Buying a Home

Purchasing your first home or any home is a huge investment that comes with some very serious decisions. Many people are intimidated by the process, and continue renting much longer than they should. Breaking down the home buying process down into these simple steps will make it all more manageable.

1) Get pre-qualified

Pre-qualification is a very important step, and the step that first time home buyers dread the most. Qualifying to buy a home is easy and it doesn’t require much work from you.  When you are pre-qualified, you have more buying power and it allows you to make the offer as soon as you find the home you want.  When you get pre-qualified, you will also know how much “per month” cost to expect.

2) Consult with a Realtor®

Buying and selling real estate may seem easy but it is actually quite complex.  You may have found a few homes you like online but sometimes all of the information is not available and there is more to the property than meets the eye.  When you have a Realtor®, they will provide you with the facts pertaining to the property and assist you with everything along the way from finding your home to closing.  Every transaction is different and the contract terms, financing options, inspection requirements and closing costs vary.  A Realtor® will guide and educate you through the buying process.

3) Decide on your “must haves”

Decide on what you “must have” in your home.  These will include items like the number of bedrooms, price, school district, size, and proximity to work. Then, you can move on to your lists of items that you would like to have in your home but aren’t necessary.  Maybe you have an idea about flooring, countertops, appliances, yard size, pool and maybe the type of contruction.  This will give your agent a place to start when they begin their search.

4) Decide on a location or area

You can’t change a house’s location so this will be a very important decision before you begin looking.  Most of the time home buyers have a good idea of where they would like to live because of various factors but neighborhoods can be different even if they are in the same area or vicinity.  Drive around and get a good feel for your surroundings.  Are there many for sale signs?  Sometimes this is an indicator that there is something negative going on in the neighborhood.  Ask around and find out more about the different areas.  Your agent will be able to provide some insight about about each neighborhood and they are also able to provide you with statistics, school zones, homeowner association information, area information and recently sold, active or pending properties.

5) Make a decision

Sometimes people hesitate on whether or not they have found the right home and often times they waste too much time and when they finally make the decision, the home is off the market.  If you feel like this is the one, there are clauses that can be added in the contract in order to buy you a little time for a more thorough inspection of the property.  This may provide you with a higher comfort level.