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General information
when you rent an apartment you actually sign a lease with
your landlord. Leases usually last a year so watch out ! !
when you sublet an apartment you do not sign the lease . You
rent the apartment from the leaseholder !
If you rent or sublet , you should be sure to sign a rental
agreement, keep a copy for yourself. It might be optional,
but insist on signing one !
Only written rental agreements are legally binding ;
verbal agreements are not !
You will be asked to pay one month’s rent as a " security
deposit " . This will be returned to you
when you leave , if there have been no damages… !
When you make a rental, check closely the terms of your lease,
most of the times you can find a maintenance of all the appliances.
The American law usually impose that apartment should be repainted
and very well cleaned when you settle, and the kitchens are
most of the times equipped (closet, fridge, oven, sink etc..)
Watch out ! !In the United States the electricity
is 110 Volts.
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To buy a house you can go through the majors Real Estate
companies best known in the States such as:
The steps to follow are usually:
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Keep in touch with the Real Estate broker and Mortgage
company give the Real Estate company usually 3% of the
price of the House down as an "escrow account",
that shows how much you are interested by the house and
the money you are putting down is blocked and it's a symbol
of "honesty". By doing that the broker
will give you the exclusive rights for the house
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Then the bank that is lending you the money to purchase
the house will have to approve your credit .That takes
about 15 Days.They will call your employer "regarding
employment checking" to verify if your statements
are true and to see if you have monthly salaries.Then
the Bank will decide whether or not to approve the credit
you asked for. Then the bank will go and check the house
evaluate the real value of the house and see if you are
not being "fooled", and then will
check the inside of the house for any repairs
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Once everything is done; comes the "closing
period" where you sign all the papers, this
will last between 3 to 4 weeks. |
To get the credit you'll have to ask your bank for a Mortgage.
You'll have to pay loans every months or year depend on the
agreement you've made with your banker.
Loans, Credit Information and Mortgage
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E-loan |
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The
Homebuyer's Fair |
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Mortgages,loans, credit card.One stop source
for tools , service and loan info.24h access to loan-status
info.Get a response to an application within 24h |
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Offers mortgages payment calculators and
guide to getting the best mortgages.This site compares
salary and cost-of-living differences in the US and international
cities and generate a customized list of the 10 best cities
to live in based on your selected personal preferences. |
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Loancity.com |
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EmortgageLink |
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Search
more than 50,000 programs to apply for and obtain a loan. |
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The link to approvals in minutes...0% down
no income verification. |
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Questions
to ask during your housing search
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Is the housing furnished ?
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Is it within walking distance from my job ?
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Is it near public transportation ?
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How accessible are stores, banks,entertainment, etc… ?
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How much must i pay before i can move in ? (security
deposit, first month’s, rent etc..)
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Can i have roommates ?
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Is there any fee at the end of the lease like repainting.
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Is the water included in the lease price ?Is
the electricity included in the lease price ?
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Is the TV or cable included in the lease price ?
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Is there any home insurance included in the lease
price ?
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How to Understand renting abbreviations
| Br |
bedroom |
| Util |
utilities (cost of gas and electric) |
| w/ |
with |
| A/C |
Air conditioning |
| Elev Bldg. |
Building with elevator |
| 1 ½ Bed |
one bedroom and a half, quite big with usually an additional
bathroom |
| 2/2 |
A two bedroom |
| Bath |
Bathroom |
| Kit |
kitchen |
| Bldg. |
Building |
| Bsmt |
Basement |
| Blcny |
Balcony |
| Grdn |
Garden |
| Condo |
Condominium |
| Neg |
Negotiable |
| Lr |
Living room |
| PH |
Penthouse |
| Flr |
Floor |
| Furnished/Unfurnished |
With or Without furniture |
| Pvt |
Private |
| Nr |
Near |
| Apt |
Apartment |
| Lrg |
Large |
| Sm |
Small |
| Med |
Medium |
| Dr |
Dining room |
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To search for apartment rental, there are many possibilities:
*Real Estate agencies in your area (check above)
*Internet(check above)
*Weekly ads in local newspapers...
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You may want a roommate because many apartments
are expensive.
When you are looking for a roommate think about their personality
and attitude, who their friends are ? and whether their
lifestyle and financial situation are stable and similar to
yours ?.
Important questions to ask to a potential roommate ?
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why are you interested in having a roommate ?
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how do you feel about having guest in the apartment ?
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how do you feel about drinking and smoking in the
apartment ?
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how should we handle grocery expenses ?
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are you messy or neat ?
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how long do you want a roommate for?
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should we share a phone or get separate phone lines ?
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If you are interested you can check for roommates online:
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Where to buy a TV ?
When you want to purchase a new TV you can go to lots
of places...We will put some of the most famous : Sears
, Circuit City , Best Buy , Target , Big K-Mart...
If you'd like to purchase a used TV you can check: )Pawn
Shops , General Classified ads in any local newspaper
or on the Internet at www.bargaintrader.com
Once you bought your TV you will notice
that only very few channels appears on your screen, sometimes
none...What you can do , and will certainly do is either
buy an Antenna (Between 10 and 40$) to get some local
channels; or get a subscription to the Cable. The cable
offers different "Packages":
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"Average one" and the cheapest
around 25$ you'll get around 60 channels with some
movie channels.
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"Good one" around 40$ you'll get
around 100 channels with all the majors American
movie channels (HBO,MAX...)
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"Supreme one" around 100$ you'll
get more than a 150 channels, with international
movie channels and much more.
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Note : Some stores, like "Sears"
allows you to buy their displayed items for a good price
(you can get a brand-new 20 Inches wide TV for 200$) and
insure your TV against any damages for the cost of 50$/year...It's
a good idea above all , if you are a "TV addict"
or if you just bought a 2000$ TV.
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When you buy a home , the first
thing to do is to insure it. Mortgage will not accept
you to get the house without any insurance...The insurance
you'll need to cover your house are above all:
-Flood
-Weather (includes sometimes Hurricanes)
-Furniture protection
-Fire damages
-Theft
If you are interested in purchasing Residential
Real-Estate such as : Appartment, Home (owner oocupied
principal residence) , second home or investment property
in Florida ONLY
..We try to be as much competitve as we can regarding
the market for foreigners with NO Social Security and
No Tax Returns.. We are especially proud of our Foreign
National Department and its success in helping our clients
from overseas with their special needs, whether is to
relocate in the United States, buying a second home, or
for investment purposes.
With our foreign national programs, we know
when we won't need additional information to approve your
loan. Our services are multi-lingual and our professional
staff will assist you in all the phases of your transaction.
No income or asset verification
No employement verification Available on
purchase and refinance Loan amounts to $2.5 million
As low as 20% down
We are also specialized in Commercial financement,
such as : Hotels, Buildings or Gas Station...etc
Contact in Florida (Miami) :
Mr.Laurent
Touma , Licensed Mortgage Broker, Loan
Officer.
Speaking: English, French, Spanish. .
Phone: 305-534-7810
; Fax 305-534-7810
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