Easy to follow steps for the Home Buying Process

You may think the first step to buying a home is finding a REALTOR® or finding the home you want to purchase. However, the most imperative step in the home buying process is talking to a lender to determine what your budget is. Once you’ve gotten your pre-approval letter, you’re ready for the marathon!

Don’t let the word marathon deter you, with these simple easy to follow steps the home buying process will be a breeze. Starting the process of buying a home can be stressful, with so many steps and unknown factors. Not knowing where to start and who to contact first can be overwhelming and daunting.

Follow these steps to eliminate unwanted stress!

Step one: Contact a lender(s)

Knowing your price range before looking for a home is essential. For many reasons, but mainly to make sure you’re looking at homes that work for you. By getting in contact with a lender you can determine any financial loose ends and get a pre-approval letter. By knowing the price range that will fit in your budget, you will be able to ensure that financing will not be an issue when you find the perfect home.

Reach out to your trusty Real Estate Agent

Your REALTOR® will be able to ensure that you find the best home for you. They will accompany you when viewing homes, converse with the home seller’s agent, and present a contract for you when the time comes. You will want to give your agent all the details you expect to have in your desired home. Once you do so, they can go on the hunt for houses that match the criteria you have given them.

Finally, the fun part! Looking for your perfect home.

When looking at homes keep in mind your original must have list. For example, number of bedrooms, storage space, location, lot size, repairs, etc. Also, keep in mind that the perfect home for you could be a new home or a fixer upper. This means you will have more control of the homes features.

Congrats! You’ve found the perfect home!

Time to write up the contract. Now that you’ve found “the one,” it’s time to get down to the legalities. This is the time that you and the seller of the home can come to your agreement. Your REALTOR® will do the communicating back and forth with the seller’s agent to get your deal worked out. They will also make sure that your contract is written appropriately. Once the seller accepts your offer and the contract is written and signed, the countdown to owning the home begins.

Inspections, Appraisal, etc.

Depending upon what you agreed on, inspections of the home may be taking place. These inspections are in place to protect you and the seller from any unknown information about the house. If something undesirable about the home comes up, you may want to negotiate new terms. Appraisals will determine the homes value. Therefore, the home could be over or under your contract price. This could also bring up the potential for renegotiating terms and pricing.

Homeowner!

Once all the negotiating, inspections, and appraisal is out of the way you can get down to the finalization. You will need to do a walk through of the home before going to the closing. This will insure that nothing has happened to the home since you last saw it and that the home is left the way the contract specifies. The closing will then take place at an attorney’s office. You and the sellers will then sign all the closing paper work and the home will become yours. After this is done, you are now the new owner of the home!