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Tips for buying a home.
First Time Homebuyer's Guide
From Dream to Reality with CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty:
Your On The Way to Owning
Your First Home.
CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professionals understand that buying a home is one of the
most important personal and financial decisions that you will make in your
life. This is why CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professionals are committed to guiding you step-by-step,
answering all your questions along the way, to ensure that your experience
is as pleasant and successful as possible. In the pages that follow you will
find information that will help you to better understand the real estate process.
This summary is intended as a general overview of a typical home purchase,
and to identify the typical procedures followed. Read on and you'll see that
realizing your dream of having your own home is easier than what you perhaps
imagine.
Preparing Yourself for the Buy
Information is Essential
Now that you've decided to investigate home
ownership, the best way to approach your purchase is as an educated consumer.
It is very important to educate yourself on the process and requirements
before you begin looking for a home. For example, many people believe that
renting is cheaper than buying, or that you have to be a Permanent Resident
of the United States or have an exorbitant down payment to buy a house.
The reality is that you only need a work permit, and in some cases, the
starter costs of renting may almost be the same as that of a down payment
for a house. Stay informed by talking with people who have already gone
through the process, by attending home-buying seminars, and by visiting
a CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty office.
Your Real Estate Professional
Choosing to buy a home is one of the most important decisions of your life
and should not be taken lightly. That's why it is in your best interest to
associate yourself with a good real estate agent who has experience, who
works in the area where you would like to live, and with whom you feel comfortable.
If you choose a CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty agent, rest assured that you will be dealing
with a true Professional who will provide you personalized service and answer
any questions or concerns you may have.
During your first meeting, a CENTURY 21 Red
Coat Realty Professional will typically talk to you about the neighborhood
where you want to live and the prices of the homes, as well as the transportation,
schools and surrounding areas. Your Professional can also assist you in
the process of talking with a mortgage representative to potentially secure
a "mortgage
pre-approval". It is helpful to get pre-approved for a mortgage before
looking for your home because you will know the amount of money you will
have to spend, and it will be easier for you to calculate how much you can
afford to pay monthly.
Your Savings
It is important to develop a financial plan so that you not only save money
for the down payment, but for other costs that will come along later like
the credit check, the mortgage application and the closing.
Your Credit
Having an established credit history is an important step in a smooth home
buying process. Build a good credit history by trying to diversify how you
pay for things and don't pay for everything in cash. Pay your bills on time,
limit your debt, reduce the amount of credit cards you have and use them
responsibly. It is also important to review your
credit report - a record of past and current debt that states when, how
and if you paid. Make sure that the information contained in your credit
report is accurate. You will have the opportunity to correct any errors.
A CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional can provide you with assistance in securing
a copy of your credit report for review.
Your credit history is one document that gives the mortgage lender confidence
in you. The better your credit history, the better your credit score; and the
better your credit score, the higher the trust level of the lender, which may
translate into more mortgage options for you.
The best approach in buying a home is to gain an understanding of how a home
is financed, the process of obtaining financial assistance toward your home
ownership dream and the costs that you should be prepared for. There are crucial
elements to be aware of: (1) Mortgage Pre-approval, (2) the Down Payment, (3)
Mortgage Options and (4) Closing Costs.
Mortgage Pre-approval
A pre-approval is a simple calculation that
tells you the amount you'll be able to finance through a loan and what your
monthly payment will be. A pre-approval also provides the "seller" some comfort
that you have the financial means to purchase their home.
Once you know the amount of money the bank will lend you, you will need to
determine how much cash you should save for the down payment. This will help
define the types of homes that are within your budget. Bear in mind that your
monthly costs not only consist of mortgage payments, but will also include
at a minimum real estate taxes, homeowner's insurance and utilities.
Securing mortgage financing is an important step in the real estate purchase
process. There are lots of options to explore to find the fit that's right
for you. One step you can take towards figuring out how much you can afford
to make your home search more effective, even before contacting a financial
lender, is visiting www.c21redcoat.com to
learn more details regarding home financing and to utilize the CENTURY
21 Red Coat Realty Mortgage
Calculator. Additionally, your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional
can help you in making sense of the financing process and guide you in sorting
through your options.
The Down Payment
A down payment is generally the money you pay up front toward your new home.
Typically, the more cash you pay as a down payment, the less you will have
to pay each month on the mortgage, and the lower the interest costs will
be over the life of the mortgage. Many people make a down payment of 5, 10
or 20% of the sales price of the home, but the right percentage for you depends
on many factors. There also are certain loans available for down payments
of under 5%. One thing that is certain is that saving the money for the down
payment can be a challenge. This is why there are so many mortgage options
available and a CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Mortgage Professional is a good resource to help
you choose the one that best corresponds to your personal situation.
