Many people want to buy their own home, but many people are unsure of how to go about it. This article will provide helpful information on the process of buying a home.
Buying a house is a big deal, and it can be a lot to consider, especially if you are a first-time buyer.
When you are searching the web it is your goal to find helpful articles that would guide you through the home buying process and eventually help you to decide whether or not if buying a house is the best option for you.
So tell me how do you buy a home? I’m glad you ask. There are simple steps to follow and in the following paragraphs, you will learn and understand what these steps are.
The Basics of Your Home-Buying Process
Now let’s get down to the basics. The first thing you want to do is make sure you understand where you want to move to.
One key thing to do is write this down in your phone notes on three areas that see yourself living in.
The reason you do this is that it helps to narrow down your home searches.
To ensure that you are finding what you want. Having a stealth mindset will go a long way.
Another thing you want to do is you can check websites for neighborhood schools and crimes.
If you would like to find out information about schools. A good website to use for information about schools is Schooldigger.com.
Schooldigger.com is a great website for information about schools. It has compiled a database of 9,000 public and private schools in the United States.
You can find detailed profiles on each school or program including student-teacher ratios, average SAT scores, acceptance rates, and more.
This helps you to decide whether or not you want to put an area on your list when you are searching for places to buy your home in.
Another thing that might be helpful to you when you are searching for a home or area is to check the crime status.
I good website to go view crime status would be spotcrime.com
Spotcrime.com is a great website to go see the crime status in an area.
This site has detailed information on crime statistics, including recent crimes, historical crimes, and past arrests.
The user can search for specific crimes, like burglaries or robberies based on date or location.
Once you have gathered all of this information, you are better equipped to decide where you want to head.
The Eligibility Requirements for One to Get a Mortgage
Mortgage requirements are something that lenders evaluate to see if someone can get a mortgage. The eligibility requirements typically help the lender to figure out whether the person is capable of paying off the loan.
Some of these requirements are income, credit score, debt-to-income ratio, and down payment. Other than this, there are also cash reserves and employment stability criteria. Eligibility for a mortgage is usually determined by whether the applicant satisfies all these criteria or not.
Important Note: One thing you must do when you are purchasing a home is it very important that you make sure you don’t do anything to mess up your credit report.
You do not want to buy a car or go out and get new credit cards when you are trying to buy your home.
If you are approved for a loan. You want to make sure that your credit remains the same thru the closing. After you close on your home. You can then do all the other things you want to do.
How to Secure the Best Possible Closing Cost for Your Home-buying Needs
One of the most overlooked aspects of the home buying process is the lender closing cost. When you are shopping around for the best mortgage.
Something you want to ask is what is the typical amount for closing cost.
How much does closing cost on a home cost?
The cost of closing on a home varies depending on the following factors: the type of loan and what lender you using.
The average closing costs for a home are between 1-6% of the purchase price.
A good rule of thumb would be to ask your loan officer what is there an average closing cost?
How to figure out this number?
To figure out your closing cost follow the following example:
If you are in the market to purchase a home for $550,000, the easiest way to figure out your closing cost would be to take $550,000 and multiply by the percent your lender gives you.
If your lender tells you that your closing cost is going to average around 5% then you would take your purchase price of $550,000 and multiply by .05.
It would look like this: $550,000 x .05 = $27,500. So your closing cost would be somewhere around $27,500. This doesn’t include your down payment amount needed.
What Additional Expenses Are Need
The purchase of a home is an exciting time.
Many additional expenses go into the purchase that can be overlooked. The following list is some expenses to keep in mind when you are buying a house.
- Appraisal Fee
- Home Inspection
- Home Owners Insurance
Remember, that when you are closing on your home you will need to have an insurance binder.
This insurance binder is needed so that you are insured the moment you take possession of the home.
You also want to make sure you do a check-up every year on the insurance premium.
Termite Inspection
Here in Texas, we are known for termites. Normally, you will need to have a Termite Inspection Report done to make sure that there are no active termites.
Your lender will typically want this report and it is typically an additional cost that is charged to the borrower.
This charge will vary from state to state so make sure you get quotes.
Home Warranty
When you are buying a home it’s a good idea to have a home warranty. Why do you want a home warranty?
A home warranty is a type of insurance that covers repairs to your home.
It provides coverage for the repair of common household items, such as appliances and heating systems, if they break down due to material or workmanship defects.
Home warranties are not the right choice for every homeowner, but they do have some benefits.
The most obvious one is that they can provide peace of mind when something does go wrong in the house. There are no unexpected costs because you know your plan will cover them.
Before you sign up for a home warranty, it’s important to do some research on coverage options and price points to make sure it’s the best deal for you.
