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Student loan debt and buying a new home.

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How To Buy A Home – Even With Student Loan Debt

Americans are struggling with student loan debt. For those with debt, you might think that homeownership is out of your reach. Many people believe that student loans are a hurdle to living the American Dream. However, those loans do not automatically disqualify you from a home loan. If you have been paying off your loans,…

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Southdown Homes Builder Shaking Hands With Client

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What’s The Difference Between a General Contractor, Developer and Builder?

Do you need a developer, builder, or contractor? If you are thinking about building a home, you want to find the best professionals in the industry. It can be hard to find the right company or person for the job. A developer, builder, and contractor do work in similar ways, but they have separate responsibilities…

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People Looking Over Paperwork at A Table In Front of Model New Home

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15 New Home Construction Vocabulary Terms You Need to Know

Buying a new home is one of the most exhilarating purchases you can make, especially when it’s a new build. Apart from the excitement, the process of purchasing a new construction home can sometimes be long, stressful, and difficult. Since there is a lot to learn about home construction, check out the following vocabulary terms…

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How To Calculate Debt-To-Income Ratio For A Mortgage Or Loan

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How To Calculate Debt-To-Income Ratio For A Mortgage Or Loan

Whenever you are trying to get a loan, the lender will evaluate your financial health. The lender performs this evaluation for many reasons, but it mostly comes down to their desire to cover their liability. In other words, they want to make sure that you will be able to pay them back. If you are…

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What to Bring with You When Moving into a New House

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What to Bring with You When Moving into a New House

If you are moving into a new home, whether you are relocating to a location across town or across the country, you may ask your self what do I need to bring first when moving to a new house? If you are having professional movers bring the majority of your belongings, you may actually need…

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What are Closing Costs for New Construction?

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What are Closing Costs for New Construction?

Closing costs are probably one of the most confusing parts of buying a home, whether you buy an existing property or are building a new home. The fact is that closing costs can add thousands to both the buyer and seller’s expenses during a transaction. These fees include items like mortgage origination fees, owner’s and…

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How to Pick a Neighborhood When Buying a House

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How to Pick a Neighborhood When Buying a House

When you are shopping for a new house, you may focus on how many bedrooms and bathrooms you need as well as the amenities the house offers. However, the other thing you need to focus on is the neighborhood where the house is located. This can be difficult if you are moving into an area…

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How to Make Sure My New Home is Safe to Move In

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How to Make Sure My New Home is Safe to Move In

Moving into a new home is exciting, whether you just built or bought your first home, have moved due to a new job or are upgrading to a larger home. The move is also hectic, frustrating and stressful as you repaint rooms to give the new home your personal touch and try to find which…

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Are New Construction Homes Worth It?

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Are New Construction Homes Worth It?

There are many benefits to buying a new home over an existing one including lower maintenance costs and better energy efficiency. However, these benefits come with a price as new homes can cost as much as 20 percent more than existing homes in some markets. One thing to determine when choosing whether to buy an…

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Do I Need an Architect to Design My Custom Home?

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Do I Need an Architect to Design My Custom Home?

Customizing a house is a big deal because of all the complexities, but do you really need to hire an architect? Although architects are not always necessary, even with complicated designs, there are a few scenarios when you would need a professional architect to ensure the job gets done correctly. Let’s have a look at…

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Common Types Of Home Foundations

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Common Types Of Home Foundations

A foundation supports your home and can affect the durability of the building. Whether you are looking to build your own home or buy an existing one, you need to know about the common types of foundations. Several types of foundations exist, and most are dependent on climate and construction methods. Here is a brief…

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How to Get a Mortgage Loan If You’re Self-Employed

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How to Get a Mortgage Loan If You’re Self-Employed

People with income from an employer can be easily approved for a home mortgage loan; however, those who are self-employed might have a more difficult time. Regardless of your income level, federal regulations are making it hard for the self-employed to get approved. These regulations will not make it impossible to finance a home loan,…

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Tips to Get Approved for a Mortgage & Qualify for a Lower Rate

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Tips to Get Approved for a Mortgage & Qualify for a Lower Rate

For some people, homeownership can seem like a nightmare. In the United States, many people are opting out of owning a home due to their credit issues. More often than not, they cannot get a loan at an affordable rate. However, there are some steps you can take to get approved for a mortgage and…

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What Is The Average Lifespan of a House?

