Buying a home that needs some love can be overwhelming. It can also be a smart investment. If you're thinking about buying a fixer-upper, you already know that it's going to take a little elbow grease to make it livable. You probably also know that these types of homes can often be snatched up at bargain prices and in neighborhoods where you want to live. And once it's yours, you can paint, remodel and refresh the property to make it your own. Gourmet kitchen, movie room, home office, party deck  - the possibilities are endless. 

The FHA 203k option for home buyers covers a long list of home improvements, repairs, renovations and rehab projects. But when I came across this house, I saw 7 right away. Take a look.   Dowloand the FHA 203k Survival Guide here for some hints on what the 7 fixes are!

Replacing the sill plate on a house can sound like an impossible job. The sill plate is basically the buffer between the bottom of your walls and the top of your basement or foundation. It’s treated wood, and it’s anchored to the cement below. Sometimes these need to be replaced. (read about termite damage and sill plates here) But do you want to put jacks under your home and lift it up all on your own? It can be done.

In today's episode we're answering the question "What is a renovation mortgage loan?" so you can explain 

As a home buyer sometimes you’ll find a house that’s missing a key component that every other house in the neighborhood has in this case a garage, but it doesn’t have to make you overlook this house in fact it can actually help you take this house and turn it into a home with a renovation mortgage.

Questions are the fuel to our communications here at AmeriFirst. We love them. It allows to help hopeful home buyers better understand the process. One person's question is very likely the same question for many others. In other words, you're never alone in your questions about the home buying process. This question came from a reader, so we thought we'd share the answer.

A home buyer called me the other day to ask a great question about buying a foreclosed home and taking care of some of the work on it. Have you seen these vacant houses? Some of them need a lot of love. This house in particular had a driveway issue that was affecting the foundation of the house. Of course I immediately thought of the Full FHA 203k. This home improvement loan must be used when the work involves the structure of the house. The caller asked if the 203k would pay for a new driveway. Since I didn't have the answer at the top of my mind, I leaned on our expert.