If 2017 is going to be your year to buy a house, whether it’s your first home or you are a repeat buyer, you can start to get your finances in order now so that when it does come time to buy you ready to go.
We want all of our buyers to be comfortable when they purchase their home. Being stressed, over budget, and nervous about finances is not a good way to enter homeownership. There are three main things that potential homebuyers need to concern themselves with if they’re planning on buying this year.
#1. Understanding and getting a good grasp on their credit history and report.
Order a copy of your credit history and report from one of the three major credit reporting agencies, Experian, Trans Union, or Equifax. You can also get a copy through your local bank. Any of these reports will be very similar so you want to look for errors, mistakes, outstanding balances, collection notices, or anything that looks out of the ordinary. Clean up your credit history and report the best you can, which could take a month or two depending on the errors or issues therein. Try to increase your credit score to at least 680 by paying your bills on time, paying off debt but leaving available credit on credit card so that it shows you have additional credit available, and paying down as much debt as possible.
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#2. Save a little bit of money.
You will need an earnest money deposit and a down payment as well as inspection costs when purchasing a house. If you are a repeat buyer you might be able to use the equity when you sell your existing home and turn around and put it as the down payment to your new house but if this is your first time buying you’ll need a substantial down payment. FHA loans require 3.5% down and conventional loans need at least 10%. Talk to your lender about the different options when it comes to loans. An earnest money deposit is typically 1% to 3% of the purchase price of the house so you want this in liquid cash in order to hold the offer on the house. You also need money for the home inspection, which can range anywhere from $300-$800 depending on the type of inspection and the inspection agency.
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#3. Try to stay calm and patient.
Finding the best house for your needs and your budget may have been in a day or it might happen over the next six months. By preparing now you’ll be ready to jump on the right house when it hits the market. Make sure you know what you want in a house, have your debt to income ratio below 43% and try to stay unemotional during the negotiation process.
Read more: How Long Does it Really Take to Buy a House?
Again, we want your home buying experience to be as stress-free and easy as possible, so by doing just these simple things you could be light years ahead of your competition. Call us today to get started or browse listings on our website for free.