Читать книгу Do As I Say, Not As I Did - Michael N Marcus - Страница 31

•Think very carefully before agreeing to a free trial membership in a service. If you don’t like it or don’t think it’s worthwhile you may forget to cancel it by the deadline and incur ongoing expenses.

•Read stores’ return policies carefully. They may not be as generous as they seem. There may be restrictions or exclusions, such as Staples’ 14-day limit on “Technology and Business Machines.” Returning merchandise is particularly easy at Costco and L. L. Bean. Sam’s Club can be tough if you do not have the receipt.

•If you’re going to move to a new community, particularly if the move is because of a new job, don’t rush to buy a house right away. Rent for a while. You may find that you hate the new city or your new job.

•Even if you like the city and the job is wonderful it’s nice to have a year to learn about your residential options rather than listen to real estate agents’ fevered pitches.

•If you find a home you really like, visit it several times at different parts of the day. Maybe there’s a really loud train whistle at four in the morning, or blinding sun glare in the kitchen window every afternoon, or a bad smell from a factory at night.

•Many factors affect whether it’s better to buy or rent a home, but buying usually becomes better the longer you stay because the initial costs can be spread out over the years and the value of the property may increase.

•Balloon mortgages and adjustable mortgages can be disastrous unless you are a perfect predictor of future events.