It’s easy to dream about the ideal house, harder to describe that home to a realtor. But, you’ve got to know the details that make up your dream home if you expect to find that perfect place. Identifying the details of your dream home may take a bit of work, but you don’t have to do it alone. If you have a partner and children, definitely get their input. Work to ensure that everyone who’s going to live in the house gets amenities and style elements that they want. Also, factor in your favorite colors, textures and personal aspirations when thinking about your dream home, including where the house is located. If you love surfing, swimming and fishing, a country home near the beach might be the right choice. Ask yourself questions to find out what you really want Do you want to live in a small town, the type of place where traffic jams rarely, if ever, form? Is access to reliable public transportation important to you, especially if you prefer not to drive? Are older homes more to your liking than modern, contemporary houses? And what about arts and entertainment? How important is it for you to be near major sports and concert venues? You can gain clues about your dream home when you visit extended family and friends. You may love the open living room, dining room and kitchen concept at a friend’s single family home. The round, marble tub at your grandparents’ house might give you a warm feeling every time you soak in it. Don’t rule out how carefree, courageous and happy you felt as you ran across the back lawn at your aunt and uncle’s three story bungalow. After you narrow down the location, size and type of house that you want, start to create a wish list of amenities that you want your dream home to have. Sample items that you could add to your wish list include whether you want a front and back porch, small or large yards and whether you want a home office and, if so, how big do you want the home office to be. Other wish list items are window styles, how much street noise you’ll tolerate, numbers and sizes of bedrooms, whether you want a finished basement and how many cars you want to fit in the driveway and garage. You may also want a dream home that’s only a 10 minute drive to work. If you identify features that you want in your dream home before you consider how much you can afford to pay for a house, you might be surprised at your options. By focusing on features or amenities, you could also help your realtor to look for a house that fits your wish list instead of zoning in on a house based mainly on price. Stay open. Finding eight out of ten things that you want on your dream home list could prove to be very rewarding.]]>
New Dennis Port Listing!!
Located at the end of a sandy lane in this new Dennis Port listing is where you will find this 3 bedroom 1 bath ranch. A large eat in kitchen offers access to the deck which is the perfect place for summer entertaining. Rinse off in the outside shower after a day at the beach or simply relax in the backyard or on the deck while you take in and enjoy the Cape Cod air. This home boasts a fire-placed living room and a full basement with interior and bulkhead access. There have been numerous upgrades made to this new Dennis Port lising in the last 10 years or so including windows, furnace, shingles and septic. The house is in move in condition, is listed at $289,000 and is easy to show so call Foran Realty today or click here for additional information. ]]>
Hope in Dennis!
A detached 3 bay garage includes licensed 1 BR/1 BA apartment. The home is nestled on a 1.95 ac parcel, in close proximity to the Dennis Playhouse, Cinema, Museum, restaurants, shops, ice cream havens, several Cape Cod Bay beaches, post office, and other popular venues. This historic home is the birthplace (1690)of Revolutionary War General Nathaniel Freeman and later owned by Raymond Moore who is best known for having brought the Dennis Playhouse to this quaint village setting. The kitchen wing added in 1732 and the current owners added master BR suite in 1969 that matches architecture of the main house. Both inside and out this house gives the feeling of a vintage inn from earlier centuries. For many who have admired this wonderful property over the years, the 200+ yr old Elm Tree majestically shades the entrance from Hope Lane and the tree boasts its own historical recognition. This is a Antique/Other style home and features 9 total rooms, 3 full baths, 1 half bath, 4 bedrooms, 1.95 Acres, and is currently available for $925,000. Don’t miss the Open House on the 17th! Call Pat Foran at Foran Realty for more information! ]]>
36 Christopher Hall Dr. Dennis
This 3 bedroom 2 bath Cape is located in highly sought after Signal Hill at 36 Christopher Hall Dr. The first floor offers a master bedroom, full bath with washer and dryer, a fire-placed living room and kitchen/dining room. There is a screen porch with access off of the kitchen. There are 2 additional bedrooms and a full bath on the 2nd floor, as well as storage closet under the eave along the front of the house. The home boasts an attached 1 car garage and a full unfinished basement which is accessible through the garage. Radiant electric heat panels are in all but one room. The furnishings are negotiable. This is a Cape style home and features 6 total rooms, 2 full baths, 3 bedrooms, 0.38 Acres, and is currently available for $369,000. For complete details click here.]]>
New East Dennis Listing!
Home Buying Simplified
Buying a home can be a scary and confusing process. It is easy to get confused by all of the homes, locations, and what is truly important to you when buying a home. First you will want to determine what you can afford. To do that you will want to get preapproved. That means a bank; mortgage broker or credit union will determine how much of loan you qualify for based on your income, debt and credit score. They will give a pre-approval letter stating how much you can afford. Now it is time to pick a real estate professional to help you find the right home, negotiate on your behalf and help you navigate through the process. It is important that you choose an agent that is reputable; you have interviewed to find a good fit and is willing to listen to your needs. Many buyers often confuse their needs with their wants. Making a list of what you actually need and what you want or your wish list is very helpful when looking for a home. Buying a home is typically a process of elimination. Many home buyers often dismiss homes that perfectly fit their needs in search for one that has their wants. This doesn’t mean you can have your wish list, but home buying is more often defined by your budget than wish lists. To help with this process it is typically helpful to make a list of needs and wants.
