There are so many things that you should do when you begin the house-buying process. Not all of these things are common knowledge, but they can make all of the difference in the buying experience and how quickly you are able to find your perfect home. Here are 6 things you should keep in mind with regards to buying a home:
1: Know what to do with your credit
The moment you decide the time has come for you to buy a home you want to make sure you don't open any new lines of credit. You also want to do things to improve your score such as lowering your credit debt and continuing to pay everything on time.
2: Know what you want
Come to a decision on the basics. These include the area you want to buy in, the size of the house you want, features you must have and things that you definitely don't want a house to have.
3: Go through the process to get pre-approved
Once you are ready to start working with a real estate agent, you should go in to get pre-approved. This will help you in a few different ways. It lets you know just where you stand, it will help save you time later on, and it is something that sellers really like to see.
4: Give your real estate agent a full picture of your wants and your flexibility
Let your agent know what you really want, but make absolutely sure that you also let them know any and every area where there is some flexibility. If you don't then there is the chance that they won't show you a house that may have been the best one for your family.
5: Don't drag your feet when it comes to putting in an offer
As soon as you know that you want to put an offer in on a house, you want to pick up the phone and call your real estate agent. Putting off that phone call by even a few minutes can be all it takes for another buyer to get their offer in before yours and cost you the chance at that home.
6: Consider writing a letter if you are offering less than the asking price
Writing a letter to the seller explaining how much you love the home and your reasons for not being able to offer the full asking price can actually help you to get your offer accepted in many cases.
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