China people should pay special attention to the common sense of buying a house in the United States. Extension of portable document format file (abbreviation of portable document format)

Nowadays, with the improvement of economic level, more and more families immigrate to the United States to live. For some friends who come to America for the first time, choosing a city is a headache. In many cities in the United States, many people don't know which city to choose to buy a house.

China people go to the United States to buy a house, and the preferred places are mainly in Los Angeles, San Francisco, new york and Boston.

American cities have specific real estate parameters, such as average residential price, average house age, average living area, average unit price, school district score and so on. These real estate parameters will be an important basis for choosing a city.

The area with the largest number of Chinese is a big city in the United States, second only to new york. The environment here is beautiful, the temperate maritime climate is mild all year round. There is no particularly hot summer, and there is no severe winter. Although the air quality is not the best in the United States, it is definitely a far cry from the smog situation in China. There are many Chinese communities and a large number of Chinese here, so it may be easier for new immigrants to integrate into their living habits. Moreover, the trade economy here is developed, and it is the largest petrochemical, marine, aerospace and electronic industry base in the United States, with relatively more employment opportunities.

Because the United States has the best education in the world, the number of China students studying in the United States now exceeds 65,438+10,000 every year. Therefore, the real estate demand related to this is very huge. Most people in China should consider the educational needs when buying a house, and make plans for their children who are going to study in the United States. Therefore, cities and lots with educational resources have become the most popular areas for China people to buy houses in the United States, such as new york, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Las Vegas and other cities where China people buy more houses.

China people buy American real estate, both for investment and self-occupation, and some for education and retirement. New york is the largest city in the United States, also known as the "World Capital", which directly affects the global economy, finance, media, politics, education, entertainment and fashion. As the financial center of the United States, it is very suitable for workers engaged in stocks and securities to live in, and most immigrants will choose new york.

It can be said that in recent years, with the gradual understanding of American culture by China people, the city is no longer so mysterious, and China people know more and more about the United States. Whether in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle and other places, if you don't know how to choose, you can go to the local area to see which city you want to stay and develop, and then compare them from various needs.

The second step is to determine the financial plan for buying a house.

Cash buyers and loan buyers need different preparation documents.

If you are a cash buyer, the documents you need to prepare:

1. Valid passport and visa (unnecessary, you can authorize the broker to buy it without going to the United States).

2. Open an account in an overseas bank (not necessarily in the United States, but it is recommended to open an account in a region with developed finance and no foreign exchange control, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and European countries).

3. Two-month bank deposit certificate (the bank account can be in the United States, Hongkong, Taiwan Province, Macau, Japan, Singapore, etc.). , but it can't be a domestic bank account, and the deposit certificate must indicate the source of each deposit. Certificate of deposit for more than two months, no need to explain the source of deposit).

If you are a buyer, the documents you need to prepare:

1. Valid passport and visa (unnecessary, you can authorize the broker to buy it without going to the United States).

2. Proof of domestic income;

Domestic payroll: shows the borrower's monthly RMB income and income so far this year;

B. Letter of proof of income provided by the employer: The letter shall indicate the position, monthly/annual income and the starting time of service in the company of the borrower. This certification letter needs to be stamped by the personnel department of the employer. Note: The lending bank may require the borrower to provide the salary records deposited in the bank account in the past three months.

3. Domestic credit/credit records;

A. If the borrower has a social security number (SSN) in the United States, retrieve the borrower's credit record in the United States;

B. If the borrower does not have a social security number in the United States, the borrower is required to provide the following four pieces of information, and the international credit investigation company will check with domestic banks and telephone companies whether the payment is made on time:

* Telephone number

* Bank debit card (i.e. debit card)

* bank credit card (i.e. credit card)

* Bank account number

4. Account number opened in an overseas bank;

Not necessarily in the United States, but it is recommended to be in areas with developed finance and no foreign exchange control, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and European countries.

5. Two-month bank deposit certificate.

Bank accounts can be in the United States, Hongkong, Taiwan Province Province, Macau, Japan, Singapore and other places. , but it can't be a domestic bank account, and the deposit certificate must indicate the source of each deposit. For certificates of deposit for more than two months, there is no need to explain the source of deposit.

Choose a house to see a house.

