As First Time Home Buyers it is important that you become educated about the home buying process before you begin looking at any homes. By educating yourself, you will be able to avoid many of the pitfalls you may encounter throughout this detailed and complicated process. Not understanding how to avoid the pitfalls can be costly so Milestone Moves is providing these “Tips” to help you avoid making costly mistakes as you maneuver through your home buying experience so that your experience might be positive from beginning to end.
Beginning to think about buying your 1st home?
The internet has made home search much easier and fun. You can find out just about everything you would like to know about a particular home. But before you can narrow down your search, you must do 2 important things first:
- You must find out “how much home you can afford” then
- Select an agent to show you the homes that meet the criteria you have set as your “must haves” vs. your “would love to have.”
Following is a list of the Steps that will help you through to your new home and should help the process go smoothly.
Steps of the home buying process
Talk to a Mortgage Lender – to learn how much home you can afford. It can be very disappointing to be looking at homes that are higher priced than your budget will allow.
Talk to 2 or 3 lenders, and choose someone locally and with a good reputation. Request a Good Faith Estimate from each of them so you can compare necessary fees and “junk” fees that individual lenders charge. Many of these fees are negotiable. Mortgage Interest rate is not everything, the fees can make the final closing costs vary greatly.
Pre-qualifying vs. complete loan application. Many people like to complete the loan application process at this point because when you make an offer the only thing remaining to do is to get the home appraised and it makes your offer stronger when making an Offer to Purchase the home you have chosen.
- Choosing the right Real Estate Agent – Making the right choice can mean the difference between having a wonderfully positive experience vs. a very stressful and less-than-positive experience. An Exclusive Buyers Agent works for an Exclusive Buyer Only Agency never works with sellers and does not list homes for sale. Therefore, you are receiving 100% representation and 100% loyalty with never a chance for a conflict of interest.
- Beginning your Home Search – First, try to narrow down the location you wish to live. You should already know your price range, so you might begin searching for homes in the price range and location on the internet. You may want to drive by some of the homes before asking your Real Estate Agent to show you the homes, as pictures can be deceiving. Be sure to look at several homes to make comparisons before making your final decision. If you fall in love with the first home you see, still view several others to be sure. Different areas may give you more homes for your money, so you may want to broaden your location requirements. First-time buyers are often surprised and disappointed in the amount of house you can get for your money.
As first-time home buyers, don’t expect to find your ultimate “dream home.” Your first home may need to be a starter home. If you are picturing your “dream” home, you may have a difficult time finding a home. Your Agent can be a great help in advising you on the realities of the current Real Estate Market and what you might find in your price range.
- Write the Offer to Purchase and go to Contract
- Make a loan application.
- Have the home inspected
- Get the required repairs completed
- Schedule movers and utilities
- Order Homeowners or Hazard Insurance
- Order Home Warranty
- Review the HUD or Closing Statement for accuracy
- Get a Certified Check for the funds needed for closing
- Perform a final walk-through of the home
- Go to Closing
- Move into your new Home!!!
