How To Make Buying Your First Home Easier

You couldn’t have picked a better time to buy your first home. Home values continue to rise and interest rates are still low enough that your monthly payments will be affordable. Make your home buying easier by following these tips.

Get Prequalified

Have you ever had a fancy meal at a restaurant only to discover when it’s time to pay that you left your wallet at home? That’s what it’s like shopping for a home if you don’t know what you can afford. Pre-qualification avoids this embarrassment. You approach a mortgage lender who then examines your down payment, income, and expenses. He then tells you how much house you can afford. You can then confine your search to a specific price range.

Don’t Be Too Picky

If you’re spending all this money, it’s understandable that you want your home to meet all your needs. The only problem is there’s no such house out there unless you have it built from scratch. Unless you want to keep searching forever, pare down your list to three or four must haves, a couple of deal-breakers, and a few nice-to-haves. Once a home meets 80 percent of this list, buy it.

Insist on a Home Inspection

A used home can harbor issues that you can’t easily detect if you don’t know what to look for. The foundation may be sinking due to drainage issues or the wiring may pose a fire hazards. A home inspection can uncover these problems. A professional inspector goes through the property looking for problems with the structure. What he discovers may be so major that they force you to cancel the deal altogether. More than likely, the problems he finds will be fixable, allowing you to wrangle concessions from the seller, like a lower price, or a credit for repair.

Prepare for Your Move

According to Halifax Transfer Inc, movers in Halifax NS, you want to prepare for your move to the new home as far in advance as possible. Decide what you want to recycle and give away, so you have fewer things to pack. Get estimates from several reputable movers. (The one you decide on can also advise you on what to prepare and sell you needed supplies, such as boxes and packing tape.) Finally, inform your relatives, friends, utility companies, service people, and post office. Change the addresses for any subscriptions and bills. Some may require up to six weeks advance notice for uninterrupted service.