The home buying process can be quite long and complex, but it can also be very exciting and rewarding. What I want to do here is educate you as much as possible about the entire Austin Home Buying process.
Congratulations! You have decided to purchase a home, or are thinking about buying one. You'll be joining the ranks of hundreds of families who realize that home ownership offers a number of benefits including building equity, saving for the future, and creating an environment for your family. When you own your own home, your hard-earned dollars contribute to your mortgage. The equity you earn is yours. Over time, your home will increase in value.
These tips below will help you make the home buying process easier.
1. Find out how much house you can afford.
Talk with a mortgage professional to determine how much home you can comfortably afford. Obtain a pre-approval letter. A seller will look more favorably to an offer when a buyer has been pre-qualified to purchase their home.
2. Hire a great REALTOR®.
Having a qualified
Buyer’s Agent
on your side in a real estate purchase is invaluable. A good REALTOR® has experience and knowledge in all phases of the real estate transaction. In today’s fast moving market, you also want a REALTOR® who is up to date using the latest technologies.
3. Take time to know what you’re looking for.
There are a lot of home possibilities out there, so narrowing down your search will help ensure that you see the homes best suited for you.
Determine the area of town you’d like to live in. Factors you should consider are commuting distance to work, schools and neighborhoods.
List the features you would like in your new home. Identify those that are the most important and be sure to share this information with your REALTOR®.
4. Scheduling visits to prospective homes.
Your realtor will coordinate with you and seller’s agents regarding convenient times to see available homes. Be sure you are on time for meeting your realtor as most showings are set with an appointment time.
Go prepared to make notes about each property keeping in mind your list of desired features you made earlier in the process. Don’t spend time in homes that do not meet your needs.
Look at the home with an objective view. You are there to see if the room sizes, floor plan, location, etc. work for you and not to tour their collection of family photographs and memorabilia.
5. You’ve found a great home.
When it’s time to make an offer, your REALTOR® will help you in analyzing the market to determine a fair offer price. Once the offer is accepted, you will want to schedule inspections of the home. Plan to be present at the time of the inspections. This gives you an additional opportunity to spend time in the home as well as physically seeing what the Inspector is talking about in their report if questions arise.
6. Get to Know Your Neighborhood!
Follow the Contract to Close guideline provided by your REALTOR®. This will help you keep track of your responsibilities and those assisting you with the purchase.
Schedule a mover in advance of the closing. Many moving companies find their schedules particularly busy at certain times of the month.
After closing, be sure to forward mail from your old address and give family, friends, and those you do business with your new address.
In the following reports, you'll find the information you need to make a wise buying decision. We'll take you through the planning process step-by-step , to help you determine which home is right for you. You'll find a host of informative articles on mortgages, viewing homes, the offer, closing details and moving.
Please Contact us if you have any questions about buying a home in Austin or elsewhere in Texas.