3 Tips For Buying Your First Home

Posted on: 30 January 2017

If you recently decided that it's finally time to become a homeowner, you are no doubt excited to head out and go house hunting. That said, you may quickly find that buying a home requires a lot of research in order to get what you really want. In order to make this process go as smoothly as possible, there are a few things you can do to make your life easier before you even visit your first house. Here are 3 tips to follow once you've decided to buy your own home.

Get Pre-Approved

If you want to streamline your house shopping experience, the first stop you make should be not to a local realtor but instead to your local bank. You need to figure out what your budget is and see how much the bank will approve you for. Doing so may allow you to then head into a realtor's office with a preapproval letter, which will help narrow down the list of potential homes. Getting pre-approved can also give you a sense of confidence once you are actually touring houses since you'll have the peace of mind of knowing that you have the financial clout needed to get the house you want.

Focus on the Neighborhood

Simply going online or browsing a book to look at photos of houses can be fun, but it might not tell you much about what it would be like to actually live there. A large part of finding the right house for you and your family is finding the right neighborhood. In other words, that backyard patio or hot tub isn't going to seem that great to you if you find out that the neighborhood you are in isn't that great for your children. Find a few neighborhoods with the vibe and amenities that you desire, and only then start to look for houses within those areas.

Make a Checklist of Needs and Wants

Before you head out for your first tour, sit down with the rest of your family and your realtor and discuss what you want in your home. It can help to actually spell it out on paper in the form of a checklist. Then, as you tour, you can take the checklist with you and note what each home does and does not have. If you don't find a house that immediately blows you away, these detailed notes can serve as a great decision making tool when you finally are ready to pull the trigger.

When buying your first home, it can be helpful to go to the bank and get pre-approved before you make any other decisions. Then, narrow down the list of potential homes by seeking out a few neighborhoods that meet your requirements. Only then should you start comparing each individual house according to your needs and wants. Talk to your realtor today for more information.

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