Five Tips For First Time Home Buyers
The bad news is that the housing market is in terrible shape. Prices have fallen, there is too much inventory on the market, and many, many people owe more on their home than what it is worth. This has caused much pain for many homeowners, builders, Realtors and mortgage professionals. Like I said, that is the bad news.
The Good news is that if you are a first time home buyer in the market, this is probably the best time to buy a home in recent memory. With prices low and mortgage rates lower, you can get yourself a real bargain. Not only that, but the government is also give an $8,000 tax credit this year to people who purchase a home. What more can you want.
We all know that all good things come to an end, so if you are really considering buying your first home, I wouldn’t wait too long. It won’t be long now before prices actually start climbing again, interest rates rise and the government ends it’s generous tax incentive.
So what should you do if you are considering such a move? There are certain steps that I would take to get the ball rolling. And in no particular order, here they are.
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Make Sure Your Credit Report Is In Good Shape.
You need to know exactly what your credit score is, and if it is low, you need to work on raising it up. There are several places online where you can get your credit report for free instantly. Look at your report, make note of any inaccuracies and have them repaired. If your score is low (Below 620) find a professional who can help you raise it so that you can be approved for a mortgage loan.
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Get Rid Of As Much Monthly Debt As Possible.
Start paying off your smaller bills if you can. You want your monthly debt to be as low as possible so that you can get approved for a mortgage. Now days, the banks are not comfortable unless your total debt to income ratio is under 40%. By eliminating as much debt as possible, you can more easily avoid that threshold.
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Start Saving.
Although there are many government and FHA lending programs that allow you to buy your home with as little as 3% down or less, you will still need money for the transaction. Inspections, appraisals and other settlement costs tend to add up quickly and you will have to pay for theses things out of pocket before the closing, so be prepared.
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Get Pre- Approved Before You Start Shopping.
There is nothing worse than the heartbreak of finding your dream home only to discover that you will not qualify for a mortgage. The best way to go about the process is to get pre-approved so you know exactly how much you can afford ahead of time. A pre-approval will also give you a pretty good ideal of what kind of money you will need to have in your pocket. Once you have all this information, you can go out and shop confidently and avoid any unpleasant surprises. The easiest and best place to get pre- approved is at LendingTree Mortgage Loans
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Spend Only What You Can Comfortably Afford.
You may find that a bank or mortgage company is willing to lend you more that you originally thought. Avoid the temptation of maxing out your mortgage. Stay within the budget that you originally planned. Your monthly payments should be at a level that you can easily afford without stress and anxiety. So even if a bank wants to approve you for more, say thanks, but no thanks.
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