The typical home buying process takes about two to three months. There are many things to consider along the way, so it is recommended that home buyers enlist the help of a buyer agent. A good agent will serve as an expert and a guide to help you buy a home.
Setting Your Goals
In order to find the best home, and important first step after hiring an agent is to figure out exactly what type of home you are looking for. It is also important to establish what your limits are in addition to your wants and needs. Most home buyers start with a mortgage pre-approval to see what how much financing they qualify for. This will help set your budget so that you don’t waste time looking at properties that you cannot afford.
Once your goals and limits are in place, it is time to start searching online. This allows you to quickly narrow down your choices to the homes that are the best fit. Once you have the list of homes you are interested in down to a manageable level, the next step is to go put in an offer on the property. This lets the buyer know that you are interested and generally opens the door to negotiations. After your offer is accepted, the home will need to be inspected and the sales contract will need to be reviewed to make sure there are no surprises. Finally, you will need to get final approval on your mortgage so that the money can change hands and then you can call the home your own.