Realty Executives Gallery Properties (Orlando)
We have talked alot about the home buying experience and touched base on some things to consider through every phase. The first phase, pre buying phase, is the most important. No one wants to make the wrong choice when buying a home. When you buy one, you are making a big commitment. It is not lifelong, but it is surely a commitment to spend a few good years in this home. You are also investing a lot of money. There is a lot at stake. You do not want to miss out on your dream home so if you are looking into buying a home and willing to invest that much money, then you want to make sure you are getting your dream home at the end, and not just settle. Making sure you are knowledgeable on what questions and thoughts you need to have or ask yourself upon finding and looking for a home is the most important thing. Also, you want to house hunt, hence the name of this blog. It will take time and work, but if you do this phase right, everything else is smooth and ultimately you are getting something so great by the end of it. We will put some things on your radar for when you decide to go house hunting.
Identify your housing needs: Where do you want to live? What are some must haves you want your home to include? Make a list of some things you want in your home. How much are you willing to spend? Do you want to be near some good schools for the kids? Do you want to be in a city? These are all good questions to consider. There are things to consider depending on your situation, whether it be marital status, job, kids versus no kids, etc. Essentially, as you decide on all of these factors, you are filtering a search out. Looking for a home needs specification because there are way too many factors to decide from. If you just go out and look at homes without considering anything, you are looking at a long road of house hunting that may never stop. It would be a waste of time for you since you do not even know what you are looking for.
Know how much you can afford: This is picky backing off of the first tip. You cannot do much if you do not have the funds for a home. The list we suggested for you to make within the first point would be completely void if you do not know how much you are looking to spend. We included it so that you are also considering what you want as far as qualities and how much you are willing to invest; they go hand in hand. This deserved its own bullet point, because it is very important, if not the most important. Things to also consider upon looking at what you can afford is how much you take home every week/2 weeks/month. You do not want to buy a home that is more than 25% of your take home pay, that is including HOA fees and mortgage insurance. Sit down and look at how much you make as well as how much you spend on bills, food, personal things. These other things cannot be abandoned, so they must be considered.
Get preapproved for a mortgage: If you are taking a loan out, this is an especially important step going into the home buying experience. It takes a bit of work to get preapproved, but essentially this is also one of the first things you will want to do, to see what you will be working with. When you include a preapproval letter with your offer on a home you are interested in, it tells the seller that you are a serious buyer and makes them more keen to go with you.
Find a real estate agent: An agent gives you access to a listing service, to find you that dream home. They have advice and knowledge that will really help as you go into the home buying experience. They also simplify the home buying experience because they are there every step of the way, you are not doing this alone. They are there to help.