TIPS FOR 1ST TIME BUYERS BUYING A HOME IN RALEIGH, CARY, DURHAM. CHAPEL HILL, & TRIANGLE NC
As First Time Home Buyers it is important that you become educated about the home buying process BEFORE you begin looking at any homes. By educating yourself you will be able to avoid many of the pitfalls you may encounter throughout this detailed and complicated process. Not understanding how to avoid the pitfalls can be costly so Milestone Moves is providing these “Tips” to help you avoid making costly mistakes as you maneuver through your home buying experience so that your experience might be positive from beginning to end.
Beginning to think about buying your 1st home?
The internet has made home search much easier and fun. You can find out just about everything you would like to know about a particular home. But before you can narrow down your search, you must do 2 important things first:
- You must find out “how much home you can afford” then
- Select an agent to show you the homes that meet the criteria you have set as your “must haves” vs. your “would love to haves.”
Following is a list of the Steps that will help you through to your new home and should help the process go smoothly.
STEPS IN THE HOME BUYING PROCESS
Talk to a Mortgage Lender – to learn how much home you can afford. It can be very disappointing to be looking at homes that are higher priced than your budget will allow.
Talk to 2 or 3 lenders, and choose someone locally and with a good reputation. Request a Good Faith Estimate from each of them so you can compare necessary fees and “junk” fees that individual lenders charge. Many of these fees are negotiable. Mortgage Interest rate is not everything, the fees can make the final closing costs vary greatly.
Pre-qualifying vs. complete loan application. Many people like to complete the loan application process at this point because when you make an offer the only thing remaining to do is to get the home appraised and it makes your offer stronger when making an Offer to Purchase the home you have chosen.
- Choosing the right Real Estate Agent – Working with Milestone Moves Realty can mean the difference between having a wonderfully positive experience vs. a very stressful and less-than-positive experience.
- Beginning your Home Search – We will help you to narrow down the location you wish to live. Many first-time homebuyers find the process to be a daunting task. Deciding on a lender, keeping all the houses straight, and understanding the documents often feel time-consuming and complicated. And that is just the beginning. Once you decide to make an offer, navigating the approval process can be baffling.
As first-time home buyers, don’t expect to find your ultimate “dream home.” Your first home may need to be a starter home. If you are picturing your “dream” home, you may have a difficult time finding a home. Your Agent can be a great help in advising you on the realities of the current Real Estate Market and what you might find in your price range.
- Write the Offer to Purchase and go to Contract
- Make Loan Application
- Have the home inspected
- Get the required repairs completed
- Schedule movers & utilities
- Order Homeowners or Hazard Insurance
- Order Home Warranty
- Review the HUD or Closing Statement for accuracy
- Get a Certified Check for the funds needed for closing
- Perform a final walk-through of the home
- Go to Closing
- Move into your new Home!!!
