5 Tips For Buying Your First Home
Becoming a homeowner for the first time is a very exciting step in life. Of course, the buying process can be long and confusing, especially when you’ve never done it before. Here are 5 helpful tips to consider when you’re ready to buy your first home.Â
Know Your Price
As with anything, it’s a good idea to set your budget before you even start looking at homes, otherwise it’s easy to go for a home well over what you can afford. When you make an offer on a home, you are able to offer lower than the listed price, you just have to realize that the seller may not accept that offer.
Check Your Credit
When buying a home, your credit score is the main thing that will determine whether you’ll be able to get a loan or not. Check your credit beforehand and look for ways to improve it if needed.
Calculate Your Loan
Most people do not pay cash (meaning, pay the total outright) for houses. It is expected that you will have to take out a loan and make monthly payments on your mortgage, similar to how you pay a monthly car payment.
There are loan calculators out there to help you so that you can get a close estimate of what your monthly payments on your home will be. Use these ahead of time so that you aren’t caught off guard, and make sure those payments are within your budget.
Choose A Location
You likely know which city you would like to buy a home in, but do you know which specific neighborhood? These things can be very important, depending on how long you plan on staying in this home. If you have children or plan to, you’ll want to buy a home near good schools.
Homes near airports or freeways can be much less expensive than homes in more quiet areas, but is that type of noise something you can put up with? All things to consider when house hunting.Â
Consider Size
Depending on the size of your family and if you intend on growing it further or not, you may have some idea about the size of home that will meet your needs. For some people, a large yard or property is more important than a large house.
For others, garage space is paramount. Make a list of wants and needs in regards to home size. If there are certain things (such as office space for someone who works from home, for example) you cannot live without, don’t look at homes on the market that don’t have these things.Â
Congratulations on looking at buying your first home! Take your time, be patient, and have fun with it.
