Tips for First Time Home Buyers
Ah, first time home buyers. There are certain times in your life that you always look forward to: falling in love, finding the perfect job, buying a house, and countless others. When you finally get to the point where you’re ready to take the plunge and purchase your first home, the last thing that you want is to be ill-prepared for what’s to come.
Assist-2-Sell loves being the go-to realty team for first-time buyers here in Southern Florida. If you are getting ready to buy your first home, today’s blog post is going to be extremely rich in information for you. In the case that you have any questions regarding the points we make in the blog, reach out to our team, and we’ll help clear up any confusion. Let’s get started!
Get a Grip on Finances
The most intimidating part of buying a house for the first time, for most people, is the financial aspect. From your credit score to the down payment, there is a lot of money that you have to be able to wrap your head around. One of the most significant suggestions that we can make is checking your credit before you go to get approved for a loan. The second suggestion that we can make is getting pre-approved before you start looking.
These two financial steps are going to be the green lights to go ahead and start looking for your first home. Without a passable credit score, you’re looking at a challenging battle of getting approved for a loan. And without having been pre-approved, you’re going to be taking a shot in the dark each time that you look at a home.
It is a bit of homework before you get to look at homes, but these two steps are easier than you’d imagine and will allow for you to find homes that are within budget for you. Mostly, this step makes sure that all of the houses that you look at moving forward are relevant to your needs and are within your budget.
An Open Mind That’s Ready to Act
Buying your first home is going to be a lot of logistics and preparation, but it’s also going to be time spent getting into the right headspace. Let us explain:
Buying your first home will require the understanding that your first home will likely not be your last. The housing market can be extremely competitive, and finding your dream home the first time that you go through the buying process is not impossible, but it is unlikely.
The second thing that you’ll want to prepare yourself for mentally is the chance that you may need to jump on an opportunity sooner — or later — than you initially realized. When the right house comes along, at the right price, you are going to have to make it the right time.
Determine What Matters
We just finished telling you that your first home won’t be your last, but that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t have some, if not most, of the things that you’re looking for. One of the best things that you can do when you’re ready to start shopping around is determine what exactly you need.
Is there a certain number of rooms that you’ll need to have to live comfortably? Do you need a yard for pets? Does the house have to be in a specific area? These are all genuine examples of what you’ll need to take into consideration before you start looking for homes.
If you’re buying with a partner or spouse, write out all of these items in a list so that you can cross-check with one another and make sure that both of your priorities are being taken into consideration.
Ask Questions
Given that this is your first time buying a house, there are going to be questions. Don’t move forward with the sale without asking any questions — and this goes for the entire buying process. The Realtor that is working with you is there as a guide and a resource, so take advantage of them!
At Assist-2-Sell, we are more than happy to help first-time buyers make their way through the buying process. Feel free to stop in and ask us questions that you make have or work through pieces of the process. Contact us today for any additional inquiries that you may have, and keep an eye out for further blog posts to come.
