First Time Home Buyer

First Time Home Buyers

Buying a home gets more complicated every year!
You have just starting to think about BUYING a HOME.
What now?  What’s the first step?

How much can I afford to pay? – Just because you are pre-approved to buy a house at the top of your range,
doesn’t mean you should.  It’s smart to make sure your monthly mortgage payment is an amount
that your comfortable with.

Do I have to use a Real Estate Agent?  Won’t I save money if I just call the broker on the sign? – “YES, you should have a real estate agent
and no, calling the broker on the sign of every home you want to see will not save you money.
Your agent will be your educator & advocate before, during, and after the home buying process.
Your agent is also a valuable resource for finding many of the other members of your team. Yes, I said team.  It takes a Team of qualified
knowledgeable people to purchase a home.  Finding an agent you like and one that is qualified will save you lots of time and heartache.

If I can afford my rent I should be able to buy a home for the same monthly amount, right? – Not neccesarily.  You must sit with a mortgage
broker and be pre-qualified.  They will run your credit and go over your numbers and based on all the figures, your credit score, etc.,
they will let you know what price range would be best for you to be looking for a home in.
Look at available homes with open eyes and an open mind, and evaluate each one as thoroughly as possible.
Think about the next 5 years, is this home big enough?  Will it be too big in 5 years?

Does location really matter if we LOVE the house? – Location, location, location.
What’s your job commute going to be like? Is the traffic heavy or light at the times of day you’ll be on the road?

 How’s the school district? Even if you don’t have kids, the quality of the school district affects your home’s value, so it pays to find out.
 Is there much crime?  How convenient are shopping centers, libraries, churches and so on?  Watching TV shows like HGTV
can also help to give you ideas on Buying.  Sometimes making a WISH LIST can be a good idea as long as you are flexiable
about what your MUST HAVES are.  Usually you can’t get everything you wish for in your first property.

Buyer Overview