It’s almost everyone’s dream to own a house. However, buying a house is very expensive, and for some, it’s the biggest investment they make in their lifetime.
There’s a lot of processes involved in buying a house, and just thinking about it can make you feel overwhelmed. A transaction in real estate not only requires financial knowledge but also legal matters. It also requires knowledge about structural, standard code, boundaries and even floodplains.
Fortunately, there are lots of experts you can trust and help you find the house of your dreams. But it’s not easy to find the right experts. Some may just rip you off and not be able to perform their duties.
With all the complicated tasks involved in home buying, it doesn’t have to be scary. There is an easy way to navigate your home buying process. That is to prepare a home buying checklist. This checklist will help you organise properly and make the right decision in purchasing your ideal property.
So here is a checklist that you should follow when buying a house.
- Check your financial statusYou probably need a mortgage or a home loan to purchase a property unless you have millions of dollars in your account. Taking a mortgage or a home loan means finding someone who is willing to lend you money. You can get a mortgage or loan through banks and other home programs. However, not that they are not going to just give you the money you want. They have to be certain that you will be able to return the money. This means they will go through your finances before they can offer you a loan.
In order to be approved, you need to have a good financial standing. So make you have a sufficient income stream to be able to pay a monthly payment for your mortgage or loan. Also, consider the cash you have on hand for the down payment. Some programs may require you to pay only 5% for the down payment; however, there are those who will require up to 20%.
Overall, you have to decide carefully whether you can pursue purchasing the property based on your financial standing. If not, then you have to save more and wait until you can afford to buy one.
- Determine how much you can affordThis is an important step in your home buying process, setting your budget. It’s not practical when you look for a house that costs over five hundred thousand dollars when you can only afford below two hundred thousand dollars. So, to narrow your options, you first have to set a budget according to what you can afford.
In setting your budget, you have to take into consideration your lifestyle. You have to note your expenses so you can best determine how much you can afford to spend for your monthly payment.
- House hunting and inspectionIt would be easy to find a house if you are with your trusted real estate agent to guide you through the process. Once you find the house of your dreams, don’t fall in love easily just because of your beautiful appearance. You need to make sure that the house is safe to live in and there will be no problems once you move in. We are talking about the structural condition of the house as well as its systems. You have to make sure everything is working properly. The best thing to do to ensure that the property is in good condition is by hiring a professional home inspector. This way, the house will be evaluated, and hidden issues will be revealed. With the help of a professional home inspector, you’ll be able to know whether the house is worth buying.
- Closing your new homeSo your finances are in place, you have the house inspected by an expert and made an informed decision, there is one thing left to do. That is signing lots of paperwork and getting your new jets to your new home. If you have an attorney, it’ll be easier for you to go through this process as you will be helped in understanding all documents that will be signed.
When it comes to buying a house, you will feel a mix of emotions. You’ll feel nervous, tired, excited all at the same time. Since it’s a huge commitment, you want to make sure that everything will be okay and avoid hassles. Although buying a house seems to be a complicated process, you can make it as smooth as possible once you have set a checklist. It’s not always that difficult as long as you have the patience. And before you know it, you already have your brand new home that you have been dreaming of for a long time. Then you’ll realise that all the effort and time you spent was all worth it.
