When people are looking to relocate, home prices are often the first area they research. These home shoppers would be pleased to find that Murfreesboro, Tennessee was recently featured on Money Magazine’s 2010 “Best Places to Live” list at No. 20 for its home affordability.

According to the Nashville Business Journal, the median home price in Murfreesboro is $141,000 and the population is 101,000. Money Magazine looked at 25 cities with populations similar to Murfreesboro’s, but this Tennessee town was the only one in the state to make the cut.

If you’re considering purchasing a new home in Tennessee, Murfreesboro is a great place to start looking. But remember, homebuyers often face hardships, difficult decisions and planning problems when searching for the perfect property.

Avoid these top 5 homebuyer mistakes if you’re getting ready to take the plunge.

1. Not doing your research.
Give yourself a leg up by thoroughly researching – and requesting your realtor do the same – the property you’re looking at, the surrounding homes, community and schools. Don’t walk blindly into buying a house because it’s likely unexpected issues will arise.

2. Not understanding pricing.
Not understanding pricing leads home buyers into all sorts of binds. Paying too much for a house, not selecting the mortgage that’s right for them, losing a house to another bidder and underestimating closing costs are all problems a home buyer might face if they don’t have a clear grasp on the pricing process involved with purchasing a home.

3. Falling in love.
Falling in love with a house is one of the worst things potential buyers can do. Being emotionally involved could lead you into buying a house that might have little resale value later. Or, it could encourage you to rush into decisions, like buying a house that’s too small, too quirky or near unattractive features like commercial property, utility access panels or drainage easements.

4. Not hiring a professional realtor and professional home inspector.
The more experienced your team, the better the home buying process will go. Be sure your realtor is competent and practiced. Ensure that a professional home inspector thoroughly reviews and records the pros and cons of your hopefully new home.

5. Delivering non – refundable earnest money.
Your realtor should never recommend you do this. If the home inspection, financing plans and final details of the home closing start to veer off course, you’ll want to have a grace period built in that allows you to withdraw your earnest money and look elsewhere for a new home.

Give yourself all the chances for success by avoiding these top home buying mistakes. As always, having a reputable realtor by your side to help answer questions, make appointments and give advice is one of the best ways to make purchasing a new home a breeze. An affordable one if you’re moving to Murfreesboro.

Summer time is cleaning time for many homeowners and the first step to a deep clean is a purging. Everyone is a collector at some level, keeping items they have little use for, cluttering tabletops and cabinets with excess knick-knacks and dishware.

It it’s time for a de–cluttering session at your house, a yard sale might be in order. Don’t take the task lightly, however, hosting a yard sale is a challenging course to take. There are some must–dos and some should–dos that can make the process a little easier for you.

• Advertise, advertise, advertise. According to ABC News, a lack of advertisement is the downfall of most yard sales. Go viral, ABC says, and place ads in local newspapers, on Craigslist and yard sale listing Web sites. Put up balloons and largely printed, legible signs at the entrance of neighborhoods. Draw attention to your home on the day of with streamers, balloons and bright colors.

Be sure to check with local authorities so you’ll understand where you can and where you cannot place advertisement signs for your yard sale.

• Lure shoppers with entertainment and freebies. Setting up a table with light snacks and lemonade is a great way draw for shoppers. If you have a buddy who doesn’t mind firing up a grill, offer hot dogs. Candy for children helps keep the little ones distracted while Mommy shops around.

  Have music playing and work to maintain an upbeat, spirited atmosphere.

• Know how to price. Don’t put off shoppers by overpricing, but price a little high with the understanding that you’ll come down easily. Let the shopper win the negotiation without excessive effort – too much haggling will make people leave in a hurry.
• Price in sections and by bags. Have bags of items – both related and unrelated – that you sell for a flat rate. For example, if you have a million baby bibs, some old books and a set of tea light holders, toss some of the items in a bag, add a ribbon and charge something moderate, like $5. It’s a deal for the buyer and you get rid of more stuff than you would have if you priced individually.

Also, by pricing in sections, you can draw shoppers to the area they’ll likely spend the most money and are most interested in browsing. Furniture in one place, clothes in one place, books in another, kitchenware in yet another.

• For your sanity’s sake, arrange to have a donation truck come to pick up the leftovers at the end of the day, recommends ABC. You’ll be exhausted and overwhelmed by the close of a long, hot yard sale day. The last think you’ll want to do is load belongings and make several trips to the local donation center.

Yard sales are fun, lucrative and engaging for the entire community. But they’re also very hard work if you want them to go well. So be prepared, price well and advertise thoroughly to encourage yard sale success.