Trying to buy your first home can be a very overwhelming and stressful process, I mean you have never done this before, and as a first-time buyer, you would want to get the best home possible. This is an enormous step in your life which you do not want to take very lightly, and at the same time, you do not want to have sleepless nights wondering if you would find the right home for the right price and, would you still love this home after a year or two? These are all valid questions, but in order not to stress yourself, here are six steps to buying a home.
- Prepare Documents – Most, if not all real estate agents would not work with a client who has not been pre-approved for a mortgage. This is a major key in wanting to buy a home, as this enables you to know how much you can afford to purchase a house and this is also an excellent way to know your credit score, as it would be taken into great consideration before you get approved for a mortgage.
- Find the Right Agent – while most people think having a real estate agent is not very important when buying a home. There are very many significant advantages to having one especially a real estate agent such as myself who is in your community. Real estate agents know who to meet in a particular community to get information and to even help carry out renovations on your new home at a very cheap rate. Never underestimate the need for a real estate agent.
- Find the Right Lender – as most contracts in the real estate market include a mortgage contingency; time is a major factor here as you want to get the loan before the deadline to secure the loan. Not securing the loan can mean you would not be able to buy a home, so try a much as possible to please your lender and get the loan as soon as possible.
- Find the Perfect Home – after getting both a real estate agent and the loan you desire, tell your agent exactly the type of home you need, give them the details clearly and vividly and also take your budget into consideration. If you, however, find a home or wish to buy a particular house you have seen before, give all the details to your agent and they would set up a showing for you. You can even visit open houses to see different homes and the one which suits you best. Take the appropriate time you need to select a home; there is no rush.
- Make an Offer – when you find exactly what you are looking for, it would be time to make an offer. However, talk things over first with your agent as a good agent would check market statistics in that area or region and this can get you to save a lot of money especially if houses in that area are not being sold for top dollar. Evidently, the price would not be the same price the seller would want, so expect some counteroffers before both of you hopefully settle on an agreeable price.
- Closing – Set a date maybe three to four weeks away, after coming to an agreement on the price, which would be the closing day for the transaction. On the closing day, in particular, visit the home one last time and check it out for yourself, check for any hidden damages or other problems which were not evident before. If all is well then that is perfect, finalize the deal by signing all the contracts with the title company and as simple as that you have your home.