So you have decided you want to buy a house, where to start? By following these recommended steps you can save yourself and your agent wasted time and aggravation.
1.) Get pre-qualified by the bank or a mortgage broker
There is nothing worse than falling in love with homes that are outside of your price range. It sets up unrealistic expectations and you will be comparing the homes you actually can afford to the out of reach ones. Of course they won't hold up, leaving you defeated and deflated.
2.) Where do you want to live? Close to work, in a certain school district, near family? These are important questions to ask yourself before beginning your search. Remember your price point and get as close as you can to your desired area.
3.) Look for an agent that knows the area you are interested in. She or he can guide you to the best property matches by your criteria and price range. They will be familiar with the price trends in the neighborhood and should be able to negotiate the best possible price for you.
4.) When you meet your agent for the first time, don't hold back. We need to know exactly what you want or think you want to be able to locate it. If you see a feature in a home that blows you away, tell us, don't hide it. It will help us to narrow down the absolute best home for you. That is the ultimate goal for both of us.
5.) Be realistic in your offer. When you find that perfect home, your agent will study the comparable sales and present them to you. It's up to you to choose the starting price. Sometimes coming in at a totally unrealistic price won't even get you a counter offer and you are no closer to purchasing that dream home than the first time you viewed it. Everyone wants a deal, but remember to stay real. This will get you the best price on the home 9 out of 10 times.
6.) Next comes the official loan application, home and pest inspections, the appraisal and any other inspections required, local to your area. This is where choosing the right agent really comes in handy. Your agent will have a network of people to perform these tasks for you. Make sure everything about the home has been checked out to your satisfaction. You will be the one paying for and living in it!
7.) You are almost ready for closing day! Your insurance should be in place, utilities changed to your name for closing day. You will do a pre-closing inspection/walk through to make sure the home looks the same as when you made your offer, and that any repairs required before closing have been taken care of.
8.) You are an official homeowner, Congratulations!
Janet Thomas, Broker
Venice Hometown Realty, LLC
212 Palermo Place
Venice, FL 34285
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