First time home buyer Texas steps First Time Home Buyer Texas Tips. When it comes to purchasing a home, especially for the very first time, it’s extremely important to ensure that you get each and every one of the details correct from beginning to end. Thankfully, there are many different tips that you can make note of in order to ensure that your first home-buying process is successful. Here are four of the most useful first time home buyer tips for those who are seeking to purchase a home in Texas for the very first time. *First and foremost, it’s important that you begin to save as much money as you can as early as possible. There are a few factors to consider involving this, such as a down payment, which some types of conventional loans will allow to be as low as 3% for those who are purchasing a home for the first time. Another factor to consider includes closing costs, which essentially are the expenses and fees that are required to be paid in order for your mortgage to be finalized. This is something that generally ranges from 2% to 5% of the total loan amount. Oftentimes, you can request that the seller pay a portion of the closing costs as well. One final factor to consider includes move-in expenses, which includes costs for furnishings, upgrades, and immediate home repairs. *It’s also equally as important to determine exactly how much home you will actually be able to afford, which is something that needs to be done before you begin browsing for potential homes. *You will also need to take the time to check your credit and make sure that it’s as strong as possible. Your credit is the one thing that will not only determine whether or not you actually qualify for a mortgage, but it will also affect the overall interest rate that will be offered to you by various lenders as well. One of the best ways to ensure that your credit is good is to ensure that you pay all of your bills on time and always keep the balance on your credit cards as low as possible. Additionally, take a look at copies of your credit reports from all three credit bureaus and if you notice any errors that could potentially impact your overall score, dispute them immediately. Furthermore, if you currently have any credit cards, be sure to keep them open, as closing them will increase the available credit that you are able to use, which is something that can lower your score.
*It’s also important that you select the right real estate agent as carefully as possible. This is the one professional who will take the time to browse through the market for those homes that actually meet all of your needs and who will also take you through the processes of both negotiation and closing. Recent home buyers will be able to provide you with the best possible referrals for real estate agents; however, it’s always a good idea to interview a few of them and obtain references from them. Additionally, you should also ask them about their previous experience regarding helping first-time homebuyers, as well as exactly how they will assist you with finding the home that you’re looking for. If you are in the market for a home, contact Weichert Realtors – Barton Harris today and schedule a free consultation with one of our team realtors!