Real Estate Laying the Foundations for Buying a Home

Build a house and you start with the foundations. Seems pretty
obvious, doesn't it? But buy a house and too many people focus
just on what they see above ground, forgetting that it's as
necessary to lay good, solid foundations for buying a house as
it is for building it. Perhaps, as a prospective homebuyer, you
see great interest rates and a buoyant housing market, and
you're not convinced of the need for thorough preparation. You
could find, though, that you don't get to buy your dream home,
but instead pay the price for not being prepared by losing out
to someone who has done the necessary legal and financial
spadework.



The business of America, declared Calvin Coolidge, is
business, and you should make it your business to recognise
that buying a home is the biggest business transaction you're
likely to make during your lifetime. So, use your head before
you lose your heart (and perhaps your money) to that dream home.
Complete the preparatory steps before beginning to look at
specific homes. It's only common sense: foundation stone first
and keystone last. Well, let's get down to basics. Let's see how
best to start laying that foundation stone to ensure that you
stand the best chance of actually buying the house of your
dreams.



One of the most important preparatory steps you need to take is
to initiate the loan application process. This will entail a
lender running a credit check and drawing up a credit report for
a modest fee of $25. You will also need to complete a loan
application. All being well, the lender will furnish you with a
good faith estimate showing the costs of the loan and the
approximate monthly repayments. Pre-approval will follow
pre-qualification subject to verification of the information you
provide.



So why then, is pre-qualification so important?



1.The process involves a credit report. This might highlight the
need to settle outstanding debts in order to maximize your
credit score. Settling any debts, however, doesn't automatically
erase them from your report - it might take months. You might
perhaps need the services of a mortgage consultant to get you
qualified for a loan. Whatever the problems you may experience
with your credit report, the very fact that you will have picked
them up early will save you disappointment later.



2.If all goes well and you get prompt pre-approval, you'll be
able to put in an immediate offer when you find your dream home.
Pre-approval stands you in good stead to have a reasonable offer
accepted. It's true that bidding wars have taken place in the
northeast U.S, but it still generally holds that
pre-qualification gives you leverage over sellers impressed by
your pre-emptive action.



3.Pre-qualification will help focus your home search. Knowing
how much you can afford will be very useful when searching
property websites.



So, make sure your finances are in order. Make sure too, that
you have a realtor working for you and don't rely on the
seller's agent. Word of mouth and personal recommendation are
the best way to secure the services of a realtor you can trust,
and who will act in your best interests.



Finally, having advocated a proactive approach throughout, there
is one area over which you have no control and that is the
appraisal. Mortgage lenders like to have an appraisal of your
prospective home's market value to protect their financial
interests. You might imagine that your interests too, are being
protected - surely an appraisal will reveal any real problems? -
but you'd be wrong. You might pay for the appraisal but you
would be well advised to pay for a home inspection report as
well.



Why the extra expense?



1.The inspector is independent of the lender.



2. The inspection will be thorough taking in inspection of the
roof; testing of electrical appliances; checking plumbing and
heating and looking for signs of pest infestation and dry rot.



3.Having had the forethought to get a home inspection report you
will now have the leverage to defer payment of the appraisal fee
should you be dissatisfied with the proposed handling of repairs.



One final word of caution. You should apply the same
precautionary principles to the home itself as you did to the
homebuying process. Again, don't let your heart rule your head.
Your dream home might require as much hard work - the addition
or removal of features, for example - as did laying the
foundations earlier in the process.