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What Is The Average Lifespan of a House?

Buying a home is probably the largest investment that the average person will ever make. As such, it is logical that you might want to know how long can a house last will last. Although a well-built home should last for many years, nothing lasts forever. In this article, we will delve into this question:…

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How to Finance Your New Construction Home

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How to Finance Your New Construction Home

Building a new home is one of the most expensive things that the average person will ever do. Indeed, the high cost is what prevents many people from purchasing a new and custom-built home. However, you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that you need all the money up-front. Many financial institutions will provide construction…

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Homeowners Guide To Malvern

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Homeowners Guide To Malvern, PA

Malvern is a small town in Pennsylvania, located in Chester County. With a population of just under 3,000, it is the kind of idyllic small town in which we all dream of settling down and raising a family. For those who might be considering a move, we present Malvern as an option for you. While…

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Where Can I Buy New Construction Homes Under 400k in Downingtown, PA?

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Where Can I Buy New Construction Homes Under 400k in Downingtown, PA?

Downington is a small community in Pennsylvania that dates back to the early eighteenth century. As such, it is imbued with a sense of history and a touch of class. However, there is one problem for those who might be considering a move to that area: The homes tend to be quite expensive. In previous…

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Why New Construction Homes are so popular in Chester County, PA

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Why New Construction Homes Are So Popular In Chester County, PA

Every homebuyer has to make the choice between a newly-built home and an older home. In this situation, many would expect that only the richest among us would be able to buy a new home. However, they would be quite wrong. There are many reasons that a person might choose a new home over an…

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Unmarried Couples Buying a Home: What You Need To Know

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Unmarried Couples Buying a Home: What You Need To Know

When an unmarried couple chooses to purchase a new home, there are several problems that can complicate the situation. The largest of these is the fact that the law treats unmarried couples as individuals. Thus, you will have to think about a few problems that most homeowners never have to consider. In the end, it…

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New home in Westtown Woods in West Chester School District from Southdown Homes.

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Homeowners Guide To West Chester, PA

The Town Of West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a small town in southeastern Pennsylvania. Located in Chester County, the town has a population of about 20,000 and maintains the kind of quaint small-town atmosphere that can be hard to find these days. When you look around this place, it’s hard to believe that this…

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Beginner's Guide to Closing on Your New Home

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Beginner’s Guide to Closing on Your New Home

After spending all that money for a new-built custom home, you might think that your work is done. Chances are, you had to save up for a while in order to buy this new place. However, your labors are not yet over, and it is vitally important for you to realize that fact. In this…

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What is PITI

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What is PITI?

What Does PITI in Real Estate Mean? PITI is an acronym that stands for “Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance.” As you might already guess, PITI is related to home loans in a major way. These four letters stand for the four things that comprise most mortgage payments. Therefore, we will break this acronym down into…

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what is a USDA Home Loan

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What Is A USDA Home Loan?

In 1949, Congress signed a new housing act into law. In an attempt to aid struggling farmers and other impoverished rural people, a program was created whereby rural people (particularly farmers and their tenants) could borrow the money needed to improve their farms, purchase new land and equipment, and enjoy a decent standard of living.…

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The Disadvantages of Renting a Home

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The Disadvantages of Renting a Home

For those who can afford to make a choice, there is a serious debate to be had about the benefits of homeownership. On the one hand, you gain a greater degree of independence and freedom from monthly rent payments. On the other hand, there are still costs and rules associated with home ownership. For those…

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Should You Buy First or Buy Last in a New Home Community?

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Should You Buy First or Buy Last in a New Home Community?

We have already discussed some of the more common issues that face home buyers in the current market. In this article, we will delve into a slightly more advanced topic. If you have been reading our articles diligently and following their advice, you should have no problem understanding this one. Today, we are going to…

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Why You Need Title Insurance for Your New Home

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Why You Need Title Insurance for Your New Home

Let’s begin with a little story, which takes place in Fairfax, Virginia. In the early 2000s’, this county was a hot spot for home builders, mostly because the city government was looking to expand the town. As such, they weren’t particularly diligent about enforcing the various building codes. Years later, when they actually did begin to…

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How Long Does it Take to Build a House?

