When buying a home, it never hurts to have some help in the process. It can be extremely overwhelming and there are a lot of things the average person may be unfamiliar with, especially first-time buyers. We’ve compiled a few easy tips that are sure to help out anyone looking to buy a home, specifically those new to the process.
First things first, hire an agent. Without a buyer, you will be sifting through thousands of houses online, trying to find a home available with the aspects you’re looking for at a good price. With an agent, you can let them know what you want in your home, your budget, and the area you’d like to live in and let them find houses that best fit your criteria. They even have early access to homes that are not yet listed on sites such as Zillow. Another advantage is price checking. Because they know the area, they’ll be able to let you know when a home is overpriced and help with negotiation.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with house tours. Stick to a maximum of six homes per touring day- any more may leave you feeling burnt out or even confused. Our advice when it comes to touring is to do your research beforehand. Don’t waste your time touring homes that don’t fit your criteria.
Have a good understanding of how much home you can actually buy. This has to do with your income level, debt, and your personal comfort zone spending-wise. You can check out Realtor.com’s Home Affordability Calculator to get a good idea. Secondly, if you’re taking out a loan, get preapproved. A lot of times, sellers won’t even consider offers from people they aren’t sure can get a loan.
Get a home inspection! This is vitally important because it will bring your attention to any flaws you may not have noticed otherwise, such as poor structuring, insulation issues, or piping problems. Since sellers are generally not required to fix these issues, you should always get a home inspection before you sign a binding contract on a house. However, if you put in a request for repair before signing, the seller may agree to fix certain problems in order to close the sale.
All in all, do your research and go into your home search prepared. Not only will this save you a lot of time and stress, but it can also save you a lot of money by avoiding potential mistakes. Please reach out to us for any advice and expertise to help with your home-buying journey!
