Adding “homeowner” to your title is a proud moment in life. It’s exciting to think of all the perks of home ownership, from being able to grow your own garden to getting an indoor swimming pool. But before you can live happily ever after in your dream home, the hardships of finding a house and the layers of red tape surrounding it must first be addressed. Here are seven hacks to buying your first home without overpaying for it.
1. Save for Down Payment
Although mortgages are accessible to prospecting homeowners, it doesn’t fully cover every cent of the property. You will still need to save enough cash for down payment. Without enough cash on hand to be allocated as down payment, you cannot, and should not, attempt to start looking for properties through brokers. This will only take up time and effort from both you and your broker, resources you could’ve spent building the funds needed upfront. The standard down payment for a house is 20 percent of the property’s price. Note that there are financing options that allow for as little as 3 percent down or, in some cases, even no money down. As tempting as it is, avoid such deals since it often involves higher interest rates and additional insurance premiums.
2. Decide on a Location
Location is king when it comes to real estate. It’s the single most important factor that drives supply and demand in this market. Bad locations lead to depreciated property valuations and vice versa. You can decide on a location while you’re saving up for down payment. In fact, the two factors affect each other in that the location you choose will also broadly determine the median housing prices and, consequently, the down payment amount you must save up for.
3. Peruse the Web
Your choices for housing will vary immensely, with dozens of properties falling under your set of criteria, irrespective of the factors you’ve deemed important. Traditionally, you’d be limited to the newspaper ads and in-person visits to property listings. Technology, however, has enabled society to rewrite this particular transaction in a more convenient and efficient manner. One of the best ways technology has improved the home buying and selling process is through sites like Fizber. These sites essentially eliminate realtors, savings an average of more than $10,000 in the process.
4. Inspect the Property
Once you’ve narrowed it down to a handful, start inspecting the properties. Address important questions, such as whether or not the property is in good shape, what maintenance or repairs do you have to pay for after acquiring the home, is it child- or pet-friendly or do you have to renovate certain rooms for it to become one?
5. Negotiate With Sellers
This can either be the most awaited phase of the home-buying process or the most terrifying phase. It depends on whether or not you’re a natural-born haggler or if you dread the intensifying experience of a negotiation. You don’t have to always just accept the asking price set forth by the seller. However, be careful about setting too low of an offer since sellers can tell you to scram right off the bat.
6. Put Down a Binder
When or if your offer is accepted, you will be asked to make a binder until the closing deal is signed. A binder is the deposit of one percent of the agreed upon price for the house.
7. Contact Your Legal Representative
Your lawyer will manage the details of the contract sent by the lawyer representing the selling party. Vet the documents carefully to ensure that all clauses were indeed agreed upon beforehand. This is where the lawyer will come in handy since they are already experienced in analyzing legal jargon that comes with a property purchase.
Buying your first home is meant to be a positive experience, one that excites you every step of the way. With these seven hacks, you’ll be able to find, and get approved for, the perfect house both from the bank and the selling party.
