Thinking about becoming a homeowner and buying your first home?
Purchasing a home is time consuming, with many steps and moving parts involved. It’s important that you’re prepared, to make the process as painless as possible.
Here are the steps you should follow when shopping for your first home:
Find a Good Real Estate Agent
If you’re thinking about purchasing your very first property, I’d suggest finding a trustworthy and experienced real estate agent to work with before anything else. Buying a home may feel intimidating, but that’s what I’m here for! I’ll help take the stress out of the process and guide you through all of the following steps. Not to mention, as a buyer you’ve got nothing to lose- a realtor’s service is free to you! Sellers are the ones who cover real estate commission costs.
Organize your Finances
Before we begin the home search, we should sit down and get your finances in order to help us figure out what you can realistically afford. When doing this, there are many things to consider including your annual income, accumulated debt & assets, credit score, savings and tax returns.
Once we have your finances organized and a good idea of what budget you’re working with, I can set you up to meet with a trusted lender to get started on the mortgage process.
Get Prequalified and Preapproved for a Mortgage
This step will set you up with a conditional loan, and as long as your circumstances don’t change, you’ll know exactly what type of mortgage you qualify for.
Taking care of this step ahead of time also makes your offer more persuasive- your word will carry more weight with sellers if you can prove you have the means to back it up.
Start the Home Search
Now that we know exactly what your price range is, we can get started on the fun part- touring homes. This is where my knowledge of the market and the neighborhoods in the area will come in handy.
Once I know exactly what you’re looking for, I can reach out to my contacts and set up some showings. We’ll be well on our way to finding you your perfect match.
Negotiation & Offer Time
After assessing your options and your heart’s set on the perfect property, we can get down to business. I’ll assess the neighborhood, the condition of the home and other homes for sale in the area, and then we can set an offer.
After we make our first offer, I’ll negotiate on your behalf. I’ll work as your middleman making sure emotions stay out of the equation and we end up with a fair price and terms you’re happy with.
Take Care of the Last Details
When both parties (you and the seller) are in agreement, we can get to wrapping up the deal.
Here’s when all the legal work, home inspection and appraisal, insurance, one last walkthrough and all the final paperwork comes in. Don’t worry, I’ll be there through it all!
It’s Closing Time!
Break out the champagne, a celebration is in order!
This is the day that the contracts will be read and signed, keys and titles will be exchanged and you will finally be a first-time homeowner!
Makes all the work seem worth it, doesn’t it?
Feeling ready for the wonderful world of homeownership? Contact me today to start the steps in this process!
