The AmeriFirst Home Buyer Learning Center

Searching for the perfect home has become quite the chore in the last couple of years. The headlines say it all - housing stock is down. This means you as a buyer have fewer homes to choose from on the market. What's a buyer to do? 

This can be especially frustrating for a first time home buyer, as most first timers don't have the means to get into a bidding war. 

There's an option out there for financing your dream home - even if it looks like a nightmare. The FHA 203k renovation mortgage puts the low down payment option of the FHA loan to work with the power of after-improved value once the remodeling is finished. 

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This is an article submitted by a guest author. Not all views expressed are those of AmeriFirst Home Mortgage or its employees. 

A messy home can generate stress. The stress may evolve from frantic searches that occur too often because keys, remotes and a myriad of other items get lost in the mess. Stress may occur when guests arrive and your home doesn’t have the neat appearance you’d like for it to. You may feel a sense of frustration when you try to find time in your busy schedule to clean house. Your frustration may accelerate when you realize how quickly your clean house gets messy again.

Organization is an excellent way to avoid living in a messy home. Here are some things that you can do to help pick things up:

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This is an article submitted by a guest author. Not all views expressed are those of AmeriFirst Home Mortgage or its employees. 

You’re selling your home, arranging inspections and final preparations, when you see the things that make you sweat in horror: wings scattered on the ground, tiny holes near your home’s foundation or mud tubes crawling up the wall of your crawl space or basement.  

Shoot, you think, I have termites. 

If you see these signs you might have a problem, but don’t worry - it isn’t the end of the world! We’ll explain.

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This is an article submitted by a guest author. Not all views expressed are those of AmeriFirst Home Mortgage or its employees. 

Now that spring has finally arrived, you and your family might be thinking about deep cleaning your home. Spring cleaning is a great way to get rid of clutter and prepare your property for the warmest months of the year, but these projects are not always eco-friendly. With a little research and some extra planning, you can make sure that your spring cleaning isn’t going to be bad for the environment.

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You've just left your tenth open house this month and your brain is full of details about ceiling fans, crown molding and double-pane windows. You can picture each room and closet, but wait. Did it have energy-saving appliances like that other house you liked? Or was that the third house that also had the solar panels?

It's easy to get mixed up when you're looking for houses. There are a lot of details to remember and comparisons to make. Don't rely on your memory to make this important decision. Instead, it's time to make a home comparison scrapbook to keep everything straight.

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This is an article submitted by a guest author. Not all views expressed are those of AmeriFirst Home Mortgage or its employees. 

You focus on numerous aspects while buying a property, but many people tend to overlook pest inspection. Apart from checking the physical condition and structural integrity of the property, it is extremely important to inspect the place for any kind of pests and vermin.

In fact, make sure that pest inspection is included in the purchase contract. If the inspection does not meet the required standards, you can refuse the purchase of the property. Buying a house calls for a huge investment and you must take all the necessary precautions before putting your hard earned money in it. 

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This is an article submitted by a guest author. Not all views expressed are those of AmeriFirst Home Mortgage or its employees. 

Smart homes are not a thing of the future. They are here today. Most modern homes incorporate some sort of smart home technology. They are convenience and safety features, and they can save energy too. Electronic door locks that can be controlled with an app provide enhanced security as you can allow access or lock your doors even if you are not home. Here are the top four smart home technical issues and how you can fix them.

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