Setting a Budget
Before the house hunting process begins, it is important to know how much you can afford. Expenses to consider include the down payment, monthly expenses, property taxes and any home insurance costs. These will all have to be considered before the home buying process begins as they are typically included in your new monthly payment. Since a person’s credit score determines their interest rate, knowing your score ahead of time can help you decide if now is a good time to buy or not. An individual’s debt-to-income ratio must also fall within acceptable limits of the home’s cost. Once you have determined these things, and if you feel that your budget has enough room to afford a new home, then its time to begin the home buying process!
Calculate your Payment
Getting Pre-Approved
When looking for a loan, be sure to get more than one loan quote to get the best interest rate and loan terms for your mortgage. Different banks and companies will offer different loan origination fees and by shopping around you can often times save yourself a lot of money. Be sure to also check your loan officers website for testimonials and information. A good loan officer will offer you many online resources and tools. Before you lock in your rate, be sure to check the daily rate with the rate your loan officer gives you to ensure you are getting the lowest rate possible. Interest rates will determine how much a mortgage will cost each month and come in fixed or adjustable terms. Mortgage lengths can range from 15 years to 30 years with some loan providers now offering 40 year mortgages as well. The longer the repayment term, the lower the payments will be. However, the interest accrued will also be higher on a longer loan.
Better Home Search
Our website has the best online tools to search for your home! In fact, we are the local go to website for your home search because we are directly connected to our local MLS! What does that mean for you? Accuracy & Advantage! When you search homes here, you get the most up to date homes & properties available with the most accurate information! AND, if you set up an account, you will get alerted of NEWEST Property matches BEFORE any other site has them! First, start by trying one of our Search tools in the menu. Try the Advanced search to choose specific options & customize your results based on all of the things you wish for in your new home. Second, Save your Search and you will be set up for auto alerts when a new home hits the market that matches! You can also try the Map search which offers a unique perspective by allowing you to use the polygon tool on the side to create boundaries on a map around the areas you want to live in. Already know the address of the property you want? Try the Address Search. OR if you have the property ID you can use the Listing Search to search by MLS#. Find a home you like? Simply click on the Schedule a showing button and send us an alert. We will schedule the time and confirm with you once it is set up! Once you have started searching be sure to check out your Account page so you can manage your Saved Searches & Favorite properties. The My Account feature has a ton of great tools designed to cater directly to you and provide you with a home buying experience. And it’s Mobile friendly!