First Time Buyers
Congratulations on your decision to buy a home! You may feel both excited and a little overwhelmed right now, but rest assured, becoming a homeowner can be one of the best decisions you can make for yourself from both a personal and financial point of view!
In addition to my “for buyers” page on my website, I wanted to devote a special page to first-time homeowners. Where should you start?
1. Get your credit report checked well in advance of when you are looking to buy. It doesn’t cost you anything and may avoid some surprises down the road when applying for your mortgage and give you time to fix any errors. For a no-frills way to check your credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com – this site allows you to check for free.
2. Get pre-approved for a mortgage (not just “pre-qualified”) before you start looking. This will allow you to know exactly the price of house you can afford and will make any offer you make on a home much stronger. If you need some assistance in finding a mortgage professional, contact me and I can provide a few names. A mortgage professional will be able to educate you on all the ins and outs of mortgages and also present to you any programs out there for first time buyers.
3. Find a Realtor to work with as your buyer’s agent. In the overwhelming majority of cases, it doesn’t cost you anything out of pocket to have a Realtor working for you as your buyer’s agent!! Why? Because the seller of a home pays all agent commissions! That way you will also have someone to negotiate on your behalf and look out for your best interests in your quest to find the perfect home! If you have questions about how buyer’s agency works, contact me and I’d be happy to explain further.
4. Go out with your Realtor and find the perfect home!!
Here are a few web resources I’ve found that I felt were useful for first time buyers:
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Tax information, compliments of our friends at the IRS
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The How Stuff Works website has a great description of the home buying process from start to finish
Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. If you have a particular home or area in general picked out, I’d be happy to work with you as your Buyer’s Agent! By filling out the form below, you can give me an idea of the type of home you are looking for, and I can send you further details. Thanks for visiting my page for first time buyers and I hope we can work together in your quest to find your first home !!
