some of those internet based companies that are who knows where.

In this market in & around Camp Lejeune NC and New River Air Station NC if you are a mortgage lender and don’t know how to do a VA loan, you might as well get out of the mortgage business.  The VA drives our market.  That being said, working with a local lender is more advantageous in the interest of time and peace of mind.  Some of these lenders that are on the internet may say that they do VA loans when in reality they are merely reading the guide lines and not really sure about the process.  I have worked with just about every lender here in the Jacksonville NC area.  They all know what they are doing for the most part and I would be glad to recommend a lender to you.

If you can not reach your mortgage lender, or they do not respond in a timely manor you may want to rethink who you are working with.  The key to a stress free purchase of a home is the ability to reach the people you are working with directly.  You are the client and they are supposed to be providing you a service, so don’t treat them like you are working for them, they are in reality working for you!

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)