Determine the range of American housing prices

Before looking for a house, you must first know how much money you can afford. If you don't have 5% cash as a down payment, you'd better not rush to buy a house. First, because loans are difficult to borrow, we can't get good interest rates. The second is to prevent the house from being confiscated by the bank in case the money can't be collected and the loan can't be repaid on a monthly basis. For domestic buyers, at present, the metropolis adopts the method of full cash payment. In this case, the buyer should not only have enough deposit in his American bank account, but also ensure that there is enough balance in his American account when the house is transferred. Otherwise, once the house can't be repossessed because the funds are not in place, it will not be able to get its deposit back, and the loss will be huge. At present, domestic banks that provide American housing loans to domestic buyers usually require a minimum down payment of 35% of the house price, so it is very important to determine the house price range according to the capital situation before buying a house.

Decide where to buy a house in America

China people talk a lot, and Americans talk about location, location, location. Actually, location is very important. This is a rule that can be applied everywhere.

There are different communities in the United States, and there are also differences in housing prices between communities. Generally speaking, the price of a residential area that is completely a single-family villa will be more expensive than that of an apartment building. How much did you spend on buying a house? Your neighbor's income is also in this range.

If school is an important factor in choosing a house, then the house part is particularly important. Public education in the United States has a strict school district division mechanism. From primary school to high school, students can only go to school in the school district where they live. Due to the differences in school funds and the quality of teachers, there are good school districts and poor school districts. The housing price of a good school district is also higher and will be more valuable.

For many China students from China, because they don't have American green card or citizenship, they usually need to choose to study in private schools. Although many English-language housing search websites have basic information about American high schools, it takes a lot of time and energy to look at various English-language websites to understand the specific situation of these schools, especially private schools.

The Choice of Housing Units in America

Houses in America can be roughly divided into single-family houses, townhouses and apartments. From the investment point of view, single-family villas are the most valuable, followed by conjoined villas and finally apartments.

Strictly speaking, apartments are not huxing, but a form of housing organization. When you buy the first two types of apartments, you buy the house and the land together, but when you buy an apartment, you only get the unit where you live, and neither the roof nor the land belongs to the buyer. Because the shared area of the apartment is relatively large, the maintenance management fee is higher than that of the conjoined villa. The community management cost of single-family villas is low, but it is relatively troublesome to mow the grass and clean the yard regularly.

The orientation and terrain of the house have a great influence on the comfort of living in the future. Property buyers who prefer feng shui can also consider it as appropriate when choosing a room type.

Choose an American broker

In the United States, buyers and sellers need the participation of licensed brokers in most transactions. The level of the broker directly affects whether you can win the house you like and the price fluctuation. A broker can be a buyer's broker or a seller's broker when serving customers. In the second-hand housing transaction in the United States, after the completion of the real estate transaction, the seller must pay the broker a commission of 6% of the transaction price, which will be shared equally by the buyer and the seller's broker. The buyer does not have to pay any commission to the broker. When choosing a brokerage firm, you generally need to pay attention to the following points:

1. Certified or not: American brokers must be certified, that is, they must pass the official examination to obtain a business license. The laws and regulations of different States are different, and the broker licenses of different States are also different. You must have a local license to sell local real estate. When choosing a broker, you must choose a licensed broker.

2. Brokerage experience: Undoubtedly, the experience of the brokerage industry is very important. When choosing a broker, you need to know the experience, experience and evaluation of the broker. You can communicate with multiple brokers and choose more experienced brokers. Brokers have their own expertise, and brokers in different regions will know more about their respective regions faster and deeper.

3. The attitude of the broker: The character of the broker, respect for the guests or not, and dedication or not can be learned from the conversation in many cases. The attitude of the broker will have an impact on whether the transaction process is smooth and pleasant, and even affect the interests of the buyer.

4. Persuasiveness of broker communication: In the process of buying a house, it is often one of the conditions for negotiation to negotiate house prices, house maintenance and other matters. A person who is unconvincing is difficult to be competent. It is not enough to talk, but also to write. Even if your agent can tell that the dead are alive, he can convince the seller's agent at once, but the seller's agent may not be able to convince the seller. At this time, your agent will give full play to her writing ability. Write down the reasons for your quotation and send an email to the seller's agent. The seller's agent only needs to print it out for the seller to see, or directly forward the mail to the seller.

Scope of services of American brokers

1. The buyer's agent represents the buyer's interests to the greatest extent and is completely loyal to you according to law. Similarly, the seller's agent represents the interests of his employer and the seller.

