If you're buying property, you should be looking at schools and commutes before you buy. More homebuyers are basing their buying decisions not only on the actual property, but on the neighborhood where it is located. There's a very simple reason for this: the total cost of living in your home is not just about the total price of your home and mortgage. The cost of actually getting places from your home is also an important consideration, especially now, with gas prices rising.

If you want to make a large purchase such as a property purchase, you will need to secure financing. If you're new to real estate, securing a loan as large as a mortgage can seem pretty intimidating. However, there are several things you can do to help make the mortgage process a little bit easier:

In today's market, sellers are increasingly using sophisticated marketing techniques including virtual home tours and incentive-to-buy gifts in order to attract homebuyers. Some sellers even resign themselves to accepting less than their desired asking price because of the state of the market today.