Ready to Buy a Home? Things You Need to Watch For

Buying a home is part of the American dream. Owning your own home can be a blessing. It allows you to build equity and wealth instead of throwing your money away on rent. However, if you are not prepared, homeownership may end up being a negative experience. It may make it difficult for you to enjoy your life, and you take on additional financial responsibility for home repairs. You should check to make sure you are ready to own a home before you purchase it. If you do this, you will find a home you can afford and enjoy.

Are You Financially Ready to Buy a Home?

Most people only think about the mortgage when they consider whether or not they are financially ready to buy a home. However, there are other expenses first time buyers will need to take into account. When you are creating your budget, you will need to budget in homeowner association fees and taxes. You will also need a category for home repairs and remodeling. Your utility bills will likely go up. In addition, you should have money set aside for a down payment on a home and for closing costs associated with the loan. If you can live on your new budget for a few months before you purchase the home, with the extra money going into a savings account and save up money for a down payment, you should be in a good position financially when it comes time to buy a home.

• Tips for Buying Homes: This article outlines the steps you need to complete to buy your first home.
• Buying Your First Home: This article takes you through the home buying process from preparing your finances to finding your realtor and making an offer.
• Are You Ready to Buy Your First Home?: This article helps you determine if you are financially ready to purchase your first home and then takes you through the home buying process.
• Money Mechanics – Buying a House: This article will help you determine if you are financially ready to commit to purchasing a home. It will take you through the steps you need to complete to prepare to purchase your home.
• Buying a Home: This lesson plan takes you through the steps of preparing to buy a home and has you ask the questions about how much home you can afford, as well as how to prepare to purchase the home.

Are You Emotionally Ready to Buy a Home?

Buying a home is an emotionally draining process. The stress of whether or not your offer will be accepted and then all of the other things that need to come out correctly before you close on the home. Your inspection should help protect you from problems that may arise after you buy the home. A good inspection will point out any problems with the house, such as foundation, wiring or plumbing issues. These problems can be very expensive to fix later, and it is okay to back out of a sale if you find significant problems with the home. An emergency fund to cover home repairs can help give you peace of mind through the house buying process. Finally, you need to be sure that you want to stay in the same area for about five years. This is where you reach the point of breaking even on your home.

• Are You Ready to Buy Your First Home?: This article looks at the entire process to help you prepare for any problems you may encounter as you buy a home.
• Before You Buy a Home: This article looks at the speed bumps in the buying process and outlines how you can protect yourself from many of them.
• Obstacles for First Time Homebuyers: Guide highlights important miestones, frequent obstacles and tips to streamline the purchase process.
• Getting Fiscally Fit – Buying Your First Home: This article takes you through a budget to prepare for emergencies and to determine how much home you can really afford. It also takes you through the entire home buying process so you will be prepared when you purchase your first home.
• Financial Aspect of Home Ownership: this article looks beyond financially getting ready to buy a home, to planning on how you will afford it once you buy it. It will prepare you fro any speed bumps you eat in the home buying process.
• How to Inspect a Home Before Buying: This article explains how to inspect a home before you buy it to make sure there are not any serious structural issues. You may also want to hire an independent home inspector.

If you take the time to make sure you are financially and emotionally ready to buy a home, you will enjoy being a homeowner. It does take extra work and sacrifice to be able to afford a home, but it is worth it. Be sure that you do a sample budget and that you have extra money set aside for closing costs and then home repairs. A realtor can help you through the entire process, once you are ready to purchase a home.