Q: Who gets the furnishings when a home is sold?
A:  Fixtures, any kind of personal property that is permanently attached to a house (such as drapery rods, built-in bookcases, tacked-down carpeting or a furnace), automatically stay with the house unless specified otherwise in the sales contract.  But you can consider anything that is not nailed down negotiable.  This most often involves appliances that are not built in (washer, dryer, refrigerator, for example), although some sellers will be interested in negotiating for other items, such as a piano.

Q: What is the best time to buy?
A: Because many buyers prefer to move in the spring or summer, the market starts to heat up as early as February.  Families with children are anxious to buy so they can move during summer vacation, before the new school year begins.
The market slows down in late summer before picking up again briefly in the fall. 
November and December have traditionally been slow months, although some
astute buyers look for bargains during this period.

Q: What are some tips on negotiation?
A:  The more you know about a seller's motivation, the stronger a negotiating
position you are in.  For example, seller who must move quickly due to a job transfer may be amenable to a lower price with a speedy escrow.  Other so-called "motivated sellers" include people going through a divorce or who have already purchased
another home.

Remember, that the listing price is what the seller would like to receive but is not
necessarily what they will settle for.  Before making an offer, check the recent sales prices of comparable homes in the neighborhood to see how the seller's asking price stacks up.

Some experts discourage making deliberate low-ball offers.  While such an offer can be presented, it can also sour the sale and discourage the seller from negotiating at all.

Q:  What repairs should the seller make?
A:  Most sellers like to make all minor repairs before going on the market in order to seek a higher sales price.  In addition, nearly all purchase contracts include a buyer contingency "inspection clause," which allows a buyer to back out if numerous
defects are found.  Once the problems are noted, buyers can attempt to negotiate
repairs or a lower price.

Q: What is the difference between list price, sales price and appraised value?
A:  The list price is a seller's advertised price, a figure that usually is only a rough estimate of what the seller wants to get.  Sellers can price high, low, or close to what they hope to get.  To judge whether the list price is a fair one, be sure to consult
comparable sales prices in the area.

The sales price is the amount of money you as a buyer would pay for a property.
The appraisal value is a certified appraiser's estimate of the worth of a property, and is based on comparable sales, the condition of the property and numerous other factors.

Q: What is the first step to buying a home?
A: Finding out what you can afford is one of the fist steps, which can be done by pre-qualifying for a home loan. This step will help you narrow your search for both a neighborhood and particular houses.  A pre-qualification is a simple calculation that considers several factors, but primarily your income.  There are no guarantees with a pre-qualification, but it will be expected of you when you make an offer on a home.