Buying a home is probably the largest purchase and investment you will ever make. Even if this isn’t your first home purchase, there are a lot of opportunities out there that may be different from the last time you purchased. Use this article as a guide to understanding how you can get a great deal on a home in today’s market.
Take the time to investigate the inspector for your potential property. You should make sure that they are certified, work for a reputable company and if possible are with an inspector association that is non-profit. If not, their credentials may be supplied by a non-reputable organization that supplies them for nothing more than a fee.
Buyers who need to buy a property quickly should stay away from short sales. The word “short” definitely doesn’t reflect the time length of the process. In this case the bank agrees to sell the property for an amount which does not satisfy the leans on the property. This process can take months while a “regular” sale can be closed in about a month.
Check out your real estate agent’s history. A good realtor will provide you with the names and phone numbers of previous clients. Be sure to call them, and find out their experience with the realtor. A good question to ask is if they would list their home with the same agent in the future. If not, that may be a red flag.
If you are not feeling great about a property right away, and you have more than a few reservations about the property, then it is best to look somewhere else. Nobody wants to purchase a home and then have buyer’s remorse set in later. That would be a total waste of time and money.
Before buying a home, sit down and determine your own mortgage budget. Your mortgage lender will tell you how much you can borrow based on your income and credit score, but it’s up to you to determine how much you can feasibly spend each month. Don’t plan on your mortgage payment, including fees and insurance, to be more than 30% of your monthly income.
When you are moving, pack a suitcase full of things that you may need for a few days. Include things like clothing and toiletries. Keep this suitcase separate from everything else so that you can have easy access to things that you would need until you can get totally unpacked at your new home.
When trying to figure out what type of a home you can afford, take a good look at your budget. Mortgage companies sometimes qualify people for more than they can actually afford on a monthly basis because of all the other things that people spend money on each month. So, if you go over your budget, you need to see how much you can afford to pay monthly while still having enough to put some into savings.
If you are in a bind and have to buy a home even though you have not sold your other home, make sure that you can afford to pay for both mortgages for quite a bit of time. This will keep you from getting into financial trouble with your original property.
There are so many great deals out there right now since the crash in the housing market. As with anything, buy low and sell high. We are at record lows, so the time to buy a house has never been better. This article has shown you how you can use this economy to buy a home you will enjoy for years to come.
