Article Excerpt from Yahoo! Finance: (http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/mortgage/100252)

A 20 percent down payment can also be described as a borrower having equity in the property of 20 percent. In the future, equity in the property is measured by the difference between the current value of the property and the current loan balance, both of which are likely to differ from their values at the time of purchase.

One reason the down payment is so important is that it is the single most vital factor affecting loss to the lender. The down payment is a buffer against lender loss in the event of a foreclosure. For example, if foreclosure costs are 20 percent of value and property value does not change, a 20 percent down payment fully protects a foreclosing lender against loss, but a 10 percent down payment provides only partial protection.

Perhaps even more important, borrowers who get into payment difficulties but have equity in their properties usually will sell to avoid foreclosure. By selling, they realize the equity themselves, whereas if they allow the property to go to foreclosure the equity will be partially or wholly depleted by foreclosure costs. Their selling avoids the foreclosure.

Find the best prices on Garden City Beach real estate at Hall Realty and Investment Company.

Hall Realty and Investment Company has been offering quality real estate in Garden City Beach for over 40 years. Hall Realty has the resources to help you find real estate property that fit your budget and your needs. If you are more interested in a vacation rental, Hall Realty also has available properties to offer for your escape into South Carolina’s famous Lowcountry.

Trying to find the right Garden City Beach real estate for you and/or your family is a hard decision. While a Garden City Beach realtor has the expertise in finding homes they're not an expert in identifying the right location and type of home for you. Environmental psychologists specialize in this area. "Environmental psychology examines the interrelationship between environments and human behavior."

An environmental psychologist will help identity the type of location and home for you and your family. This can be accomplished by learning your personality and habits through observing your behavior and lifestyle at home and possibly work. Your current home will provide the environmental psychologist with such information as to your lifestyle and things that are important to you. For example, perhaps you work the late shift; a home in a quiet neighborhood would be preferred. People who need or enjoy natural light may prefer a home with many windows and a southeast to east facing room/bedroom for optimal morning sunlight. Someone who plans to have children at some point while living in the new home may want to consider a family neighborhood with good schools, lower traffic, and parks. A home with many family/friend pictures may propose that they would like to live close to family/friends or that they like to have family/friends visit and therefore should consider a home with an extra room for guests. The environmental psychologist will help you identity your needs and then you will be able to pass them on to a realtor to find your perfect home.

People tend to unconsciously prioritize their environment into the first, second, and third territories. The environmental psychologist will help to discover which environments are important to you and this will help find the right location and home for your needs. For example, you may consciously or unconsciously consider your bedroom to be the most important place of your home, then the living room, and then the dining room. This information will help you to find a home whose rooms suit your wants. Another person may feel that the community is their "home" and first priority, their living room the second, and backyard is third. They may or may not have realized it until an environmental psychologist pointed that out. Then they and their realtor will be able to make informed decisions and purchase that perfect home.

Contact Hall Realty and Investment Company about finding an environmental psychologist and the perfect home for you.