#5 tips

In a seller’s market, buyers face an uphill battle. With low inventory and multiple bidders, you have to be more flexible and creative with your offers if you want to beat a slew of competitors.

However, even in tough conditions, home buyers can use a number of tactics that will allow them to achieve a dream of homeownership.

1. Know your credit score

Knowing your credit score is the starting point of your quest for the homeowner.

Before you start house hunting, you should get a report from an accredited institution. This will help you to understand what loans you could qualify for and how much money you need to save for a downpayment.

As a home buyer, you should know that most lenders require a certain credit score to consider your mortgage.

It’s always a good idea to start getting your finances in order before you request your FICO report. About 6 months before you take a deep dive into the real estate market, start paying off your credit cards and avoid opening up new lines of credit. Your FICO report should portray you as a dependable person, and if you have multiple lines of credit and a history of late payments, that will not portend well for your prospect of getting a loan.

2. Save for a 20-percent down payment

With low mortgage rates and plentiful private mortgage insurance options, it is tempting to skip a 20-percent down payment. Don’t do that.

Even if you are still making payments on your car or paying off your student loans, you should stick the real estate industry’s golden standard. If you spend less than 20 percent on your initial payment, remember that your monthly payments will be higher – and take longer.

And if you think that saving up on your own will take up an inordinate amount of time, consider tapping into your parents and even grandparents bank accounts. Small donations from several relatives could add up to a sizeable chunk of change which could help you to reach the magical 20 percent.

Another option is to have your parents or another relative co-sign the mortgage with you. While you might frown upon this option, remember that your parents have a longer - and possibly better credit history. Just remember that you could jeopardize their credit score if things go awry with your monthly payments.

3. Know what house you want

Stepping into a real estate market without a clear idea of what house you are shopping for is a recipe for disaster. Not knowing what you want can lead to all sorts of mistakes culminating in buying a property that will drain your bank account.

Before you start house shopping, write down what’s very important, less important and least important for you in a real estate property. You should know your deal breakers, but keep an open mind, especially if the market is tight. It’s not uncommon to sacrifice the preferred location or neighborhood to get a property with certain features and vice versa.

When you are shopping for a house in a seller’s market, you might have to skip a popular location, if you feel like you are being priced out of it. Having a wish list is paramount, but so is the flexibility that will increase your number of options.

4. Make more money to save

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of having a good financial cushion before you embark on your house hunting journey.

Your head might spin when expenses start piling up. Before you move into your dream home, you will have to shoulder the cost of home inspections, application fees, and closing costs to name a few. Paying for all this could be a challenge for someone who makes below a median state income, depending on the location.

If you don’t make enough money to put aside, you could consider additional sources of income. Don’t shy away from moonlighting at retail or grocery stores or Ubering on weekends to make extra cash.

Cutting back on your daily expenses could also save you a few thousand dollars a year. Skip your morning coffee and bring your own lunch to work. These things might seem trivial at first sight, but over time, they could add up to a few thousand dollars and pay for moving costs and new furniture.

5. Consider rent to own

Found your dream home but need some time to save up?

If you want to keep the tabs on the property while you are still straightening out your financial situation, consider the rent-to-own option.

Rent-to-own functions similarly to a regular rental property, but in the end, a renter has an option of buying a house. With its SFT program, EBuyHouse does exactly that; renters have an option to test-live a property for a few months before they decide to buy it. Rent to own might not a preferred choice of most home buyers but it could be a way to win some time before you are able to come up with a down payment and save up enough money to move.

Happy New Year!

Many people will decide to start working out as their new year’s resolutions… and it’s a good thing.

Getting into fitness will not only change your body, it will change your life – but you gotta do it right.

In this video we will talk about 5 tips that will allow you to start your fitness journey and stay consistent.

Check it out and let me know what you think:

Jack Dempsey’s trademark thunderous power.

Your body is like a whip, as much a kinetic chain as a physical one. Your power comes from the ground: your foot pivots and points forward, your hip turns over, your shoulder slings forward, your arm darts ahead, and for the final step, your fist tightens, forming the ball of your ball and chain.

Each link connects beautifully, and the chain comes together to swing its wrecking ball into your opponent. But if one single link breaks from the chain, you get something hideous. Your form looks bad, your balance is thrown off, and maybe you’re even knocked out.

We’re here to prevent that. I present to you Evolve MMA‘s tips on increasing your punching power. After that, I will supplement the video with an analysis on the world’s most famous punchers.

  “Punchers are made; not born.”

The above quote, from power punching boxing legend Jack Dempsey, is a little confusing: aren’t punchers born? Freddie Roach says so – he supports the idea that people are either gifted with punching power at birth or not at all. Even Joe Louis considered himself a natural-born puncher. Who could say something so blasphemous?

As Dempsey writes in Championship Fighting (which everyone should read):

“…exploding body weight is the most important weapon in fist-fighting or in boxing.”

It’s a simple equation. If you can put your body weight into a punch, you can put your opponent out. But how do you put your body weight into a punch?

Your head.

Stand in your stance and move your head so that it’s in line with your lead foot. Make sure to pivot your foot, turning your hip and shoulder as you would if punching. If you hold it long enough, you will feel a slight soreness.

To generate massive amounts of power, you will move your ball and chain through the regular motions (foot pivot, hip turn, shoulder sling, darting arm, and tightening fist as stated in the opening sentences), but you will also make sure that your head is moved in line with your rear foot. This is how you generate power.

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Current MMA greats like Conor McGregor do it. Current Muay Thai legends like Buakaw do it. All-time greats and legendary boxers like Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson have definitely done it. There is no coincidence to any of this – it’s just the right way to punch.

If you like these types of videos, you’ll definitely love all the in-depth videos courses, breakdowns and technique tutorials inside NakMuayNation.com.

Want clinch tips from Dieselnoi himself? You got it.

Need knowledge from a nine-time champion? It’s there.

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  If you enjoyed these videos, be sure to comment below and share your thoughts!

Also, please share this article with your training partners and instructors so you can try out these techniques during your next training session.

These are just some tips I came up with while reflecting on my own experience at uni. It’s my 3rd year and I just thought some of these tips would be helpful to high school students planning to go to uni or college, and 1st year students trying to stay on track.