ABC of Buying Your First Home

“Home is where our story begins…”
“Home is the starting place of love, hope and dreams.”

“The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back.”

“Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends.”

“A house is made of bricks and beams. A home is made of hopes and dreams.”

“Home is not a place…it’s a feeling.”
“With you, I am home.”

“What I love most about my home is who I share it with.”

“There is nothing more important than a good, safe, secure home.”

“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.”

“There’s no place like home.”
“Where we love is home- home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.”

“In this home… We do second chances. We do real. We do mistakes. We do I’m sorrys. We do loud really well. We do hugs. We do together best of all.”

“May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends.”

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.”

“Bless out house as we come and go. Bless our home as the children grow. Bless our families as they gather in. Bless our home with love and friends.”

“Home is a shelter from storms-all sorts of storms.”-William J. Bennett
“Home is where one starts from.”

–T.S. Eliot

All You Need to Know When Buying Your First Home

Buying a home is a special moment and especially when it is for the first time. A lot of efforts and research is needed to find the perfect home for you and your family. Thus, this task can be made easy with proper planning and involving a real estate consultant so that your dream of owning a home becomes a beautiful reality.

(A). Make Sure That You Are Ready

Assess your financial readiness

You should be financially ready before buying a home because it requires personal and financial security. Make a plan to own a home only when you have a steady income in the present and coming years. Wait till the time you are personally and financially ready.

Improve your credit score

A better credit score will qualify you for better loan eligibility. Good credit will reduce your interest rate on the loan amount. If you are planning to buy a property in partnership, then make sure you both have high credit scores to get these benefits.

Save up for your purchase

In order to take loan for a home, you will usually need to make a down payment of 20% of the total value of the home. You’ll also need money for closing costs, insurance, taxes and other hidden costs. If you don’t these extra savings then wait for few more years and then consider buying a home.

Calculate your budget

Budget is the most important point and everyone has their own budget limits. Buy what you can afford and calculate your budget accordingly. Don’t rush; wait for the time when you can buy a home within your budget. Either lower your budget if you can’t afford it or postpone your dream of buying a home for some time.

(B). Locating the Right Home

Describe the qualities of your dream home

Describe what qualities you need in a home. Do not only think about your present needs but do keep in mind the future needs for bedrooms, bathrooms and common spaces. Considering location is one of the top points that should not be neglected. Therefore, make a list of all qualities of your “dream home” to bring to your realtor.

Contact a full-service realty consultant

It is good option to contact a good realty consultant either through referrals or online reviews. Make a visit to their office and meet in person. Tell them your needs, requirements and budget. And make sure that realty consultant is trustworthy.

Go and visit the home that you consider

Now, when you like something then go and visit the home so that you can see all the minor details and access the home accordingly. While evaluating, remember your current and future needs. Don’t settle or compromise because the other thing is good.

Revisit the top 2-3 homes that you like

Now, it is the time to revisit the top 2-3 homes that you like so that you can look for all details closely that you might have missed on your first visit.

Investigate the neighborhood

Investigation of neighborhood is vital before making an offer to the seller. Have a talk to the neighbors about any mishap, crime, issues and the neighborhood community.

(C). Buying the Home

Prepare an offer

You as a seller should come in lower price than the asked price. Negotiation is very vital and your realty consultant may have a better knowledge of the same. 

However, don’t stretch yourself beyond and stick to your budget constraints, even if your ideal home is in high demand.

Submit your offer

Once, you prepared an offer now let the consultant submit your offer-to-purchase to the seller. Good properties have high demands and do not last in the market very long. The buyer fills the offer sheet; this offer is then submitted for the seller’s review. They can either accept or return with a counter-offer. Counter-offers are minor changes to the offer terms.

Get the details of the closing process

Have a word with the agent to take complete knowledge about the closing schedule and responsibilities during the time of deal closing. There needs to be mutual understanding and cooperation between all the parties involved in the process. There are closing costs like number of fees that are ranging from a loan origination fee to a survey fee. However, these fees often change during the closing process.

Inspect the house thoroughly

You need to inspect the house carefully for any major structural issues, any faults and to ensure that the boundaries are under legal compliance. Do not compromise on the inspection process and take a professional to avoid the circumstances in the long run.

Close on the deal of the house

At the time of closing the deal there will be a scheduled meeting in which documents will get signed after which the buyer will make the payment and seller will take the possession. At this point, you will receive the keys of your new home and the documents will get transferred in the buyer’s name.

Buy homeowners insurance

Insurance is an important aspect and should be kept in mind during the closure of the deal. Ask your realty advisor about the homeowner’s insurance. Thus, in case of any mishap, damage or destruction of home this type of insurance reimburses you. Location, the value of the home and the surrounding will specify your demand of the insurance type.

We would like to thank Mr. Anuj Agarwal, the Founder of Feedspot as our blog has been selected by Feedspot panelists as one of the Top 50 Indian Real Estate Blogs on the web. It is the most comprehensive list Real Estate Blog on the internet and we honored to be among other great blogs on real estate. We strive to bring more meaningful and reader-oriented content to our readers.