Tips When Shopping to Buy a Home
Are you ready to move forward in your life to buy a new home? Here are a few shopping organizational tips when you are ready to make this leap in your life. While thoughts of white picket fences and granite kitchen counter tops might be dancing in your head, you need to take shopping for a home very serious! You don’t want to be stuck with a serious bill and a home you hate!
With just one search you can see thousands of photographs and aerial shots of neighborhoods and homes when shopping online for a home. You need to first decide if you are in a what you really need/want in a new home. What are you looking for?
Get Prepared
- Are you secure in your job/life to stay on one place now? Where do you want to live? Montreal has beautiful homes but, don’t waste your time on daydreams if you life is not there.
- Attend a first-time home buyer’s seminar. You can do an online search to find one in your area.
- How is your credit? Get copies of your credit report and make sure to clean up any bad marks.
- Save money for your down payment!
- Set your budget! Get pre-approved so you are in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house. Also, put together a financial plan to determine whether you can really afford to buy. If you are a first time home buyer look into First-time Home Buyer Programs.
- Find the right real estate agent. Friends and family members in the area might be able to offer some names of people they’ve used and trust. If you are moving to a new area you may have to find a company name you trust.
Your Want List
- What type of home would you like? Apartment, Single Home, Condo
- Would you like a new home or is a fixer-upper what you want?
- How many bedrooms? Think about any future kids or parents that may come to live with you.
- Do you need a home office?
- How many square feet do you need?
- How many bathrooms would you like?
- In a subdivision or rural area?
- Do you have kids or planning on having kids? Make sure to check the school district ratings.
Now that you have defined your goals and have a pretty good idea of your budget and the type of home and neighborhood you want now you can start shopping for your home.
When you Find a Home
- Hire a home inspector.
- Start with a fair offer ~ Before placing your bid consider sales of similar homes in the last six months. Get an appraisal.
- Ask the seller to cover closing costs, whether in full or in part. All they can do is say no, there is no harm in asking.
- Ask the realtor to reduce their commission rate. While you do not directly pay this fee it is included in the asking price for the home on the sellers side.
- Don’t be afraid to walk away. If you can not get the home you want in your price range keep looking. There will be other homes you will love.
- Understand what you are signing. Do not just go into your signing and sign. Take the time to read what you are signing and ask questions.
Vennie M says
This is a very informative blog and I thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Linda Madden says
Great info. Wish I had this kind of advice when we bought our first house 30 years ago. 🙂
Ashley says
Thank you for the guide, you break it down in such an intuitive way! I think I will use this as a checklist for any time I’m looking for a place, not just a home.
Sue M. says
I’m thinking about buying a new home now, this information is really helpful. Thanks a lot for posting!