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How Long Does it Take to Build a House?

Building a house is perhaps one of the most important milestones of your life. Whether this is your first time dealing with this process or not, this is an event that will affect your life for quite a few years to come. As such, it is not a process that should be rushed. Of course,…

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How to Get a Mortgage

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How to Get a Mortgage

There are many reasons that a person might need a mortgage loan (commonly called a mortgage for short). We could literally spend all day listing these reasons, but most of them come down to one basic theme: You use your property as collateral to secure a loan so that you can buy things that would otherwise be…

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How Much Square Footage Fits Your Family?

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How Much Square Footage Fits Your Family?

For you to be considering a question like this, one of two things must have happened. Either you have accumulated a number of possessions that exceed a manageable level, or your family has outgrown your home. It is always a joy to hear the sound of little feet running and echoing through the halls of…

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Understanding Construction Loans

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Understanding Construction Loans

What Is A Construction Loan And How Does It Work? A construction loan is pretty self-explanatory. As the name implies, it is a loan that is taken for the purpose of building a home. These loans are most often obtained from banks and other financial institutions. There are relatively few of us that can actually…

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How to Get a Loan to Build a House

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How to Get a Loan to Build a House

Unless you just happen to have piles and piles of cash, the construction of your new home will most likely require a home construction loan. When you start the process of actually getting that home loan, it can be pretty overwhelming. This is especially true of first-time home buyers who may not be familiar with the…

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What You Need To Know About Home Construction Insurance

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What You Need To Know About Home Construction Insurance

What Is Construction Insurance? Construction insurance is a form of insurance that is specifically intended to cover buildings that are under construction. It might seem strange to buy insurance on a home that is not yet constructed, but there is a lot that can go wrong during the building process. Theft, vandalism, and arson are…

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Exterior image of a new home from Southdown Homes.

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Buying and Selling a New Home; A Survival Guide

You really want a new Southdown Home. Everything about it is just right; the location, the floor plan, lots of curb appeal, the price.  But… you have house to sell. What now? Brendon DeSimone offers advice in the article How to Buy and Sell a Home at the Same Time posted on Zillow Blog. The…

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Image of the Bellingham - single-family home with 2 kitchen islands

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Turning Your Dream Home into a Place of Your Own

One of the most exciting things about buying a new home is turning it into a reflection of your personal style and taste.  Custom and standard selections may include exterior materials and colors, structural options such as additions and extensions, appliances, cabinets, flooring, cabinetry, millwork, electrical, plumbing and more. Whew! It’s exciting and, maybe, just…

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Exterior image of a new home from Southdown Homes.

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Chester County Named Healthiest in Pennsylvania

Chester County has been ranked as the healthiest county in Pennsylvania by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the recently released 2013 County Health Rankings study. According to the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps overview, “the rankings look at a variety of measures that affect health such…

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Exterior image of a new home from Southdown Homes.

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New Home or Resale? New, of course!

Ok, so we have a biased opinion in favor of new construction. Why buy new over resale? So glad you asked. It’s All New Yes, we’re stating the obvious but think about it. Everything is brand new, unused, original. Your new Southdown home is not used, pre-owned or a resale. A meal has not yet…

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Exterior image of a new home from Southdown Homes.

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The Waiting is Over…

It’s time to make a move to your new home. According to Tim Ellis of Redfinblog.com, waiting for your property value to increase before selling is a mistake. There’s a high probablity that the price of the home you’re purchasing will increase faster than the price of the home your selling. Add current low interest rates…

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Exterior image of a new home from Southdown Homes.

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In a Rent vs. Buy Contest, Homeownership Wins

In an analysis of whether renting or buying a home costs less, Chief Economist, Jed Kolko, finds that it’s 44% cheaper to own than to rent. In an article on Trulia Trends, Kolko outlines his methodology and results that may surprise you. Buying is currently cheaper than renting in all 100 of the larger metropolitan…