{"id":1630,"date":"2014-04-24T19:42:03","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T23:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/?p=1630"},"modified":"2021-11-23T17:31:27","modified_gmt":"2021-11-23T22:31:27","slug":"preparations-before-you-buy-a-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/24\/preparations-before-you-buy-a-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparations before you buy a home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"House<\/a>So, you\u2019ve been checking out homes online and have been bitten by the \u201cbug.\u201d You\u2019ve patiently waited out the market and feel it\u2019s time to jump in but not sure where to start. Whether you\u2019re a seasoned or first time home buyer; don\u2019t make the common mistake of overlooking the essential preliminary activities of the home buying process.<\/p>\n

Experts agree that checking your credit report<\/a> prior to starting the home buying process is essential. Your credit report is the basis for the credit score that is often used by mortgage lenders to decide if you qualify for a loan, and it may also be used as a means to decide your interest rate. If your credit report is inaccurate, it can cost you time and money.<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, mistakes on credit reports are more common than you might think. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), you\u2019re entitled to a free annual credit report, which can be obtained for free from the \u201cofficial\u201d credit report website (annualcreditreport.com<\/a>). The free report does not include a credit score, however, you can get it from the credit repositories for a fee; the CFPB cautions that the scores you receive may not be the same scores that lenders use for decisions on extending credit.<\/p>\n

I often talk about doing due diligence, and many home buyers are attentive and thorough in negotiation, and home inspections; but many are not as careful when choosing their real estate agent and lender. Although buyers tend to work with the first or second agent they meet; there is a consensus that you should interview several real estate agents<\/a> so as to know what to expect and to ensure you receive the service and attention you require. The same goes for any service provider you may use in the process, including the mortgage lender. And even though it has become more common for buyers to talk with several loan officers about mortgage programs and interest rates; however, it is recommended that you ask about lender fees as well.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be shy in choosing in choosing other service providers<\/a> either \u2013 it\u2019s going to be your home after all. Choosing a home inspector, pest inspector, and title company can take a little time, and it may seem easier to go with whomever your agent recommends; but sometimes price or proficiency is sacrificed for convenience. For example, a few moments of time to interview home inspectors can be the difference between having an adequate home inspection or a very thorough one.<\/p>\n

Before you spend time visiting homes, it is highly recommended that you get qualified for a mortgage by a lender. An approval indicating that your income and asset documents and credit report were reviewed by the loan officer gives added credence to any purchase offer.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget to make a housing budget<\/a>. In addition to your mortgage payment, insurance, and property taxes, the budget should include utilities, maintenance and other expected expenses. The budget should also project increases in these payments as well. Rather than keeping to the maximum loan qualification, a realistic budget can reveal your comfort level on the price you\u2019re willing to pay for a home.<\/p>\n

Besides your real estate agent, more information about credit reports, mortgages and the home buying process is available from the CFPB (consumerfinance.gov<\/a>) and HUD (hud.gov<\/a>). With preparation, your home buying journey will be more enjoyable!<\/p>\n

by Dan Krell<\/a> \u00a9
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\"Protected<\/a>
\nDisclaimer<\/a>. This article is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. Readers should not rely solely on the information contained herein, as it does not purport to be comprehensive or render specific advice. Readers should consult with an attorney regarding local real estate laws and customs as they vary by state and jurisdiction. This article was originally published the week of April 21, 2014 (Montgomery County Sentinel). Using this article without permission is a violation of copyright laws. Copyright \u00a9 Dan Krell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, you\u2019ve been checking out homes online and have been bitten by the \u201cbug.\u201d You\u2019ve patiently waited out the market and feel it\u2019s time to jump in but not sure where to start. Whether you\u2019re a seasoned or first time home buyer; don\u2019t make the common mistake of overlooking the essential preliminary activities of the … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Preparations before you buy a home”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[39,174,270,386,405,13],"tags":[824,843,814,490,511,914,821,803],"class_list":["post-1630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-first-time-home-buyer","category-first-time-homebuyer","category-home-buyer","category-home-purchase","category-homebuyer","category-real-estate","tag-budget","tag-credit-report","tag-first-time-home-buyer","tag-home-buyer-2","tag-home-buying-process","tag-home-purchase","tag-mortgage","tag-realtor"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1VZLf-qi","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1630"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6332,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630\/revisions\/6332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}