Sometimes the seller will pay for a home warranty if you ask your agent to put this in the home warranty section.
But there are times when the seller will not pay the home warranty and then it becomes a buyer expense.
The average home warranty cost is around $400.00 to $600. This will also depend from state to state.
So it would be a good idea to contact some local home warranty companies and ask them what their average fees are.
How To Hire A Professional Realtor
If you never bought a home before you might want to consider having a Realtor to represent you.
Don’t be afraid to have someone else represent you if you don’t understand the terms and the paperwork.
Now if you like to do things yourself make sure that you understand the paperwork.
Most buyers make their mistakes when they don’t understand what’s going on in the transaction.
Why is it important to have the representation of a professional Real Estate Agent?
A professional real estate agent can help you make the right decisions when it comes to purchasing a home.
Traditionally, this task is not easy for first-time homebuyers. They are faced with a variety of complex decisions including finding an appropriate home, negotiating the price, making an offer on properties.
What are the best ways to shop for a house?
So you’re looking for a house! What are the best ways to find one that will fit your criteria and be within budget?
The search can seem overwhelming at first, but there is plenty of information available online.
How we shop matters when searching because it impacts how much time or money gets spent – so make sure not only do potential houses meet requirements; they also appear appealing with price tags worth considering too.
So what are the best ways to shop for a house? One way to shop for a home would different websites that offer home searches.
Did you know that we have home search features? If you are looking to buy a home you can search homes by simply going to MLS Search and you can search for homes.
Another way that you can search for homes is you can go to Zillow.com.
Zillow.com is a website that allows you to search for homes for sale and rent all over the world. They also provide maps, photos, and neighborhood information.
Another site you can check out is Realtor.com.
Realtor.com is a great way for people to buy or sell their properties with all kinds of exclusive features like video tours and virtual open houses as well as detailed information on each property including square footage, list price ranges (both high and low), number of bedrooms/bathrooms etcetera!
The site also allows buyers access to an interactive map that shows exactly where these homes are located.
If you are searching for homes you can also use an older method of driving around. When you are driving pay attention to FSBO owner signs.
Sometimes you will see these types of signs when you least expected. So you want to make sure that you keep your eyes open.
These properties are typically not online and you would have to write down the phone number and talk with the person who owns the home.
You Found Your House Now What
So you have found the house you want now what do you do. You will need to schedule an appointment with the Real Estate Agent.
The first thing you want to do is make sure that there are no accepted offers on the property.
This step is normally done by your Real Estate Agent.
The goal would be to eliminate any properties that have offers accepted. You do not want to waste your time going to properties you can’t make offers on.
You can add these homes to your watch list and make sure that the home goes thru the whole process from start to finish.
The reason why you create your watch list is that there are times when the home might come back on the market.
And if it does then this will allow you to make an offer.
Once you have narrow down which properties have no offers on them you want to go and check out the property.
Once you have checked the property out and find that it is a home you are excited about making an offer on you want to move forward to let your Real Estate Agent know you want to make an offer on the property.
Once the seller has accepted the offer you will now move forward to your Option Period which allows you a chance to do your inspection.
This is a very important step because it let you know what is wrong with the property.
It also is the determining factor on whether or not you are going to move forward with buying the property.
Two things will happen here. You will either accept the property in its “as is” condition. Or you will ask the seller to make repairs.
Once this step has been done then the property will move into pending status. This is when Appraisal is order and the property is now moving towards closing.
What To Expect On Closing Day
Buying a home is a big step in life. It can be a life-changing decision.
Before the final day of the buying process, there are some things that you want to know to make sure your closing day goes smoothly.
This can be an exciting moment. But there are a few things you want to make sure you have when you’re coming to the closing.
Make sure you have a valid ID. Also, you want to make sure that on the day before you have your down payment amount ready along with your close cost.
There are some instances you can wire these funds to your title company if you are going to be out of town that day.
But it is best to check with your title company. You want to schedule with the title company a closing date.
Once you have a closing date be prepared that day to sign a lot of papers.
Normally at the closing table, you will have two stacks of paper.
When you go through the paperwork, make sure you read and see what your interest rate will be. Make sure this was the interest rate that was told you by your lender.
The following are other documents that you will see:
- Warranty Deed
- Mortgage Deed Of Trust
- Transfer Of Mortgage Document
- Insurance Binder
- Home Warranty Information
- Tax form for the IRS
Conclusion & Next Steps
This guide has covered some important information about the house-buying process.
When you are ready to move on to the next step, consider hiring a real estate agent who can help you find a home that will best suit your needs.
I hope this article has been helpful and provided you with some insight into how to buy a home.
If it helped, please share the blog post on social media or send me an email telling me about your experience buying a house. Let’s stay connected!