First Steps for Home Buyers
Real Estate
The process of buying a new home can be a daunting task, even for the experienced buyer who may be going through it for the second or third time. Here is a good “First Step Checklist” of the things you need to do to keep you in the driver’s seat throughout the process. Remember, it is always best to have a good game plan so you can be “proactive” when buying a home. Quite often, it is when you start “reacting” to the demands of other parties in the process that you begin to lose control and sight of your ultimate goal: to buy the home you want at a price you can afford.
First Step Checklist
- Find a good lender, find out exactly how much home you can afford to buy and get pre-qualified for a loan
- Have a clear vision of the home you’re looking for including those “must have” features. Be sure to include neighborhood, schools and other lifestyle needs in your “new home vision.”
- Hire a seasoned, talented real estate agent who understands your vision and can negotiate a good deal for you on your next home once you find it.
- Have your CPA help you evaluate the benefits of buying a new home to make sure it makes sound financial sense.
- Find a way to become a non-contingent buyer. This means looking into a good guaranteed sale program if you have an existing home to sell. Being non-contingent gives you and your real estate agent a lot of extra negotiating power when finalizing the deal on your next home.
- When you finally make an offer on your next home, make an aggressive offer but remember to still be fair to the current home owner.
Happy home hunting,
Bob
