10 Great Tips For Home Buyers
If you are thinking about buying a home here in Stanislaus County (or anywhere else for that matter) here are some tips to help you get into your new home.
1. Be Picky, but not unrealistic. Know what you want but realize that there is no perfect home.
2. Do your homework before you start looking. Figure out what features you 
want in a home and which are most important to you.
3. Get approved for your loan. Talk to a lender and get approved for your mortgage BEFORE you start looking at homes. You can't make an offer without an approval letter.
4. Get your finances in order. Review your credit report and make sure you have enough money to cover your down payment and closing costs.
5. Don't ask too many people for opinions. This will drive you (and your agent) crazy. Getting advice from someone that may not have bought a home in the last 10 years is probably not going to be the best advice for today's market.
6. Decide when you can or need to move. If you are renting when is your lease up or can you sublet? If you are a home owner do you need to sell your current home? If so is it listed yet?
7. Think about your future. Is this going to be your first home? Do you think you will need to move again in a couple of years or is this going to be long term? This should help you decide what type of home you want and even what type of loan you are going to get.
8. Don't become "House poor". Are you considering buying the absolute maximum house you can afford? That might not be the best idea. After you make your mortgage payment and pay your other bills will you have enough left over to make any unexpected repairs to the house? How about a vacation or a weekend getaway every now and then? You don't
want to be completely tied to your home because you can't afford to do anything else.
9. Get a home inspection. Every buyer has the right to have a home inspection, even on new construction. Depending on the current market you might even get the seller to pay for it. Remember you can inspect more than just the home.
10. Get professional help. Hire a Realtor as your representative. A Realtor is a trained professional and will be there for you every step of the way. Of course I recommend that you call me, Jim Patton, at 209-404-0816 to get your home buying process started.
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