Tips for Finding Affordable Housing

Housing can be one of the mostly costly expenses during college. This article describes tips for finding housing at reasonable prices.

Going to college can be expensive considering all the expenses, including tuition, housing, books, utilities and food. One of the most costly expenses is housing. Many students face high costs for housing because there are a limited number of housing units available near campus. Here are some tips to find more affordable housing.

Sharing

Whether you prefer to live in an apartment or a house, you may want to consider finding some roommates. Often, sharing a space with one or two roommates can save each of you money, maybe even a substantial amount of money. Usually, the rent decreases as the number of roommates increases. You should ask yourself some questions:

• How many people could you actually tolerate living with?
• Are you willing to share a bedroom with another roommate?
• Are the people you are considering moving in with responsible?

While considering these questions, keep in mind a landlord or apartment manager limits the number of residents permitted in a housing unit. You shouldn't exceed the number of permitted residents for various safety reasons. If you are caught exceeding it, remember it can result in you and your roommates being evicted.

Hunting

When searching for housing, check out your options. Many students make the mistake of rushing into a housing unit or agreement. Check out several different apartments in different locations. As you go house hunting with your roommates, you may want to note that the housing closer to campus will be more costly. Even if this housing may not look up to date, the managers and landlords can charge more because of its convenient proximity to campus. Often, housing gets more affordable or at least reasonable as you get further away from campus.

When you speak with managers and landlords during the tours, bring a notepad with questions you have brainstormed with your roommates. Use this notepad to take notes of the conversation, so you can compare the different options later on.

Subleasing

If you only need temporary housing, you may want to consider looking for an advertisement at the university union or online bulletin board for an apartment or studio that someone is subleasing. According to those at Financial Dominion, www.financialdominon.com, subleases are transactions in which leased property is released by original lessees to third parties, but lease agreements between the original parties remain in effect.

The person who is leasing the housing unit may reduce the cost of the rent and pay the difference, especially if he or she needs to move out as soon as possible. You may also be able to negotiate a lower price with the current resident if the price hasn't been dropped yet.

Housing Resources

For more information on housing, try services.housing.berkeley.edu. Berkeley provides useful information that students attending other universities can use, too

source

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What Makes Modular Housing Affordable Housing?

The sales of modular homes, in fact, are now growing at a more rapid rate than those of traditional homes, and in the northeastern United States modular home affordable housing accounts for one-tenth of the housing construction market. The demand for modular home affordable housing has also risen significantly in New York, North Carolina, and Michigan.

Why Modular Homes Are So Affordable

A modular home is constructed from several sections, or "modules," pre-assembled at a sanitary, climate-controlled manufacturing facility and then shipped to a building site to be joined to a pre-poured foundation. Because these modules are produced in a clean interior environment, the materials used in them are at no risk for weather or vandalism-related damage.

The materials used in modular homes are purchased at bulk discount rates, and are shaped and cut with computer-controlled tools so that there is minimal waste in the module assembly process. The economic efficiency of their manufacture is only one major reason why modular homes are affordable housing.

Because the modular home sections arrive at the building site with nearly all the work normally done by construction specialists already completed, they can simply be crane-lifted from their shipping trailer onto the waiting foundation, where they are joined with to which they are joined with special fasteners. Because the modules are precision cut, they fit together so tightly that the finished home will be virtually draft-free. This is another reason why modular homes are affordable housing.

Modular homes also make affordable housing because the time it takes between their leaving the factory and being ready for a family to move in is usually a matter of weeks. While getting the modules crane-lifted onto their foundation and secured usually take a only a day or two, finishing the home will take two or three weeks, depending on its size.

But the entire modular home building process, from the time you select and order your model of home, to the time you spend your first day in it, is usually around three months. This abbreviated completion time makes modular homes affordable housing in a way that conventional homes, which take six month to a year to complete, will never be.

You can expect to save as much as twenty-five percent on the cost of your Modular Homes
over what you would pay for a stick-built home of the same square footage and floor plan. You will also benefit from having a home made of modules strong enough to withstand being crane-lifted not just once, onto a shipping trailer, but again, onto your foundation.

And every module n your modular home will have been inspected before it left the assembly line and once more before it was shipped to you. A conventional home is inspected only by a local building inspector when it is completed. Modular homes are not only affordable financing modular home affordable housing; they are durable, energy-efficient, and superior quality housing!

You can also find more info on built modular homes. Modularhomesbasic.com is a comprehensive resource which provide information about Homes.

