Are you trying to buy your first home? According to The National Association of Realtors, 2015 will be a year for first-time homebuyers. That said, do you know what to look for when looking for your first home? There are many pitfalls to avoid when dealing with something this important, after all you will be living and perhaps raising a family there as well. Below are some articles that could help you in your quest for that home you have always dreamed about, and avoiding some catastrophic mistakes at the same time.
How Contingencies Protect a First-Time Homebuyer
When buying a home, there are seemingly hundreds of details to attend to, especially as a first-time homebuyer. Those details can range from the critical to the merely inconvenient, from property lines to pets. One important matter you’ll encounter is that of the contingency.
“Contingencies are your ‘out’ clause,” says Tim Freund, a real estate broker in the Los Angeles area. “They allow a buyer to get out of an agreement legitimately.”
But you want to buy a house, not get out of a deal. What’s that about?
Common contingencies
Contingencies are your built-in buyer protection plan, placing conditions on the sale that ensure you’re not taken advantage of. The most common contingency is a physical inspection, which allows buyers to determine whether there’s an issue with the home that’s bigger than they’re willing to tackle. That could be a leaky roof, a crumbling foundation — or a transmission line buried in your backyard.
ANAHEIM, Calif., June 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — The National Association of Realtors has speculated that 2015 will be the year of the first-time homebuyer, and as many aspiring homeowners begin to dip their toes in real estate, they should prepare themselves for what can sometimes be tricky waters. With careful forethought and planning, newcomers to the real estate realm can make sure that they are ready to buy their dream home as soon as they find it. Here are 10 tips to help first-time homebuyers navigate their way to becoming homeowners.
- Know what you can afford
When looking for a new home, make your search more effective by knowing how much home you can afford. Carefully calculate the overall monthly payments. Be sure to include additional costs like property taxes, insurance premiums, homeowners insurance, homeowners’ association dues (if applicable), etc. Look at your monthly budget to understand how a mortgage payment will fit into it.
7 Programs That Help First-Time Homebuyers
Buying a home is so hard, they should make it an Olympic event. It’s not just the paperwork; it’s the terminology, the fees and the number of people involved. It’s natural to want to agree to whatever, sign everything and just get through the process as fast as you can. But while that may make you a medalist in downhill skiing, it won’t earn you many style points in life’s uphill battle to financial well-being.
Here are some of the most useful homebuyer programs that you might overlook if you rush the process. They may score you some big savings.
FHA
This is the go-to program for many Americans, especially first-time homebuyers and those who have a credit history that’s … let’s say shaky. The Federal Housing Administration guarantees a portion of home loans, which frees lenders to broaden their acceptance standards. With FHA backing, borrowers can qualify for loans with as little as 3.5% down. You can search a list of FHA lenders near you at HUD.gov.
