Buying a home starts with some big numbers such as:

1. down payment
2. points
3. closing costs
   
   not to mention the costs after you close on your home:
   
   
4. financing
5. escrow payments
6. maintenance and upkeep
   
   
   Understand the numbers before you begin:
   view home buying numbers
   
   Review the true costs of a mortgage:
   true costs of a mortgage

Loan pre-qualification will strengthen your negotiating position with the seller

Ask at least one lender to pre-qualify you for a mortgage. There is no obligation on you to obtain a loan from that lender, nor does it obligate the lender to provide a mortgage loan.

The lender will analyze your credit position, current income, and outstanding debts to give you a reasonable estimate of your borrowing amount.

You may begin your pre-qualification application through our national network of lenders and brokers: click for mortgage lending center

Note: before you begin your lender search, have on hand the mortgage comparison sheet to keep track of your mortgage information: open and print the mortgage comparison sheet

Know the type and price of your home will help in your home search and selection

We have collected resource information to help:

• Select Home Style:
  Two-story or split-level. English Tudor or Southern Colonial. view home style types
  
  
• Select Your Price Range:
  Know what kind of home you can afford based on your financial income: calculate the number
  
  
• Get Yourself Pre-approved:
  It is always best to get yourself pre-approved for financing prior to searching your home. You will know what price range you can work with plus you will be able to move fast in the event you find the right house: start your pre-approval with our network of nationwide lenders.
  
  Note: pre-approval does not qualify you for a mortgage loan. It simply calculates your financing power given your current input and credit numbers.

The Internet is great starting point for researching home styles, location and market values

Estimating the Neighborhood Value:

If you find a home and/or location you like, complete a market-value assessment of the neighborhood:

• What's it worth?
  Order your personal
  home valuation report
  
  property reports:
• complete property valuation
• recent sales report
• comparable sales
• subject property report
  
  view sample reports: enter address-zip

Get a QUICK review of comparable home sales in your area:

Enter Your Address to Get Started

Street Address: City:  State: Zip Code: Please select Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Other   All fields required

Find and work with an agent who have access to the MLS — a proprietary network shared among all agents for listing available homes.

Understand how to work with your agent:
view selecting and working with an agent

Many home owners sell their homes without an agent.

These home sales are referred as "For Sale By Owner", or FSBO.

There are advantages and disadvantages:
find out what at our agent services

If you find a home and/or location you like, make sure your agent gives you a market-value assessment.

Find information about market valuations:
view our quick market valuations

Be prepared to make a visual inspection when you visit the home. Don't be shy to ask questions.

What to look for:

1. complete a visual inspection of the home:
   more information on home inspections
   
   
2. check the neighborhood and the surrounding area:
   more information on location and neighborhood
   
   
3. have a market valuation completed for similar neighborhoods and homes in the area:
   more information at our quick review: market valuations
   
   
4. be prepared to move fast, if needed. The ideal home can go fast in the right market:
   more information on market timing

Get to know the surrounding market and neighborhood before making the offer

Once you find the perfect house, you will make an offer to buy. Understand how the offering process works:

go to: negotiating the offer

The offer will be contingent on the home passing inspection. Review the home inspection process:

go to: home inspection

The final steps to home ownership:

1. finalize the contract
2. complete a home inspection
3. get financing
4. do a final walk through
5. go to closing and settlement
   
   (these points are discussed below)

Arranging the best financing option requires some understanding of the financial process

You will need to arrange financing once your offer has been accepted. Search for the best product and rate through our network of nationwide lenders:

view mortgage financing information


See what is needed when you submit a full mortgage application:
view application items

When you are ready to make an application, get a FREE online quote from our network of nationwide lender: click to start your application

Download this mortgage shopping sheet to compare mortgage rates and terms among lenders:
download mortgage sheet

It is important that you understand the true cost of a mortgage loan.

It can make or break a deal. This will include:

1. monthly financing payment
2. residential taxes
3. hazardous insurance
4. other

Use our model to calculate true cost:
understanding the true cost of a mortgage

The closing process will require legal representation in most states to protect the party's interest

The final step to home ownership is closing the offer and settling the title transfer and ownership.

Notes on Home Closing and Settlement:
go to: Closing and Settlement

Estimate closing costs:
go to: Estimating Closing Costs

Do you need to sell your existing home before closing on your new home?

view our 5-step Home Selling Guide

Use our checklist on important moving tasks and scheduling

Complete resource center for moving:
http://www.SayRelocate.com

Need Some Fix-Up Money
Simply complete an application for a home equity product and process the paper at the same time you process your mortgage loan.

Your advantage is that the associated costs needed for closing your home mortgage can be applied in closing your home equity. This can save you time and money.

You need to request from your mortgage lender information about closing your home equity line of credit or loan.

For more information about home equities,
visit our affiliated site: YourEquity.com

One Last Note
Monthly expenses are generally tight after completing a home construction project. Take a moment to view our guides on lowering your monthly expenses: www.SayLowerBills.com