Your Home Buying Checklist 5 Things to Consider as You Prepare to Purchase a Home

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1. Know how much home you can afford before you start looking. A pre-qualification is different than a pre-approval. The main difference between the two is that a pre-approval requires verification of financial documents and provides a letter of preapproval. It’s a much more accurate and credible indication of what you can afford compared to a pre-qualification. This means that being pre-approved can give you a strong leg-up on the competition when making an offer on a house. Without either of these, agents may not be as inclined to start taking you out on showings and sellers may not even look at, let alone consider your offer. Many agents, myself included, have worked with numerous lenders who will help you with this vital step.

 

2. Know what’s important to you when searching for your dream home. Make yourself a list of absolute must haves, must nots, and items that would be nice to have, yet you’re willing to let go. The more you can fine tune this list, the better your agent will be able to help you find you your new home.

 

3. Find a real estate agent with whom you feel comfortable. Someone who understands your priorities when searching for a home. An agent with which you’re able to have open and honest communication. And one that makes YOU a priority, who is available when you have questions or concerns about the home purchasing process.

 

4. Try your best to be able to accommodate a flexible schedule. In this market, we’ve seen homes sold before they even go on the market and other homes that have multiple offers on the first day it’s listed. So, when the time comes and that perfect home goes live on the market, remember that it’s important to be ready and able to get up and go view it!

 

5. We’ve all heard LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. However, here are some other things to take into consideration as you search for your new home: your commute time, neighborhood schools, local community life, noise levels, sidewalks, associations, septic vs sewer, water sources, etc. It’s not just the home. It’s also the details.