House Hunting: An exciting adventure!

Buying your new home can be an exciting adventure! Here are a few tips to help you get started from crafting your wish list to the time you receive your keys. While there are a lot of details involved, taking the right steps and making informed decisions will make your purchase go smoothly as possible.

 

Define Your 5 Must Haves

Before beginning your home search, make sure to have clearly set goals: desired neighborhoods, type of home, must-have amenities, etc. As you get into the market, you may need to be flexible on some of these requirements, but starting with a best-case list will be helpful.

 

Examine Your Finances

Before purchasing a home, it's important to make sure you have your finances under control - make a detailed budget and ensure that you have savings and reserves in place to support your home purchasing goals.

 

Get Pre-Approved

Call several mortgage lenders - you'll find differences in rates, fees, and customer service. Finding the right mortgage lender is important. Check reviews as well to make sure you're choosing someone with a track record of satisfied borrowers. A pre-approval is a must - you'll have more power as you submit offers and negotiate with sellers if you are already approved for a mortgage. Use estimated closing costs to validate you have enough money set aside for this process.

 

Hire a Real Estate Professional

Take some time to do some research here! By this point, you have a good grasp of the type of property you're looking for and the purchase price you can afford. Interview several agents to find someone who regularly sells similar homes. Again, look for social proof and check out reviews. If you're shopping with a spouse, make sure both of you agree on the agent. Home-buying can be a storm and you want a good captain that you'll both trust!