The Mortgage
The types of home financing options available to you toward the attainment
of your new home are varied, depending on your personal financial situation
and unique needs. The best resource available to you in determining your
financing option is your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional
who can guide you through contacting a financial lender and attaining a
Mortgage Pre-approval, to help you in gauging what you can afford to spend
on a home and financing available to you. As a general overview, here are
some typical financing examples:
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Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM): in general terms, this is a type of
mortgage in which the interest rate is tied to a certain economic index
and may adjust at certain times. Overall, your monthly payment may go
up or down at intervals specified in the disclosure associated with this
type of mortgage, depending on the current interest rate. |
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Fixed Rate Mortgage (FRM): in general terms, this is a type of mortgage
in which the interest rate does not change during the entire term of
the loan. This means that the monthly payments for principal and interest
are also fixed for the life of the loan. |
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Conventional mortgages: generally, mortgages that are not part of a
government-housing program, typically have a limit of $322,700, and are
not insured by the federal government. |
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Jumbo mortgages: generally, mortgages that typically exceed $322,700
and are not insured by the federal government. These loans usually command
higher interest rates. |
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Government backed loans: There are two types of government-backed loans,
the FHA and the VA. FHA loans are insured by HUD (the Department of Housing
and Urban Development of the United States) and VA loans are insured
by the Veterans Administration. |
Closing and other additional costs
Closing is when ownership of your new home is officially transferred from the
seller to you. Sometimes sellers will pay closing costs. If not, you need
to be prepared to pay this additional cost, which can range to be an additional
two to five percent of the home purchase price. These costs can vary from
state to state. Your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional can assist you, and guide
you in this step towards achieving your homeownership dream.
Some other cost that you can gather more information on, as well as general
estimates, to prepare your personal finances, typically include:
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Good faith deposit: This deposit shows the sellers that you are really
interested in buying their home and that you are willing to make them
an offer. This deposit can vary between 1 and 10% of sales price depending
on the market and can be applied to the down payment. |
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Mortgage application and credit report fees. |
Securing your dream home
The Search
Narrowing your home search down with knowledge about
how much you can afford to spend is only one factor to consider, having an
idea of what specific features you want versus need in your new home, can also
help your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional in guiding you through the process to a successful
and happy outcome. With this information in hand, your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional
can give you information on houses for sale and will take you to see those
that interest you. Your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional will discuss with you the pros
and cons of each house. Don't be afraid to ask all the questions you want.
Remember that one of these houses could be your future home.
While searching for your new home, your CENTURY
21 Red Coat Realty Professional can assist you in fine tuning your search
criteria and find the home of your dreams by visiting "Open Houses". Visiting an "Open House" will
involve you personally touring houses for sale and getting a first hand
view of the home and property. You may want to visit open houses on your
own or you may want to go with your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional
so that you get a better feel for the market, the neighborhood and the
styles of houses available to you.
| It's always good to ask yourself the following questions: |
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What features are most important to me? Number of bedrooms? Number
of bathrooms? |
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Does it have special features like a garden, a fireplace, a yard or
a garage? |
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Do I want a newly constructed house or a house that has been lived
in before? |
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Is it most important that the house be near a specific school, my job,
or public transportation? |
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What is the school district like? |
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Are there kids in the neighborhood who are the same age as my own? |
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Does this house need a lot of repairs? |
The Offer
When you find your perfect home you will need to make the
seller an offer in writing. Your offer is often the first step toward
negotiating a sales contract with the seller and is much more complicated
than simply determining a price. Because of the large amount of money
involved, both the buyer and the seller should protect their investments
and limit their risk. Therefore, when you make an offer, typically you
not only specify the price you are willing to pay, but also the details
of the purchase such as:
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How you intend to finance the home |
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Amount of the down payment |
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Who pays the closing costs |
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What inspections will be performed |
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Whether personal property is included in the purchase |
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Terms of cancellation |
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Any repairs you want done |
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Date you will take physical ownership and possession of the property |
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How to settle disputes should they occur |
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| Contingencies: |
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Contingencies generally allow you to anticipate potential problems
so that if something goes wrong, you can cancel the contract
without penalty. If you cancel a contract without having agreed
upon conditions and contingencies, you could find yourself forfeiting
your good faith deposit and the money you spent to inspect the
property, as well as other damages. For this and other reasons,
it is highly recommended that you retain an attorney. Your attorney
will advise you as to what you should include in your offer to
protect yourself. |
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Before making an offer, thoroughly evaluate the property
(including but not
limited to the following):
| Property Conditions |
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Your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional can tell you how the property compares
with the rest of the neighborhood. |
| Home Improvements |
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Take note of what the previous owners have done to the house to determine
if these improvements warrant the asking price and/or were done correctly. |
| Market Conditions |
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If the market is "hot" it is often considered a "seller's market".
