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First-time home buyer's guide: ten steps

First-time home buyer's guide: ten steps

  1. Step 1: Start research as soon as possible

    Start browsing websites, newspapers and magazines containing real estate listings as soon as possible. Write down the specific houses you are interested in and see how long they have stayed in the market. Also, please be aware of any changes in the asking price. This will allow you to understand housing trends in specific areas.

  2. Step 2: Determine your budget

    Lenders generally recommend that if a home buyer plans to pay a 20% down payment and assume moderate debts, the price of the house purchased by people should not exceed three to five times their annual household income. But you should make this decision based on your own financial situation.

  3. Step 3: Pre-approval to obtain mortgage

    Before you start looking for a house, you need to know your actual budget. The best way is to qualify for a mortgage. To qualify, you only need to provide the mortgage banker with some financial information, such as your income and the amount of savings and investments you have. Your lender will review this information and tell you how much loan you can borrow. This will confirm the range of house prices that you should focus on. In order to get pre-approval of credit, you need to provide your financial documents (T4, payroll, bank account statement, etc.) so that the lender can verify your financial status and credit.

  4. Step 4: Find a good real estate agent

    When you buy or sell a house, a real estate agent is an important partner. Real estate agents can provide you with useful information about houses and community that are not known to the public. Their knowledge of the home buying process, negotiation skills and knowledge of the area may be very valuable. The most important thing is my service is free. I will be compensated by the commission paid by the house seller.

    Ms. Xu has extensive experience in real estate investment. She has a law degree and a master's degree in economics. She has long been engaged in economic analysis and policy analysis. Her nearly 20 years of real estate investment experience can help you grasp business opportunities and find a suitable house.

  5. Step 5: Find the house and Make an Offer

    Start browsing the houses within your price range. It may be helpful to take notes on all the houses you visit. You will see many houses! It may be difficult to remember all the information about them, so you may need to take photos or videos to help you remember each listing.

    Make sure to check out the small details of each house, e.g:
    • Test the plumbing by running the shower to see how strong the water pressure is and how long it takes to get hot water
    • Try the electrical system by turning switches on and off
    • Open and close the windows and doors to see if they work properly
    It is also important to evaluate the neighborhood and make a note of things such as:
    • Are the other homes on the block well maintained?
    • How much traffic does the street get?
    • Is there enough street parking for your family and visitors?
    • Is it conveniently located near places of interest to you: schools, shopping centers, restaurants, parks, and public transportation?
    Once you find the house you want. Work with your real estate agent to negotiate a fair offer based on the value of comparable houses in the same neighborhood. Once you and the seller have reached an agreement on the price, the house will go into escrow, which is the period of time it takes to complete all of the remaining steps in the home buying process.

  6. Step 6: Home Inspection

    Usually, purchase offers are contingent on a home inspection of the property to check for signs of structural damage or things that may need fixing Your real estate agent will usually help you arrange an inspection within a few days after the seller accepts the offer. If the inspection reveals major damage, this unexpected situation can provide you with the opportunity to renegotiate the quote or withdraw the return price, thereby protecting you.

    Both you and the seller will receive a report of the house inspector ’s investigation results. You can then decide whether you want the seller to make any repairs to the property before completing the sale. Before the end of the transaction, you will walk through the house, which gives you the opportunity to confirm whether all agreed repairs have been completed.

  7. Step 7: Work with the mortgage bank to choose your loan

    Lenders have a variety of affordable loan plans and provide excellent customer service. When you buy a house, you will encounter many problems. We are experienced and can recommend you responsive mortgage banker, which will simplify the entire process.

    Every buyer has their own priorities when choosing a mortgage. Some people want to keep their monthly payments as low as possible. Some people want to make sure that their monthly payments will never increase. Others choose loans based on the fact that they will move again in just a few years.

  8. Step 8: Home appraisal

    The lender will arrange for an appraiser to independently assess the value of the house you purchased. The appraiser is a member of a third-party company and has no direct relationship with the lender. The assessment will let all interested parties know that you are paying a reasonable price for the house.

  9. Step 9: Coordinate paperwork

    As you can imagine, buying a house involves a lot of paperwork. We will do our best to coordinate this work for you.

  10. Step 10: Close the Sale

    When closing, you will sign all the documents necessary, with the lawyer, to complete the purchase, including your loan documents. After all documents are returned to the lender, it usually takes a few days to fund your loan. After the check is delivered to the seller, you can move to your new home!