The buyer's agent will pre-select the property for you and provide you with a lot of relevant information about the property and its town.

3. The buyer's broker will conduct reciprocal exchanges, consultations and negotiations with the seller's broker.

The buyer's agent will help you predict the market price of the real estate you buy and help you establish a negotiation strategy for buying and selling.

The buyer's agent will help you hire all kinds of professionals, including real estate lawyers, bank loans and various housing inspection professionals. Such as building structure inspection, pest inspection, paint lead inspection, radon gas inspection, etc. According to the laws of different states, if the property required to be sold in Massachusetts needs to solve these potential problems before it can be sold. This is a law to protect the health of residents.

6. The employment contract signed by the buyer and the buyer's agent will ensure that the buyer's agent will help the employer wholeheartedly until the sale is concluded and get his labor remuneration.

7. The scope of work of American brokers is much larger than that of domestic intermediaries. In addition to the above services, buying a house may also involve the following real estate-related work:

* Acting as a mortgage loan;

* agent rent collection;

* Acting for real estate transactions;

* Acting for real estate auction;

* Acting as an auction agent for enterprises whose property value accounts for more than half.

It is worth noting that brokers are not lawyers, and they cannot provide legal advice to employers, nor can they engage in the business of property rights review. Contracts are uniformly formulated, and brokers can't draft changes at will, otherwise it will be illegal and will be punished.

Offer to buy a house

Inquire about American housing information

When you choose a satisfactory house, the next thing to do is to prepare the quotation contract.

First of all, the broker will comprehensively inquire about relevant information for you, such as the listing history, market analysis, market statistics and the government's forecast of taxable value. History of real estate listing: the number of transactions before the house, the price of each time, and when. How many days has the house been on the market this time? Has the price been lowered? The reason why the seller sells the house. If the seller's previous purchase price is low and this sale is just a question of how much money to earn, then there will be more bargaining space. If the house has just been listed, or the price has just dropped, or it is not in a hurry to sell, the bargaining space is small.

Market analysis: Because houses with similar conditions are in different lots, the house prices vary greatly, so the so-called market analysis is actually to look at the sales prices of similar houses in the same community at the same time (within 6 months). It would be ideal if we could find the same size, the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the same house in the basement. Otherwise, we have to adjust the price or go further to find a similar house.

Market statistics: The major real estate associations in the United States publish statistics on selling houses every month, one of which is the average ratio of selling price to asking price in the zip code where the house is located. Brokers will quote with reference to the average of this ratio.

The government estimates taxable value: This is the local government's valuation of houses and land in order to determine the real estate tax. Generally speaking, this data is relatively objective. In the seller's market, the buying and selling price of houses may be higher than the estimated taxable value. In the buyer's market, the buying and selling price of houses may be lower than the estimated taxable value. At the same time, in the same community, if the asking price of other houses is lower than expected in taxable value, the asking price of the house you want to buy is higher than expected in taxable value, which means that the asking price is on the high side. You can bargain with the seller on this basis.

American house purchase quotation and deposit payment

The quotation contract should also indicate the deposit. This is a sum of money given by the buyer to the buyer's agency at the same time as the quotation. If the buyer unilaterally tears up the purchase contract without justifiable reasons, the deposit will be confiscated. The more the deposit, the more sincere the buyer, and the more assured the seller. Most companies stipulate that the deposit should not be less than 5000 dollars. In order to protect their own interests, sellers will ask for a higher deposit. Generally, the fixed amount is 2% to 3% of the quotation.

Additional terms of American house purchase quotation contract

In addition to determining the quotation and deposit, the broker will also help you choose some additional terms to ensure that you can legally terminate the contract and get the deposit back when necessary. The following are commonly used additional clauses: house inspection, radon inspection and termite inspection: in the quotation contract, additional clauses of these three inspections can be attached. The validity period is usually 7 to 15 days. During the validity period, the buyer has the right to cancel the contract or ask the seller to pay the maintenance or treatment fee on the grounds that any inspection fails.

Evaluation and loan approval: two additional clauses can be attached to the quotation contract: evaluation and loan approval. The validity period is generally 15 days. However, due to the influence of subprime loans in previous years, banks are more picky, and the house valuation is lower than the contract price, which affects the loan approval. To be on the safe side, the validity of the loan approval rider can be extended to 20 days.