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Affordable Home Builders

A big part of the American Dream is owning the home of your dreams. In some areas, homes have become so expensive that owning your dream home is an unattainable goal. Many people today are having custom homes built for them. Often, having a custom home built is a cheaper option than buying an existing home. You just have to find affordable home builders in your area. That might seem like a lot of work, but it really isn’t that complicated. This guide is designed to help you find the right affordable home builders for you.

The first and best place to start when you’re looking for just about anything, including affordable home builders, is the Internet. The Internet truly lives up to its nickname, “The Information Super Highway.” Many custom home builders have their own websites that will include pictures of their work. Their websites will often include a list of references as well as any contact information you’ll need to get in touch with them. Finding home builders’ websites online is simple, just search for home builders and you‘ll be set.

Another way to find affordable home builders is to ask your family, friends, and neighbors. Networking with them will often yield great results. Chances are that at least someone you know knows someone who had a home built or someone who is a custom homes builder.

Affordable Home Builders

Once you have the contact information of several custom homes builders, it’s time to find the right affordable home builders for you. Make arrangements to meet with some of them and check their references and examples of their work. There are websites online that will put you in touch with several quality home builders in your area for free!

After meeting with several affordable home builders, it’s time to pick the one you want to work with. It is very important that you trust your gut when making this decision. If you don’t feel comfortable dealing with them, don’t.

Having a custom home built isn’t a small project, but finding affordable home builders is simple. Once you find the right custom home builder, you’re off to a great start. It’s time to get started on the path to owning your dream home.

This article was written by Jason Doane of http://www.reliableremodeler.com which provides Internet-based home improvement information and services. Offering homeowners a simple, quick, and free way to access, qualified home improvement remodeling contractors.

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Accelerating Affordable Housing

With real estate prices experiencing a bit of a pull back in many markets and topped out in others we see that so many people may not be able to buy homes based on their current wages and rising interest rates. Even more alarming is that many who had bought homes at or near the top of the market with variable loans may find their interest rates increasing their monthly mortgage payments and therefore are in jeopardy of losing their homes due to foreclosures.

Accelerating affordable housing projects makes sense and now with many builders slowing down and not investing in new housing tracts it makes sense to streamline regulations and make it more enticing for them to build affordable housing and work on downtown renewal projects. Unfortunately the blob of bureaucracy is curtailing such things and we find that there are so many barriers to entry in even building a simple project that many builders from the recent housing boom are simply saying thank you and retiring.

No sense in battling city planning commissions, building permits and lawyers to help the common good by building affordable housing. We need to take a good hard look as to what we are doing in America as we stick it to our entrepreneurial building companies and find ways to help them help all of us and our civilization to better and more affordable housing. Consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

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Houston Real Estate - More Affordable Homes

The Houston real estate market appeals to buyers for a host of reasons. As this city becomes known as one of the nation's fastest growing, many are turning their eyes toward Texas with an eye on buying. The Houston area itself is favored by many not only for its employment, educational and cultural opportunities, but also its bevy of affordable homes.

The median price of homes in the Houston real estate market was around $162,000 in 2007, according to BusinessWeek. This makes the popular Houston real estate market a real steal when compared to other major metro areas. The New York City area, for example, has average prices that fall in around $450,000. The median price in Los Angeles is $499,000. Buyers in Atlanta will pay about $197,000 for the median price. Buying power is the name of the game on the Houston housing front.

If finding affordable homes in the Houston real estate market is your desire, there are some tips that can help. The first thing to do and the best way to locate affordable homes in Houston involves enlisting the help of a real estate agent. A skilled agent will have local knowledge that can help guide you through the purchase process and also the selection of a neighborhood within which to buy.

The best places to look for affordable homes in Houston include:

• The foreclosure market - Real estate agents will know how best to navigate this, but the number of foreclosures in the Houston area are giving rise to a tremendous amount of opportunity to find affordable homes in some of the city's most sought-after neighborhoods. It is even possible for a skilled agent to negotiate direct-from-bank purchases.

• The regular market - As more homes remain on the Houston market longer than many homeowners would like, the opportunity for realizing price savings is growing in leaps and bounds. Skilled real estate agents can help buyers find affordable homes and even not-so-affordable homes that can be negotiated down in price.

The Houston real estate market by its nature is one that offers a great value for the money. With housing prices starting out in the very reasonable range when compared to other major markets, buyers in Houston often find they can make their money go far in this city.

For more information you can go to: http://www.countonchris.com

To your success,

Chris Wylie

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