What Steps Are Needed To Buy A House [UPD]
Of course, buying your first home is a huge decision, and it is important to know the nuances of Texas real estate before diving in. With that in mind, here is the process of buying a house in Texas, boiled down into eight simple steps.
what steps are needed to buy a house
Mortgage lending discrimination is illegal. If you think you've been discriminated against based on race, religion, sex, marital status, use of public assistance, national origin, disability, or age, there are steps you can take. One such step is to file a report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
An effective way to determine how much of a mortgage you might qualify for is to utilize a mortgage calculator. A mortgage calculator will require information like income, total monthly debt obligations, and how long you've been with your current employer. Your credit score will also be needed to provide an accurate estimate of the mortgage amount and interest rate for which you would potentially qualify.
Buying a house can take as little as a few days if you're buying in cash, or can take years if you're counting the amount of time it takes you to save money for a down payment and decide where to live. In a competitive housing market, you may put in multiple offers on homes before one is accepted. Conversely, mounting worry over a housing recession could lead more sellers to pull their homes from the market, making it more difficult to find a suitable property. If you already have your money saved and have a good idea of the neighborhoods and type of home you want, the process will probably take you two to six months. Ask a local real estate agent for a more accurate timeline based on your local market conditions.
Another one of the most important first-time home buyer steps? Seeking pre-approval from a lender for a home loan. This is where you meet with a loan officer, ideally a few at various mortgage companies.
A home inspection is where you hire a home inspector to check out the house from top to bottom to determine if there are any problems with it that might make you think twice about moving forward. Think: termites, faulty foundation, mold, asbestos, etc. Sure, a lot can go wrong, but rest assured that most problems are fixable.
Wondering how to buy a house? This step-by-step guide will walk you through the home-buying process, which usually takes 30 to 45 days once a purchase contract is signed. We'll provide a clear path forward with realistic expectations. Save this blog post as a reference, and remember to ask your Realtor anytime you have questions. Your Realtor will help you through each step below.
Preparing your finances is the very first step in buying a home. This will allow you to find the price range that fits your budget before you start looking at homes. It will also help you determine how much money you need to buy a house, which is usually 2% to 10% of the purchase price.
Some people may just assume that their credit is good enough to buy a house because they have never had a late payment. Others may be afraid to check their credit because they assume that it's so bad that they could never qualify. Both could be wrong.
No matter what your situation is, you need to check your credit history and know your credit before buying a home. It doesn't matter how good or bad you are with money; all that matters is what's on your credit history. If you find something on your credit history that is incorrect, be sure to resolve it before buying a house.
In order to be treated as a legitimate buyer when you are out looking at homes, you will need to have a pre-approval letter ready from your lender. Once you have gone through all of the steps above and found a good mortgage lender, it's time to finalize your pre-approval. Make sure that your lender has thoroughly investigated your finances.
Once you have prepared your finances to buy a home, the next step is to find one. This is the fun part of the home-buying process, but it can also be exhausting. Following the steps below will help you determine a clear path to finding the best house that fits your needs.
Now that you have prepared your finances and found a home, it's time to close the transaction and get the keys! These items need to be handled in a timely manner. Your Realtor will help guide you through each step. You can use this section as a reference as you are moving through the final steps of buying your new home.
Once you have an executed sales contract signed by both parties, you will need to submit your earnest money. Earnest money is kind of like a down payment for the transaction. Sellers want more than just a signed contract before they take their house off the market.
The appraisal is one of the last steps in the home-buying process. Mortgage companies require appraisals to verify that the loan amount they are providing is equal to, or better than, the appraised value of the home. It's protection for the lender.
If the house does not appraise at value, then the contract will either be terminated or renegotiated. Be sure to have the appraisal ordered as soon as your inspections are done. Delayed appraisals are one of the main causes of late closings.
Before meeting with a mortgage lender, use an online mortgage affordability calculator to estimate how much house you can afford. Once you know what your home purchase price range will be, you can then gauge how much to save for your down payment and closing costs.
Understand that making an offer on a home is sometimes the start of a psychological game. You likely want to get the home for as little as you can without losing the house outright. The seller wants to maximize the selling price of the home without scaring you away. Where should you start with your first offer? Conventional wisdom says to begin at 5 percent below the asking price, but market conditions will largely determine how much wiggle room you have. The more competitive the market, the more likely you are to face multiple bidders. In a soft market, where listings have been sitting unsold, you will have more negotiating power. In a rising market, prime listings will command the full asking price or more, and sometimes offering just a few thousand dollars above listing price can help your offer stand out. Either way, keep your budget in mind when you make your first offer and set a cap of how high you are truly willing to go.
Once your bid on a house is accepted, you set in motion the process that will take you to finally holding a set of keys in your hand. While you may be eager to move into your new place, it is in your best interest to do your due diligence to make sure you get a home that it is in good condition and at a good rate.
Kim Dinan is a writer, journalist and author. She's the outdoor news editor at Blue Ridge Outdoors and writes regularly for her local paper in Asheville, NC, covering everything from the necessity of home inspections to trends in the local economy. Kim is also the author of "The Yellow Envelope," a memoir about the time she sold her house and traveled around the globe.
Title research is an important part of the homebuying process because you want to make sure there are no unknown liens or claims on the house before you take ownership. This should be handled by your settlement agent.
If you are purchasing a large plot of land or a piece of property without a clearly defined lot, think about getting a land survey. The survey will show exactly where the property boundaries are, determine whether the house is on a floodplain, and outline any easements.
A certified inspector will look for any electrical, roofing, appliance, or structural issues that a home may have. You will receive a list of these problems, and any major drawbacks should be addressed with the seller before closing. Buyers can ask for a price discount if multiple repairs are needed, or the seller can fix the issues or cover some closing costs.
The minimum credit score needed for most mortgages is typically around 620. However, government-backed mortgages like Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans typically have lower credit requirements than conventional fixed-rate loans and adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs). Our mortgage loan officers can help you figure out what mortgage options would best fit your situation and lifestyle. 041b061a72