Tag: buying a home

Buying a home is a complicated process. From pre-approval to shopping around and finalizing the deal, homebuyers have a lot to accomplish quickly if they want to snag the house they want off the market. Once you buy your first home, you’ll understand the buying process much easier. However, there are several common mistakes many first-time home buyers make. Here are the mistakes to avoid when buying a home.

Not Getting Pre-Approved

Mortgage pre-approvals are a huge first step when you want to buy a house, and they’re not something you should ever forget to do. Having your pre-approval in hand can improve the odds of your offer getting accepted because it tells sellers that you’ve been approved for a loan, ensuring a smoother selling process. 

Remember, the real estate market is incredibly competitive for buyers and sellers, so if you find a house you love, you’ll want to be able to compete with multiple offers by having your pre-approval in hand that states how much a bank or mortgage lender is willing to loan you for the house. 

Buying a House You Can’t Afford 

Mortgage lenders do their due diligence to ensure borrowers can afford a home. However, you shouldn’t let your mortgage lender predict how much you can truly afford. While they consider your income, debts, and credit history, they don’t have a full picture of your finances like you do. If something doesn’t feel right about buying a house that’s above your budget, don’t buy it. 

Buying a house is likely going to be the biggest purchase you’ll ever make, so there’s no reason to overspend if you know it will put you into financial hardship later in life. 

The good news is you don’t have to spend all of the money a lender is willing to loan you on the house. Instead, you can choose to find a more affordable house that requires a smaller loan, affording you the option of renovating the house or using the money you’ve saved on interior design.

Ignoring Location

Location is important in real estate for several reasons. First, homeowners should choose a location based on their needs and preferences. For example, you probably don’t want your commute to work to take longer than an hour, so you’ll need to shop for houses within a particular radius to ensure you’re not spending too much on gas or taking too much time away from your other priorities. 

Additionally, you should consider access to important places, such as schools, grocery stores, and maybe even shopping malls. If convenience is important and you don’t drive, you will also need to look into access to public transportation. On the other hand, if you own your own vehicle, you may want to look for a house with a garage or covered carport to prevent the need for auto detailing due to tree sap and bird droppings. 

Not Considering Other Costs

While the purchase of the home is the highest cost of homeownership, other costs are associated not only with the sale of the home but the maintenance of it as well. When moving to a new home, you might have to deal with additional expenses immediately to ensure your home is in proper working order. Common costs associated with home ownership include:

• Monthly mortgage payments
• Property taxes
• Repairs
• Landscaping
• Homeowners Association (HOA) fees
• Utilities

Using All Your Money for the Down Payment

It can be tempting to use your entire savings for the downpayment of a home to spend less money over the life of a loan. However, you should always ensure you have enough savings left over to cover your living expenses for at least three to six months. Not spending your entire savings may mean putting less money down on the house, but it ensures you can afford to live in the house and pay your bills in the immediate future and beyond. 

Not Working with a Real Estate Agent

Anyone can buy a house without help. However, working with a real estate agent can be a life-saver for a first-time home buyer. When buyers work with agents, they don’t have to pay anything since the commission on the sale of a house is split between the buyer’s and seller’s agents. Ultimately, there’s no reason not to work with an agent. Real estate agents can help guide you through the entire process, including helping you find the home of your dreams and negotiating purchase price on your behalf. They’ll even handle all of the paperwork for you, making buying a home less stressful for everyone. 

Waiting for Your Dream House

In a competitive real estate market, you have to move quickly to get the house that you want. If you’re not realistic about what you can afford based on your loan amount, you won’t ever find a quality house. No home is going to check every single one of your boxes, so it’s best to understand what your priorities are when shopping for a home. Waiting too long in hopes of finding your perfect home can result in a great house being sold before you even have the chance to put in an offer.

Moving Too Fast

While you don’t want to move too slowly in the homebuying process, you should also never rush your decisions. Buying your first home is exciting, but that doesn’t mean you should rush to purchase the first house you see. Instead, take time to find the property that’s right for you, and don’t settle for something just because it’s available and within your budget. 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are many mistakes to be made when buying a house. Luckily, working with a real estate agent can help you through the entire process, and it’s free for buyers. Hopefully, knowing these common mistakes can help prevent you from buying a home that’s out of your budget or spending too much on the down payment. Remember, never make decisions based on impulse; instead, do your research and find the best house for you and your family that’s within budget. 

Ashley Nielsen

Ashley Nielsen earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration Marketing at Point Loma Nazarene University. She is a contributing writer at 365businesstips.com where she shares knowledge about general business, marketing, lifestyle, or financial tips. During her free time she enjoys being outside, staying active, reading a book, or diving deep into her favorite music. 

Buying a home requires spending on upfront costs. However, various long-term perks might not always be obvious. Apart from getting a home, buying a home builds equity, plan housing payments, and other perks as you’re about to discover below.

Stabilized housing costs

Investing in buying a home comes with various upfront expenses such as the down payment and closing fees. You also have to budget for ongoing maintenance down the road. However, homeownership becomes consistent with a fixed-rate loan for paying your monthly mortgage.

Although homeowner insurance and property taxes increase with time, the housing payments are usually stable throughout the year. Keep in mind that the price of renting keeps on increasing whenever you renew the lease or go into a new apartment.

