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How to buy real estate
Kiss your landlord goodbye

Ah, the joys of apartment living. Just pay the rent, and your landlord takes care of everything, right? Well, not exactly. Come the first of the month, the owner of your humble dwelling is more attentive than your dear old mother. The warm feelings quickly melt away, however, when the bathroom sink springs a leak or your kitchen ceiling needs a new paint job. Then that no-account skinflint is harder to track down than Jimmy Hoffa.

You have two options. Keep a stiff upper lip in the face of "egregious domicidal neglect," or, better yet, buy a place of your own. Join the landed classes, and you'll never have to rely on your landlord again.

Wondering what the Net has to do with real estate? Isn't buying a house simply a matter of raising a down payment and pounding the pavement for a good deal? You can't, after all, actually visit a house online -- not yet, anyway -- and you don't want to circumvent that important step. Not if you're smart.

But short of actually walking you through living spaces that might suit you, the Net does offer lots of help for anyone in the real estate market.

Let's say, for example, that you're just starting out. You're a real estate newbie, and everything you know about points you got from watching Bulls games. No problem. On the Net, you can learn about the entire process of buying a place, including all those unfamiliar terms, without ever leaving your chair. All it takes is a little digging through some articles, services, and FAQs. When it comes time to shop around, you'll have all the facts.

Speaking of shopping around, you'll find many properties advertised online. Of course, if you hope to find your dream house on some island in the Pacific -- Bora Bora let's say -- you may be out of luck. Most listings are concentrated in major metropolitan areas worldwide. But if you pine for a two-bedroom flat in Portland, the Net can probably help you out. Dozens of sites enable users to search for real estate by area, price range, and other key variables.

As for locating a broker, a growing number of real-estate agents now have Web pages. You'll have to meet the person to see if you get along, but the Net's an excellent way to get started, especially if you're planning to move to an unfamiliar city.

Finally, when it's time to arrange the financial details, you can check out mortgage rates, find a bank, shop for a lawyer, and even buy title insurance online.

All this may bring to mind that old real estate saw about location, location, location. On the Net, you have access to much of what you need -- in one place -- to kiss that old apartment goodbye.

-- David Miller

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Here's How - Click for more!
David Miller tells how
to get it done on the Net:
How do I learn the basics of real estate?
How do I search for properties?
How do I find a broker?
How do I arrange for a mortgage?
How can I decide what price to offer?

Snappy Picks

Mortgages and more
Internet Realty Network
Keystroke Financial's mortgage calculator
Mortgage Rates by Local Area
Real Estate Comparable Sales

Property listings
Telehome
Cyberhomes
Homes online
InterCONNEX Real Estate Listings
HomeScout

ABC's of title insurance
The ABCs of Title Insurance
Insurance News Network
Chicago Title and Trust
First American Financial Corporation
Old Republic National Title Insurance Company

Retirement communities
Abbey Del Ray South
Applewood at Amherst
Lakewood Communities
Leisure World Laguna Hills

Making your move
How Far Is It?
Moving Calculator
Salary Calculator
Home Price Comparison
Timezone Converter
Delorme's Street Maps

Newsgroups
alt.building.realestate
clari.biz.industry.real_est+const
clari.biz.industry.real_estate

Such a deal?
Naval Air Estates
Christmas By the Sea
Gold Coast Real Estate
An investment opportunity
Property Information Exchange


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