FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS GUIDE BY ARX REALTY : Things to consider BEFORE you buy.

Aug 16
09:55

2016

Joel Castro

Joel Castro

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One study reported that one of the most stressful life experience anyone will go thru in life is purchasing their first home. It is a daunting challenge indeed to help you demystify the process. To educate our readers we have written a series of blog post that will discuss the things that you need to consider in the purchasing process, what you can expect, and some of the handy tips and tricks to make life easier after your first home purchase.

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What sort of home best suits your needs?

You have several choices when acquiring a new home. There is the single-family home,FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS GUIDE BY ARX REALTY : Things to consider BEFORE you buy. Articles a townhouse, an apartment suite, or a multi-family building like a condominium with several units. Each option has their upsides and downsides. Based on your objectives in purchasing a new home, you can decide which will be the better choice for you. You can likewise save money on the price tag in any classification by picking a fixer-upper, but you have to factor in the time, sweat value and cash required to transform a fixer-upper into your dream home. So it’s a good idea to sit down first and calculate the cost. Or you may end up in a situation more than you bargain.

 What specific features will your ideal home have?

It is prudent to be flexible on this list but since you are buying probably one of the most expensive investments in your life. You should get one that fits your needs and wants as closely as possible. Things to add to your list will be the neighborhood, rooms, bathrooms and floor space. It is a good idea to choose a location that is near to your work or places that you regularly goes to like a place of worship. If you can find one that is in the middle of them all that will be perfect. Since you will be going to those spots regularly. It will save you gas and time in the long run.

 How much mortgage do you require?

Before you go house hunting. It is vital to get pre-approval from your home mortgage specialist. You may think that you can afford a $500,000 property, but your bank or mortgage provider only qualifies you for $250,000. Other lenders may think otherwise. So it’s smart to check more than one provider. There are several options here you can go to a bank, mortgage provider or other lending institutions like credit unions. A few factors the lenders considers are your age, monthly income, current debt and how long have you been in your current job. Business owners have different requirements like your previous business tax return, profitability and the length of your business been in operation.

 How much can you actually afford?

There will be times that a bank would decide to loan more than you asked. Just like in purchasing a new vehicle, you have to look at the total cost, not just the monthly payment. These are a few things that you should consider.

Down payment - how much will you put in as down payment? First-time home buyers qualify for a minimum 5% down payment, but that will also require you to get additional insurance in case of a default.

Property taxes - each neighborhood has different property taxes based on the valuation of other properties around them. 

Insurance cost - how much will it cost to have the property insured?

The Upkeep - How much will be the cost of maintaining and improving the property?

Closing cost - There is the additional closing cost when purchasing a property.

Strata fees - When buying a multi-unit property like a condo unit or townhouse, this is included for maintenance and improvements of common areas of the property.

Who will help you find a home and guide you through the purchase?

A real estate agent can help you find homes that require and are in your price range. They will assist you in viewing those homes. Once you've chosen a home to buy, these professionals can help you in the negotiation process, including making an offer, acquiring a mortgage loan, and completing paperwork. A good real estate agent's expertise can help you in any stage of the purchasing process.