Buying a house can be a tough ordeal. It involves many decisions to be made to avoid problems such as unpayable debt, dissatisfaction, and loss of property. They can be avoided by taking the right steps and choosing the mortgage type suitable for you.
What are the steps involved in choosing the right house?
Understanding the process of acquiring your dream home requires a great deal of time and effort. But we are here to give you some clues.
1. Do thorough research
As soon as you get the thoughts that you want to have your own house, start scanning the internet, newspapers, and magazines with real estate listings. Take note of the properties and observe how long they will be on the market. It is also important to note any changes in asking prices by the sellers—no matter the difference. Doing this will give you a better grip on the housing market in areas you are looking to buy your first house.
2. Set your price
Setting a price makes it easier for you to narrow down your property and lender choice. If you are looking at a mix of different properties with different prices—it will be time-consuming to skim through all of them. Additionally, setting your price gives you a grip on your own financial situation—can you afford to buy a house right now? Should it be done another time?
3. Communicate with lenders
Reaching out to lenders you have done your research about will make the lender shopping easier. The market is full of potential lenders, and for someone like you who is purchasing a home for the first time, it can be a confusing pile of potential financers. Be sure to be on the lookout for lenders with a bad reputation among previous clients—mortgages can be a financial trap when reviewed without careful consideration.
4. Get a mortgage preapproval
After narrowing down your property choices, do the work of getting a preapproval. This will give you a closer look at how much you can spend, depending on your income, savings, and investments. Lenders provide preapprovals upon request and submission of appropriate documents. This also gives them a view of your creditworthiness. The best mortgage lenders will provide you a good insight into your financial capabilities and give you tips on how you can get approved with considerable terms.
5. Work with a real estate agent
Real estate agents can give you helpful information in the process of purchasing a home. They have adequate knowledge and experience in the process, negotiation, and familiarity with areas where your desired homes are located. Another thing—you do not have to be the ones who will pay for their services—they will be compensated through the commission paid by the property seller.
6. Pick a house and negotiate
After the thorough research work, you have narrowed down your choices, and you are finally ready to take part in home tours. This will give you the feel and the actual appearances of homes you have done your research on. Make sure to take all the time you need—observe everything and be thorough—you will be in that place for a long time if you end up buying it.
7. Get the property inspected
Reach out to property inspection companies to check your desired property checked for structural; damage and parts that might need restructuring. Findings will be distributed to all parties involved in the deal. This will make sure that your house will be as good as it looked before you purchased it.
What types of mortgage can you choose from?
Now that you have a seller you believe will provide you with your first ever home, you are decided and are ready to head to the next stage—financing. This adds a lot of work to the home-buying process, but it is essential to the acquisition. What are the choices available for you?
Fixed-rate mortgage
A fixed-rate refers to a home loan with a fixed interest rate for the duration of the loan. To explain, this means that the mortgage carries a constant interest rate from start to finish.
A fixed-rate mortgage will allow you to have a constant amount of monthly payments. This is especially good for people who like to have their budgeting well-managed because this does not come with interest rate changes. They are protected by the loan terms from interest rate spikes but can be immune to interest rate downfalls without refinancing.
Adjustable-rate mortgage
An adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) is where the interest rate applied to the amount you borrowed varies throughout the loan’s duration. It also has a mix of the fixed-rate mortgage because there will be a period wherein the interest rate will remain constant years into the loan and will change yearly or more depending on the loan terms.
ARMs are suitable for the ones who will not be financially troubled if interest rates spike at the time when their loan terms are adjustable. This is also a good pick for homebuyers looking to pay the property in full within a specific amount of time and for those who do not plan to live in the financed home for a long time.
Now that we have given you a quick view of the steps you need to take and the types of mortgages you can choose from, are you ready to dive into home buying?
