Considerations for Your House Hunt

Moving can be stressful and exciting all at once, whether you are purchasing a condo or a house. Besides packing what you need and disposing of what you no longer need through yard sales, donations, or the trash, you need to actually find your new location. A lot goes into this step alone, but a real estate agent, such as those at Partnerstrust for Brentwood real estate, can help minimize the stress. Until then, here are some tips for your house hunt.

 

Initial Steps

Before you rush out to find your dream home, you should take a look at your finances. It can help to make a list of your income and current expenses, and then a list of what you will require for purchasing your new home. Remember to include such things as the down payment costs, interest rates, utilities, closing costs, and additional maintenance costs that come with owning your own property. Acquiring a pre-approval on a mortgage can also help you determine what you will be able to afford, helping to speed up the process. Before your pre-approval, make sure to check your credit report for any mistakes and to pay off as much credit card debt as possible. Credit card debt contributes to a lower score, and a low credit score can mean a higher interest rate or no mortgage at all. Make sure you obtain a pre-approval for a mortgage rather than a pre-qualification, as a pre-qualification is more of an estimation, but a pre-approval provides an obtainable mortgage amount based on all of your financial information.

 

Searching for a House

Now that you have a better idea of what you can afford, you can narrow down your search. Another way to speed up the searching process is to make a list of your wants and needs. You already have an idea of what you want in the house, but does your real estate agent? And do you know what are the real must haves and what can be sacrificed if need be? Maybe a big backyard is more important than a cooktop island in the kitchen, or maybe not. Writing it down can make it clearer for both you and your real estate agent. Make sure to actually visit possible locations, and to take notes. Taking notes can help you remember what it was about that particular location you enjoyed, and what you could do without. Having these notes to view later can help you in your final decision making process. If you have a real estate agent, they can also benefit from the notes by learning your likes and dislikes and applying them to future locations to view. But what else can a real estate agent do for your home searching process?

 

Real Estate Agents

Choosing a real estate agent such as those from Partnerstrust for Brentwood real estate can provide you with many benefits. A good agent will know the area you are looking at well. They should be able to take your wants and needs into consideration, and find the closest matching homes in the area that are still within your price range. An agent will also be able to help you during the closing process, assisting you with the offer, paperwork, and understanding the various documents.