What should I do when starting to search for a new home?

Starting your search for your new home is exciting. Whether this is your first home or your fifth, there are some tasks to ponder on when beginning your search. The first step that I recommend is contacting a lender to get pre-approved for a loan. Based on the information that you give them concerning your financial situation, the lender can help inform you on the price range of home to view, the amount of closing costs that you will need to pay to purchase the home, the interest rate and terms of your prospective loan, and the estimated payment range on your next home.I recommend this step due to several reasons.

1. It gives you an idea of what price range home to view. This reduces the chance of looking at homes that you can not afford or to inform you that you might afford more of a home than originally thought.

2. You will have an idea of what some of the costs are associated with purchasing a home. This will help if you need to ask for assistance from the seller to help pay some of the associated costs of the purchase. There are limits that a seller can contribute. Check with your lender to find out the limits, requirements, etc.

3. The lender can issue you a pre-approval letter to you that can be given to the seller when you write an offer. This may help strengthen your negotiating position especially if you are in a competitive situation against another buyer who might not have a pre-approval letter.

4. The lender could also help if you do not currently qualify for a loan to purchase a home by giving advice on how to improve your credit situation to be able to qualify in the future. After speaking to a lender and getting pre-approved, now you can search for your new home!

Please feel free to contact me with additional questions about purchasing or the home buying process in general.