Growing investment

General home prices grow over time although this can depend on local real estate trends. The appreciating value is a major benefit of considering homes for sale in Wareham Ma. The appreciation value for a home in 25 years is an average of 3.9 percent annually according to Black Knight.

The value of homes varies widely across the US and it fluctuates in some places more than in others. However, you can use a price calculator to predict the current value of the home according to the purchase price and closing date.

Tax benefits

You benefit from some taxes when you own a home. These include capital gains tax and mortgage interest deductions that help save you a tremendous amount annually. There’s also a chance to deduct money you paid for mortgage insurance premiums on the federal income tax returns.

Additionally, there’s a chance to deduct property tax payments, sales taxes, and local income taxes paid to the local government and state. For those who make a profit on selling their home, you might get exempted from paying taxes on your earnings. However, you’ll need proof that you have occupied the home for about two to five years before you sell it.

Building equity

The home’s equity makes up a portion of the property that you own. Determining this is by subtracting the mortgage balance from the market value of the home.

You can build equity by making monthly mortgage payments and tracking the appreciation of your home over time. When you sell your home, you receive equity in the form of cash. Alternatively, renters don’t recoup any housing expenses spent while occupying the house.

Source of earnings

Another wonderful benefit of buying a home is a chance to tap into the equity to finance improving your home or paying off personal loans. Having such options allows borrowing money and using your home as security. Although it puts your home at risk in case you default on payment, the options are more affordable than some alternatives to get money.

Building credit

Getting a mortgage has a positive impact on your credit score. This is very good for your financial health. Monthly timely payments help boost your credit scores. And, having a mortgage helps diversify the credit mix while increasing your credit history.

Using credit also lowers your loan balance to positively impact your credit scores. On the flip side, late payments hurt your credit and a fault leads to a foreclosure putting your credit score in jeopardy. The rule of thumb is to prioritize timely payments for your home mortgage. This allows building credit over time to finance future purchases favorably.

Allows personalization

Another benefit of owning a home is having complete control regarding how you want it to look. You just have to abide by local regulations regarding home renovations and improvements. Doing this allows owning a home that matches your taste and preferences.

When you rent, your landlord is the one with authority over renovating the property. However, when the home is yours, nothing can stop you from working on it to become your dream home. You have the freedom to invest in renovations that boost the value of your home.

Living security

When renting, your stability in the property depends on the landlord’s decision. You might wake up one day and the landlord wants to give out the property to another tenant.

Keep in mind that shifting is expensive, inconvenient, and quite emotional when you have to shift at short notice. If you bought the home, you will always sleep soundly without anyone having to give orders regarding the property.

There’s no hesitation to invest in a home today. There are various properties to buy in Wareham Ma. You just have to find a reputable real estate agent to guide you through the whole process. Owning a home comes with various perks including boosting your credit, securing a home for your family, and enjoying tax benefits.

Author: Eernesto T Felder

Are you interested in buying a home for less than 50k? Check out our latest listings!

In July 2021, 676,000 homes were sold in the United States!

If you are looking to buy a home too, there can be a lot of different emotions going on. You might feel excited about the prospect of owning your own home, or anxious about making such an important decision. 

More than anything, you probably want to know what are the steps to buying a home.

To help you stay on track and make the right decisions, take a look at these 10 steps to buying a home.

1. Check Your Credit Score

The first step to buying a home is to have a good credit score. Before you start shopping around, get your free copy of your credit report and check it for accuracy.

2. Make Sure You Can Afford It

You might be wondering what it means to “afford” a home. Generally, you should have enough income left over to pay for the house after paying your living expenses and debts every month. 

3. Connect With a Real Estate Agent

There are many different agents to choose from, and some might have better qualifications than others. With that said, you want an experienced professional.

It’s a good idea to interview a few agents before making your decision.

4. Become Pre-approved

A pre-approval letter will help you negotiate the best deal. It also means that your credit and finances are in order, which gives potential sellers confidence in your ability to make good on a sale. 

5. Search for a Home

Once you have your pre-approval letter, it’s time to start looking for a new home.  Start with the type of house that meets your needs and then narrow down the list based on things like price range or location. 

6. Put in an Offer

When you find a house that is perfect for your needs, it’s time to make an offer and get the ball rolling! Pay in your earnest money deposit, which is a sum of cash you put down to show commitment and seriousness. Use this guide to help you.

7. Get an Inspection

Home inspections are where buyers can learn a lot about what condition the house is in and whether it will need to be repaired.  If you’re planning on putting down an offer, this step is necessary before making that commitment.

8. Polish Your Finances

This step doesn’t happen until after you have agreed to purchase the home. This is often done through one of these two programs: FHA or VA loans.

They each provide different types of lending options and benefits, so it’s worth exploring both before making a decision.

9. Get Insured

You won’t be able to close on your new home until you have a homeowners insurance policy in place. This is an important step that can cover you financially should your home encounter disasters. 

10. Move-In

Finally, it’s time to close and move in! This should be a smooth transition. You will be given the keys to your new home and you can decide when to move in.

10 Steps to Buying a Home

You now know the 10 steps to buying a home. Buying a home is one of the most important decisions you will ever have to make.

This is why you need to ensure that you do it right. Going through the steps individually will assist you with making the process a smooth one. If you would like to know more about real estate buying, please visit our blog.

Author: Steffy Alen