This may give the buyer less room to negotiate his/her ideal price because
there may be other people willing to pay more for the home. |
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If the market is "slow" then it is considered a "buyer's market". In
times like these, houses often sit for longer periods of time without
receiving acceptable offers, so when reasonable offers do come in, sellers
may be more willing to negotiate. |
| Seller Motivation |
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If an individual needs to sell quickly due to their personal situation,
they may be more willing to negotiate. |
Once you have submitted your offer, you must await the response of the seller.
The seller could accept, reject or ponder your offer. Often, the seller will
counter your offer with higher amount. This begins the process of price negotiation
that may continue until both parties either agree on a price or decide to go
their separate ways.
The Good Faith Deposit
Along with your offer you must provide the
amount of your "good faith" deposit
that is designed to, among other things, demonstrate to the seller the
seriousness of your offer. This is one of the additional costs mentioned
earlier. This money is only deposited once the offer has been negotiated
and accepted by both parties.
The Inspection
When there is a serious interest in a property and an offer has been made,
an inspection is often ordered. The seller should have the property available
for inspection by a professional.
In a typical inspection, experts examine the existing conditions of the property.
Inspections may be required by law, but the elements of an inspection may vary
according to region and state and/or your agreement.
The most common type of inspection is the General
Home Inspection. A home inspector can provide you with a complete service,
which may cover many areas of the home - from the basement to the attic,
as well as the exterior of the home, walls, chimneys, and fixed appliances
such as refrigerators and stoves.
Other specific elements that can be included in an inspection are the following
(this is not a complete list):
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Termite inspection |
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Plumbing |
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Water Quality |
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Lead |
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Radon |
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Septic Tank |
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Asbestos |
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Electricity |
Indispensable Insurance
Before a mortgage company will approve your lending arrangement and allow you
to close on your new home, they will typically ask you to show proof of title,
title insurance, and homeowner's insurance. Your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional
or your mortgage representative can help explain the details, and your real
estate attorney can provide counsel on title issues and title insurance.
The Final Visit (Walk-Though)
Before the closing takes place and the property
is transferred, your CENTURY21 Red Coat Realty Professional may visit your
future house with your family. The "walk-through" provides
a valuable opportunity to ensure that the house has been left in the expected
condition.
You should take this moment to make sure that
all the items the owner agreed to leave behind are still there, such as
kitchen appliances, and even furniture and accessories, depending on the
details of the final sales contract. Discuss any problem with the your
CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional and with your attorney. In some
cases, you "as the buyer" can ask for a discount or
credit at the closing to cover any missing item or last-minute damage to
the property.
The Closing
Ask your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional
and your attorney to go over the elements of the "closing" so that you
can be fully prepared. The closing process varies according to the area
of the country (and can even vary within the same state).
Generally, the seller is required to provide clean title to the property at
closing. Your CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional, mortgage lender representative and your
real estate attorney/legal counsel can best guide you through this process,
making sure that all documents are provided and steps followed
Making your dreams a reality!
Finding your new home can be a rewarding experience, especially when you have
a real estate professional at your side, working and negotiating on your
behalf, and guiding you throughout the real estate process. We know that
you're looking for more than just a roof over your head. You're looking for
a home to express your lifestyle and values, a place to spend time with family
and friends, a place to retreat at the end of the day and CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professionals
can help you achieve those dreams. Although the real estate process can be
complex, CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professionals want to share their knowledge, experience
and patience with you in achieving those goals.
Your goal of having your own home is totally achievable. CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty real estate
professionals are here to help you.
So please visit us or
call 1-800-564-4063 to find a CENTURY 21 Red Coat Realty Professional in your
local neighborhood who can become your partner and friend in achieving your
dreams of homeownership.
None of the advice or suggestions offered in this summary is intended to
be representative of any or all of the circumstances you may encounter in
attempting to obtain a mortgage or to buy a home. You should consult an attorney
and a mortgage broker, both of whom can provide you with information specific
to your circumstances.
Mortgage loans are subject to qualification, receipt of satisfactory appraisal,
and verification of income, asset and debt information provided by the customer.
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