First time home buyers

I get a lot of questions from people wanting to know what they should ask, hopefully their expert educates them before they start.

The To-Do List

The process starts with finding out what buyers can afford, and that is where many first-timers are led astray.

recently helped a man who used a website that calculated what he could afford, and the result was far off base, higher than he could actually pay. Consumers need to do research and find out exactly how to improve their credit to be approved for a loan. The first check on any first-time buyer's to-do list is to visit a lender and find out exactly they can afford. The next is to visit another. And possibly another. Different lenders have different ideas and different ways of interacting with customers.

The market has changed. Early this year almost anyone could get a house they couldn't afford. Now, the market is adjusting, and there are more harsh requirements to being approved for a loan, including a stronger examination of credit, demonstrated proof the buyer is able to make the payments and enough money in the bank. That means more lenders have to say "no" to some new buyers.

(I've seen) a lot of people who come and ask if they can buy, I am doing a lot of counseling these days. I'm an uncertified financial counselor."

The counseling comes because many do not understand what the market now requires of first-time buyers.

The buyer needs to make sure they understand from a lender what that buyer needs to do to be able to buy a home, Do they need to save more money, do they need to pay off a bill, do they need to stop opening new accounts? Things like that.

For a while there no one had to get ready, no one had to have money in the bank, no one had to have the down payment, Everyone got used to that. Obviously that wasn't a good way for things to be. It was a little too lenient but now we are back to the basics.

Someone with great credit can start paying 3% down. As credit worsens, the payment increases drastically. Someone with poor credit could have to pay 20%, or not receive a loan at all.

Because interest rates are so low right now, you have a good chance at getting a monthly payment for so low,  It is a great time to be a first-time buyer in that home prices have dropped and interest rates are so low.

As of last week, 7,880 homes were on sale in the county, a 4% drop from last year, according to statistics provided by Windermere Real Estate.

There are options available for first-time buyers. The federal housing tax credit for first-time buyers, enacted this summer to stimulate the housing market, offers a $7,500 loan for a first-time buyer to help pay a down payment. But the program expires Oct. 1, so those in the market now might be the only ones who benefit.
Options are there, but the biggest hurdle is being properly prepared