Buying a home

Purchasing a home is an exciting time. As you begin the home buying process, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Step 1: Get pre-approved
• Step 2: Find a Realtor®
• Step 3: Create a wish list 
• Step 4: Explore Areas
• Step 5: Begin Your Search

Get pre-approved: The pre-approval process consists of finding a lender and filling out a financial background report. This will allow you to get an estimate on how much home you can afford. 

Find a Realtor®: Using a real estate agent is critical in the home buying process. A Realtor® will help you find homes that fit your criteria, show you homes that haven’t been listed yet, negotiate with the selling agent on your behalf and ensure your best interest is at hand, handle all coordination of necessary paperwork, and help remove any stress during the purchase of your new home. 

Create a wish list: What do you want in your new home? Before you start your search, consider your lifestyle. Are you single or do you have a family? Do you travel a lot? How many kids do you have or plan to have? Do you work from home? Do you have pets or plan to have pets in the future? Do you want to care for a yard? Asking yourself these questions will help you to narrow the home features best suited for your needs and will help your agent to find the right place for you. This can also impact which part of town or city would be best for you, too.

Explore Areas: Think about your ideal location. Do you like the city or the suburbs? Apartment or home? If you are unsure of what area to live in no problem! 

Begin your search: Now that you’ve taken all of these steps into consideration, it’s time to start looking for your new home! Checkout the search tool above. Happy hunting!