Examples of NEEDS | Examples of WANTS | |
Reasonable square footage for comfortable living | Paint, carpet, counter tops, accessories. | |
Bedrooms to accommodate your family | Pool or Jacuzzi (unless for medical reasons) | |
Adequate number of bathrooms | Wood floors | |
Eat-in kitchen | Bay windows, skylights | |
Garage or basement for storage needs | Entertainment centers, moldings, decks and patios | |
Lot size to accommodate children’s play area | Upgraded lighting fixtures | |
Adaptation for Handicapped | View | |
Proximity to a specific school | ||
Single floor living for health reasons |
New Dennis Listings!
Affordable 2 bedroom 1 bath ranch located in the heart of South Dennis on Barry Lane. A finished lower level provides additional entertainment space. Eat in kitchen with access to the patio which is the perfect place to relax. Newer Harvey replacement windows, 1st floor stack-able washer and dryer. New septic system to be installed. Easy bike path access and conveniently located just a short drive to shopping, beaches, golf and Johnny Kelly Park. This is a Ranch style home and features 4 total rooms, 1 full bath, 2 bedrooms, 0.20 Acres, and is currently available for $259,900. To see the listing for this home click here. The next new Dennis listing that we would like to share with you is a home on Christopher Hall Dr. This is a 3 bedroom 2 bath Cape and is located in the highly sought after Signal Hill area. The first floor offers a decent sized bedroom, full bath with washer and dryer, fireplaced living room and kitchen/dining room. There is a 3 season porch located off of the kitchen. 2 additional bedrooms and full bath on the 2nd floor, attached 1 car garage and full basement. Furnishings negotiable For more information about these homes or any of the other listings we have on our website please call the office at 1-877-385-1455. Pat Foran and the staff at Foran Realty look forward to the opportunity to help you find the Cape Cod home of your dreams! ]]>
The Don'ts in Negotiating a Home
When you are looking at buying a home there are don’ts you should be aware of. Many times the handling of the negotiation can mean the difference in huge amounts of money. This is why it is vital to have an experienced agent on your side. Here are just a few common pitfalls to avoid. Not doing your homework Doing your homework is important in such a large purchase. Ask your agent for a list of comparable homes recent sale prices. Look to see how long comparable listings have been on the market and what the average sale to list price ratio is. This will give you the information you need when making an offer and negotiating a final sale price. Not understanding the seller Try to look at the deal from the opposite side of the table. A sale is typically emotional for a seller. When making an offer try not to insult the seller, offering a fair and realistic offer to purchase will typically get you further in the negotiations. If you know the seller’s motivations for selling you may also be able to offer terms that might be more attractive like a quick close or inspection. Showing your cards While you want to know as much about the seller as possible divulge as little about yourself in the negotiation as possible. Any knowledge the seller has about your motivation can be used as leverage in the negotiation. Getting your heart set Buying a home can often be an emotional process. Identify several properties you’d be happy with as well. Be careful not to get your heart in the way of your head as it can sometimes hinder the deal. Trying to win In a sale there needs to be two ingredients: a seller who wants to sell and a buyer who wants to buy. Try not to getting caught up in the game. Ultimately it is about buying a home and not winning a negotiation.]]>
Hidden Costs of Owning a Home
You saved all your money for a down payment on a house and calculated the costs of the mortgage but wait just a minute…owning a home also comes with several hidden costs. Those costs can add up. So before you buy your home, here are additional home-related expenses you’ll want to include in your budgeting: Real Estate Taxes Often your real estate taxes are included in your monthly mortgage payment but in some instances you may pay them directly. The amount of taxes you pay varies depending on the value of your home’s and the tax rate in your community. Private Mortgage Insurance Your monthly mortgage payment may also include PMI (private mortgage insurance). Lenders typically charge a PMI if your loan exceeds 80 percent of the sales price. Homeowners Insurance Most banks require that you hold homeowners insurance. Homeowner’s insurance protects from damage to the home from things like fire, theft or weather. Just because you have insurance doesn’t mean there are no costs to you remember to set aside your deductible. While owning a home does have hidden costs the gain of homeownership is always more than the cost. ]]>
Cranberry Knoll Condominiums Unit 19-2
Cranberry Knoll Condominiums are just minutes from Dennis Village and some of the most beautiful beaches on Cape Cod. Cranberry Knoll is one of the largest condominium communities in Dennis, MA. and features such great amenities as a large heated pool, clubhouse, tennis courts and lovely park like grounds that create a warm, relaxed atmosphere. Cranberry Knoll is located in Dennis near the Yarmouth town line just off Route 6A. This condo community is very well established and offers the perfect Cape Cod lifestyle for those who live here year round or migrate with the weather. Cranberry Knoll condos have a wide range of Condo layouts offering 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom floor plans. You will also find single story ranch style condos and 2 story townhouse style units in the community. Cranberry Knoll Condos feature spacious closets, private patios, assigned parking and condos range is size from 700+ square feet up to 1300+ square feet. This week we are featuring an incredible renovation that has just been completed on this 2 bedroom 2 full bath townhouse in Cranberry Knoll, Unit 19-2.The list of improvements is extensive including new hardwood floors throughout, new kitchen with granite counters and stainless appliances; 2 new bathrooms, heating and A/C, hot water tank, sliders, windows and a brand new bonus room in the basement. The list continues. Located in one of the most private buildings in Cranberry Knoll. Strong association financials with no assessments in over 17 years! If you are interested in learning more about this Cape Cod Condo in Cranberry Knoll, call Patrick Foran at 877-385-1455! He is your Cranberry Knoll Condominium Specialist! ]]>