The Candid Review: A Blog About Appeals

1. Before you begin looking for a home, get yourself pre-approved
Who wants to look at houses when at the end of the day, you will never be able to swing the payment? Contacting a mortgage professional will give you a leg up when you finally begin looking for that dream home. The agent will also be able to tell you how much you should spend as opposed to how much you can spend, the difference being how stable you want your bank account to be for the next 30 years.

2. Be sure to look in good school districts
Regardless of whether you have children or not, purchasing a home in a solid school district should be a top priority. When it comes to reselling your home, any family that does have children will be looking for this criteria first. Plus, properties located in good school districts tend to hold their value much better than those that are in suspect areas.

3. Get your credit in check
If you don’t have to worry about getting a mortgage, lucky you. If you are like the rest of us that do require assistance from a bank, then making sure your credit report is in tip-top shape is very important. Assuring there are no issues and that everything is correct can be the difference in getting a good interest rate and getting a great interest rate. A few months before your search begins, order a couple of credit reports and dig in.

4. Buy a house that you can really afford
Just because you have been approved by the bank for a $300,000 loan doesn’t mean that you have to buy a $300,000 house. Some people are comfortable stretching every last penny to have their abode be as perfect as possible, while others would like to save some money for a rainy day, or leaky faucet. Feeling comfortable about your financial status should take precedence over having any extra 700 square feet and a lot less cash on hand.

5. Movers and shakers need not apply
Unless you are willing to stay put for a few years and lay down a foundation in a particular area, renting might be a more conservative option. The housing market fluxuates a lot and trying to sell your house after a short amount of time may cause you to take a financial hit. Think it through and make sure you are ok with hanging put for a few years.

6. Hire an inspector to check things out
Are you the type that believes everything they read on the internet? Does the home you are attempting to purchase look so great from the outside that there could not possibly be anything wrong with it? Do yourself a favor and hire someone who has an open mind and experience looking for issues. Most people can’t see mold with a naked eye and I’d bet you don’t know what all to look for to determine if your foundation is cracked. Allowing an outside opinion to have a look could save you a ton of money in the long run.

While this is not the total guide to buying a home, hopefully these topics will aid in the buying process. Purchasing a home can be an awesome and exhilarating experience, but it can also be the most stressful and tedious time of your life. When it doubt, always ask a pro for help. Rand Title Insurance Company are the pro’s you need for this type of transaction. Call Rand Title Insurance today.