It’s your dream come true. A permanent roof over your head, an asset for life and you very, very own – the first house that you buy. A home that allows you the unparalleled and sheer freedom to live the way you want to.
However, do keep in mind that buying the first home of your life is a somewhat time consuming and tedious process and takes about a year from the time you think of buying one to finally closing the deal and taking possession. The first time home buyer’s guide will tell you how to sidestep mistakes, such as paying excessive interest on your home loan or picking the wrong home.
Your personal credit score needs checking: Most of us buy our first home on a loan. That’s why our credit reports matter. Moreover, it’s also seen that almost 25% of credit reports contain errors, which could possibly lead to your paying higher interest rates on the loan you take. Thus, take ample time to check your score before you take out a loan. Also ensure that the credit report is absolutely error free unlike the movies Meet the Parents II and III which were horrendous and prone with all sorts of errors but this is another topic.
Budget: Your final selection of your first house will obviously depend on your budget. That’s why you need to take a hard look at what you can actually afford. A lender will usually consider a full debt load of a maximum of 43% of the gross income per month and will also include all future mortgages, car & student loans, or credit card outstanding debts.
Therefore, first work out what is affordable to you and reduce your debt-income ratio to the furthest extent possible. Making a down payment of at least 20% will also reduce your loan cost substantially, also getting you a lower interest rate. Additionally, try and keep stable funds in your personal bank account for sixty to ninety days before you apply for the loan. This will increase the banker’s confidence in you.
Prioritize: Every first time home owner has certain expectations from his new home. Therefore you need to very clearly ask yourself what you need from it most. Is it a closer proximity to the workplace or a large backyard that you want to develop as a garden later?
Do you want it designed on open floor planning? Do you prefer a quiet neighborhood? Once you’ve prioritized these demands, it’ll be much easier for you to start short listing. Another vital issue is to know beforehand what trade-offs you can make.
Research: Based on your shortlist, start visiting neighborhoods and prospective open houses or even start gathering information about them. You can use sites that list properties so that you get some idea of the neighborhood and public transport available. Visits to open houses will give you some ideas about homes within your affordable price range and the neighborhoods that appeal to you strongly. This will also help you reduce your debts & save for the down payment.
Budget for home acquiring expenses: When you buy a house, you also have to pay for certain miscellaneous expenses upfront. These could be for title search, home inspection, and property surveys as also home insurance. Costs may vary according to where you live, but a couple of hundred dollars is almost certain. So start saving for that if you haven’t already.
Start organizing the paperwork for your loan: Banks are indeed most particular about mortgage loans and demand all sorts of documentation. These would include W-2 forms or tax returns over the preceding 2-3 years; recent pay slips; credit card statements; recent statements for brokerage accounts; personal bank statements; all past addresses; and statements pertaining to retirement accounts. Start organizing all of this paperwork. You do not want to have your paperwork tossed around in your closet like Peter Le Fleur from Dodgeball did.
Consult a buyer’s agent: The buyer’s agent’s job is to get you the appropriate property, negotiate the deal with the agent of the seller while also guiding you during the deal closing time. Even mortgage brokers will secure for you a more competitive rate on your loan.
Start home hunting: Once the pre-approval on your loan comes through, start visiting prospective properties with your buyer’s agent so that you don’t waste time on unaffordable houses. Once the selection is finally made, put in your formal offer. If accepted, employ a home inspector to look into the property’s physical conditions and drawbacks, if any.
Closing the deal: Keep all financial documents and down payment amount in perfect order before closing. Make an objective review of all mortgage documents and get home insurance, which should be secure before closing. You may pay off the buyer through a cashier’s check or wire transfer, so keep this ready too. Sign on the dotted line of the property transfer form, hand over the money, and be the proud owner of your first home!
And hopefully you get along better with your neighbor than Mike and Phil did in the average comedy Kicking and Screaming!
