These days, when you finally find the perfect home for yourself, the odds are god that someone else found it too. If you really want to make this home yours, here are a few things you must do to better the odds of you being the new homeowner.
Know What You Can Afford To Spend
You really need to go over your finances before you begin to look for a home. Speak with a mortgage rep to find out if you can indeed get a mortgage, and for how much. Once you have the P{re-Approval, you can hunt for that perfect home, and you can show the seller that you are able to purchase the home.
Get Your Sneakers On and Be Prepared to Move FAST
There is a lot of competition for available homes, especially in the starter home price bracket. You want to be the first to make an offer. So when you see what you want, hop to it and have your Realtor write the contract before someone else does.
Make Your Best Offer
Have your Realtor pull comparative home sales. This is the best way to know what a property should be worth. And do you remember that Pre-Approval? This is when you need to have it. But if the house needs some major repairs, such as a roof or heating system, calculate that cost into your offer.
Be Prepared to Negotiate.
Unless you are offering full price, you will probably receive a counter offer from the seller. So make your first offer a little under what you can pay. But realize that the price is not the only important part of the contract that may require negotiations. The closing date often comes into play. Other things come into play also. We sold a home once where a very important clause was that the buyer would do the final cleanout after the closing. The seller was an elderly lady who could not drag all the stuff to the curb for pickup. Do your homework and find out what is important to the seller.
After you get your Pre-Approval start your home search. You can call us, Bunny and Art Reiman, Realtors, at 732-616-6226, and we will start searching for you. Or you can search online at www.55plusinocean.com, then call us when you find something interesting.