Buying a house is a challenging process, but even more so if you are a first-time buyer. In order to avoid some usual rookie mistakes, here’s what to pay attention to once you decide to search for your perfect house.
- Get pre-approved
Don’t start any serious search without getting pre-approved for a mortgage. The worst thing that could happen is that you spend some time searching for a house, find one that’s just perfect and then find out you won’t be able to put a serious offer. It’s wise to get a letter that states you have been pre-approved to put offers – many sellers ask for one.
- Inform yourself about the neighbors
Once you have found a potential house, the first thing is to visit the neighborhood. The people around you will affect the standard of your living to a certain degree, so better make sure your potential neighborhood suits you. Visit the neighborhood a couple of times and always do it at a different time of the day to get the real feel of the life there. If possible, talk to the law enforcement and EMS at the nearest hospital – they will have sure facts about how safe the neighborhood really is.
- Don’t give up due to an ugly bathroom
Buyers pay a lot of attention to the bathroom in the house, but you need to be able to see past the ugly paint color or weird design choice. If the house has the potential, don’t write it off just because you really don’t like the bathroom. Know that cosmetic changes are an easy fix while pointing out the outdated items can help you lower the price of the house. If the aesthetics of the bathroom aren’t satisfactory, it actually is at your advantage – if most of the other stuff works for you, the bidding process will suit you, allowing you to save more money.
- Get home inspection
Don’t get too carried away with what seems like the perfect house. The home inspection will pinpoint weak spots of the house and let you know if there are unpleasant surprises behind the walls or in the foundations. It is something that only professionals can do, so don’t try to do it on your own. Whether the home inspection finds a major problem or not, it’s still a good investment for you – in case of a problem, you’ll be happy to have the problem identified, and if there isn’t any, then it will only make you more confident about your investment you’re about to make.
- Having an agent
In many countries, home buyers refer to agents that can make their lives much easier and point them in the right direction. Of course, sometimes people go to open houses that they have found themselves online, but it’s much easier when an agent does that for them while they are at work or with their family, saving them a lot of time. For example, any Sydney property buyers agent informs the buyer only on the houses that fit their parameters and warn them if certain houses are overpriced. They also quite frequently know about properties that aren’t on the market yet, putting you in an advantageous position.
- No compromise on location or layout
These two things can’t be changed, so there’s no element of the house that will make up for a bad floorplan or a bad neighborhood. If you are not sure of any of the two things, give up on the house.
All in all
A first-time buyer can experience some stress, but to a much lesser degree if they are aware of certain things. These simple pieces of advice will definitely be useful to you.