Matters needing attention in house inspection

House inspection is one of the indispensable additional clauses in the quotation contract. When the buyer and the seller sign a house purchase contract, the first thing the buyer does is to invite a licensed home inspector to inspect the house. The inspection fee is paid by the buyer, and the price depends on the house price, usually several hundred yuan. The higher the house price, the more expensive the testing fee. Usually, the house inspection takes about two to three hours. It is best for buyers to follow the inspector when inspecting the house, so they can learn a lot.

Step 5 Handover and Transfer

The transfer of real estate is the last step of real estate transactions in the United States, and the buyer has the right to choose a transfer custody company to ensure that the buyer obtains legal property rights. If you don't know who to look for, the agent will recommend it to you. In real estate transactions, the terms of property right transfer concluded by the buyer and the seller are handed over to the third party, that is, the transfer custody company for supervision and implementation.

The transfer custodian is an independent middleman who is responsible for keeping all funds, instructions and documents related to the transaction, including deposits, new loans and loan documents, and is a bridge for all parties to the transaction to abide by the instructions. The transfer trustee will check the history of property rights to find out that the seller really owns the property rights. The longest history is 40 to 60 years, and each state has its own regulations. If a problem is found, it must be solved before the transfer can be made.

Preparation before purchase and transfer in America

One week before the transfer, the loan buyers must implement the housing loan. If the mortgage interest rate has not been locked, it should be locked immediately, so as not to have time to handle the transfer. Also, according to the draft transfer fee list (HUD- 1) given by the transfer company, prepare the transfer fee and tell the bank when and how much it needs. A few days before the transfer, the buyer's agent will ask the seller's agent for a maintenance order for the problems found in the house inspection. General maintenance should have a 90-day warranty period, and the maintenance form can also be used as a warranty certificate. The buyer has to check the house again before the transfer. In addition to seeing that everything that needs to be repaired has been repaired, all the equipment is running normally, all the things that the seller should leave are there, and the figures of water, electricity and gas meters should be recorded.

If you find that something has not been repaired, you must negotiate with the seller when you transfer the ownership. The day before the transfer, the transfer company will give an accurate list of transfer fees, and the buyer can write a cash check in the bank according to the transfer fees on the list. A cash check can be made out to the buyer himself, or it can be written on the reverse side and paid to the transfer company when transferring money. When you transfer the ownership, you should also bring a personal check. If the actual transfer fee exceeds the cash check, you should write another personal check to make up for it.

Details of transfer fees for house purchase in America

Transfer fees consists of five parts, namely, loan-related expenses, advance payment of loan bank, withholding of intermediate account, property rights-related expenses, transfer tax and property rights registration tax. All kinds of expenses add up to 1% to 2.25% of the house price, not including the down payment of the loan. Expenses related to the loan:

1. Items that the lender requires to be paid in advance.

2. Advance one month's loan interest.

3. One year family insurance

4. Reserves deposited with lenders.

5. Withhold the housing insurance premium for two months.

6. Withhold the real estate tax for two to seven months, depending on the transfer month.

7. Costs related to property rights (property rights costs)

8. Transfer the settlement fee to the custody company

9. Property inspection fee (search)

10. Bank property insurance (the insurance scope of property rights insurance lenders)

1 1. Owner's insurance

12. Notarization and other fees

13. government registration tax and transfer fee.

14. Recording fee

15. Transfer tax/stamp duty of city/county real estate license (city/county tax/stamp duty)

16. State transfer tax (state tax/stamp duty)

17. State record tax

There will also be the word POC on the list of transfer fees, which means to pay outside the transaction, such as room inspection fees. Termite inspection fees are generally paid at the time of transfer. Home insurance can pay in advance or at the time of transfer.

American house purchase transfer information

When transferring property in the United States, you should bring valid documents, such as driver's license or ID card with photos. Foreigners carry passports. You should also bring cash checks and personal checks written by the bank. Generally, it takes one hour to transfer money, and the main thing to do is to sign and pay. Notarization of transfer shall first handle the transfer settlement form. If there is no objection, the buyer and the seller shall sign it. After signing, the buyer gives the cheque to the transfer notary, who copies all the signed documents and gives a copy to the signatory. Finally, the seller gives the key to the buyer and the house is the buyer's.