5 Things To Know Before Buying A Home
Buying a new home is a big decision. After all it’s one of the largest purchases you will make. So before you jump in with both feet, pause and do your research, it’s important to understand these 5 things before you start.
- Know your credit score. Your credit score will be the deciding factor in whether or not you get approved for a loan. Your score will also effect the terms of the loan. The better the score, the better the terms.
- Know Your Expenses. There are a lot of extra expenses that go into buying and owning a home. A few things to think about: How much do you need to put down? How much are closing costs? (Both these costs will fluctuate depending on how much you’re planning to spend.) How much does it cost to have a home inspected? And we’re just getting started. Have you stopped to consider how much it will cost to hire movers?
- Know how much you want to spend. Even if you have a large nest egg saved for the down payment and the expenses you will incur when buying a home do you know how much of your paycheck you want to spend on your payment every month? If you have good credit banks may approve you for more than you are willing to spend.
- Know (or at least consider) your future. If you’re a likely candidate to get transferred in the next year now may not be the time to buy a house. A rule of thumb is that you will want to stay in your home for at least two years. That should give you enough time to recoup your expenses and sell without taking a loss. There are also tax benefits to staying a minimum of two years
- Know what you want. Do you want a condo, a townhome or a single family home? If you want a condo or a townhome have you thought about the association fees? Do you want a fixer upper? Is a yard important? Do you know anything about the neighborhood? Or where you want to live?
Knowing these 5 things before buying a new home will make the process much smoother and you’ll be happier and more confident in your home buying decision.
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