How to buy a house when your a first time home buyer

When you finally decide to buy your first home there are a few steps to take to ensure that you make the best choice possible. I'm going to give you 5 steps to follow that if you follow will put you in the best position to get the right house for you and your family.

1. Goals. The first step to do is sit down and write out your goals. Your probably not going to buy your dream home the first home you buy so sit down and look at what you want and what you need based off of where you are at right now in your life. By having a clear, well written plan this will help you to decide on what direction to go. Some of the things you might want to consider : Condo vs. Home , How many bedrooms, Square footage, School District, How big of a yard, What is it close by, the crime in the area etc...

2. Contact a Real Estate professional. Either do this by a referral, visiting open houses and getting a feel for different agents personality, or contact an agent from the marketing you see around where you live. Often times very successful agents don't work with buyers and focus more on sellers so visiting an open house may give you an opportunity to meet an agent that works with and understands a first time home buyers needs

3. Contact a Mortgage Lender : This should either be by referral from your agent or friend/family. If you don't have any lender in mind rather than just using one from the internet I'd recommend asking your agent for a referral and they typically will have 2 or 3 lenders they work with that understand how they work and work hard to help their clients. 4. Be open minded. What you see may not be perfect and you may have to do work to the homes you visit, that's ok. When your starting your search you may look for an area that is growing or the homes are appreciating. I've met many 1st time home buyers who used their home as a rental when they bought their next house so you may want to consider that. Don't be to narrow because you may miss out on a great deal because it's not "perfect" but getting started as a home owner.

If you have any questions or are thinking about buying a home feel free to give me a call
Seth Rowlands
626-343-4128