Jun 09 2008
Pittsburgh Real Estate Tips (part 1)
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Tip #1 - If you’re concerned about environmental issues that may affect you as a homeowner or home buyer, you can get an environmental report for any address in the Pittsburgh area - or for anywhere in the U.S.
Go to http://www.prudential.com/realestate and type in any address. Then click on Environmental Profile and it will tell you if there are any environmental concerns associated with the property - at no charge. A detailed report will cost you $99, but if no concerns are reported you probably don’t need to purchase the report.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also offers information on environmental hazards. Their EnviroMapper lets you search by zip code, city or county. You can find it at http://www.epa.gov/enviro/emef/.
If Sellers are aware of any environmental issues affecting their property, they are required to disclose this in the Sellers Disclosure. However, if they don’t know about it, they can’t be held accountable. In that case the Buyer is responsible for using their own due diligence in uncovering the information.
Tip #2 - Ready to leave city life behind? The US Department of Agriculture, Rural Development division, offers home loans for low-income buyers in rural areas. These loans are referred to as Section 502 loans. The program provides funds for repair and renovation of homes as well as funds for the purchase of a home or land on which to build a home.
You can find more information about this program by going to http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do?NavKey=home@1
These loans are intended for what the USDA refers to as "modest" residences. So, they probably won’t lend you money to purchase or build that mansion you’ve been dreaming about. Still, it could be a useful resource if you’re income-eligible and the property is located in one of their approved areas.
Tip #3 - So, you’re out on the road and you’re hungry and you remember someone telling you about this great restaurant. You remember the name and the area but don’t have an address or phone number.
Or, your agent told you about a home for sale and you have a street address but you’re not sure how to get there.
If you have your cell phone with you, you can find just about anything you’re looking for in a matter of minutes by using Google Mobile.
You can search for businesses, get maps, even get the latest score of the Pirate game. Their web site at http://www.google.com/mobile/ will give you all the info you need to learn how to use this pretty slick service.
Keep in mind that the availability of some of the Google services may be dependent on the type of phone and/or the phone service you have.
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