For Buyers

Attention Buyers!
Deciding to purchase a home is a huge decision. The investment can affect you both monetarily as well as emotionally. It is usually the largest investment you will make in your lifetime!

The best way to make sure that you choose the right home is to properly prepare yourself. I have put together some helpful information that will guide you through the transaction process and make it a smooth one. My goal is for you to become a happy homeowner!
Remember, if you have any questions I am always just a phone call or email away.

1. Get help. Your home is likely to represent one of the largest investments in your life. In order to make sure that the transaction goes smoothly it is of vital importance that you choose the right agent to represent your interests. The right agent will be someone whose experience and personality makes you feel comfortable. You should try to find an agent that is familiar and knowledgeable about the area you plan to move into.

2. Get pre-approved. Do you already know how much home you can afford? There is nothing more frustrating than looking for a home, finding the perfect home, and then discovering that it is out of your price range. Speak with a lender to learn about the different financing options available to you so you can get the paperwork processed and be pre-approved for when you find the right home.

3. Avoid major purchases. In order to determine the amount of home you can afford a lender uses your debt-to-income ratio. This ratio is the percentage of your pre-tax income that you spend on debt. Your debt ratio will include: monthly housing costs, car payments, credit cards, student loans, and any other installment debt. If you take on more debt right before buying a home it is going to have an impact on the amount of the loan that the lender will finance. So hold off until after you buy the house!

4. In order to make an educated decision you need to know what is available and how much it is going for. You can contact me to email you active properties and sold properties so you can get a feel for the market in your area.

5. Ask Questions. No one knows the home better than the seller of the property. If you find out the seller’s motivation for selling you might be able to negotiate a better deal on the home. Try to find out the last time service was performed on the roof, furnace, and water heating. Asking the right questions now can end up saving you a lot of money in the long run.

6. Get inspected. The last thing you want to discover after you have bought a home is that you have purchased a “money pit”.  Save yourself a lot of time in future expense by bringing in a licensed home inspector before you buy. I have great recommendations for Physical Inspectors.  If any big problems are found it will steer you away from a bad decision or help you negotiate a better price.