Guidelines To Buying A New Home

Buying a home can leave you feeling exhausted from the frustration of navigating your way through a myriad of processes, or it can be an exciting experience if you prepare yourself with the right information. Whether you are buying a home for the first time, or you have bought before, it pays to have someone who is knowledgeable to guide you and help avoid the possible pitfalls in buying a home.

Once you have decided where you want to live, the best thing to do is to engage the services of a Realtor with a fair amount of experience in the property market in that area. A professional agent will have had dealings with hundreds of clients looking to buy a home. It is important to form a close working relationship with your Realtor as he/she will share in the emotional ups and downs and can be your friend through all the frustrations, joys and excitement of the buying experience.

The next major decision to make is the type of accommodation you would like to live in. Whether you decide on a condo, a detached house or a town house, the steps to follow are all the same. You also will decide whether you would like to move into a newly constructed building or a lived in home.

While searching for the right home, the following guidelines will stand you in good stead:

• Determine your price range and ascertain what your financial repayment limits are before you before embarking on your search;

• Establish which location you would like to start your search in and the radius of how far you are prepared to go outside your preferred location;

• Decide what type of home are looking for and know what different options are available in your chosen area;

• Take into consideration the distance to your place of work and other social places of interest you frequent on a regular basis;

• If you are a family member, you would want to check what schools are in the area and if they have vacancies for your children. It is a good idea to start your search early in the year in order to move into your new home before the new school year.

• Check amenities in the area such as tennis clubs and other sports facilities you and your family are interested in.

If you are viewing properties on your own it is a fun idea to take video recordings of properties that may be suitable to show to the family. If you have a cell phone with video or camera facilities you can make the search interactive with your family whilst in the process of viewing.

Make notes and keep a file with all the information pertaining to the properties you have viewed. It is easy to get confused if you have seen lots of homes. Use the comps to check whether the home you are interested in is worth the asking price.

Once you have made your decision, your Realtor will put in an offer to purchase and a certain amount of negotiation will take place. After your offer has been accepted, the process of applying for finance and having the home transferred will begin. Eventually you will have the home of your dreams.