Buying a home is a big step! Whether you're buying your first home, your dream home, or your tenth investment property, yours will be a big investment. We know how important this is to you, and we have an army of experts to make sure we find the perfect property for your unique circumstances. We know the market and love real estate, and we'll educate you throughout the buying experience.
Finding the perfect property is just one way we can help you with your real estate purchase. As real estate agents, we have ongoing access to experts in every related field from lending to relocation.
Make sure you can commit to remaining in one place for at least a few years. When looking at areas of interest, take into consideration your job and commute time, school district, distance from loved ones and any other factors that are important to you.
Since you are likely to need a mortgage to buy a house, make sure your credit history is as clean as possible.
Ask for a copy of your credit report and correct any inaccuracies before you begin house-hunting.
Aim for a house you can afford.
The rule of thumb is that you can pay for a house that is two-and-one-half times your annual salary.
Getting pre-approved by a lender will ensure that you are looking at houses in the right price range.
When making an offer on a house, your opening bid should be based on the sales trend of other homes in the neighborhood. Use a Comparable Market Analysis of homes sold in the last three months.
If homes are selling five percent below the asking price, then make your offer five to ten percent below the listing price.
Even though your lender will require a home appraisal in order to determine the worth of the property, you should hire your own home inspector, preferably an engineer with experience in doing home surveys in the area where you are buying.
This will establish whether or not there are any problems that would require costly repairs.