Are you tired of living in rented accommodations? Are you thinking about buying a house to live in so that you can do whatever you want? Owning your own home can be extremely rewarding and freeing. No longer will you have to acquiesce to the wishes of a landlord who doesn't want you to drill holes in the wall to hang up your pictures. However, there is definitely more to buying a house than simply deciding that you want to purchase one. If you've never made a similarly large purchase before, here are some things that you need to do before you even talk to a real estate agent:
Set aside a down payment: The down payment for a mortgage on single family homes is often around 20% of the house's total price but this figure may be higher or lower depending on whether you qualify for assistance or not. Since you don't yet know exactly how much your house will cost, your best choice is to figure out how much house you can afford and set aside 20% of that. You can find many calculators online that let you plug in your income and it will tell you how much house you can afford. But you'll also need to take into account things like student loans or car payments. Also, remember that you'll have to pay for all your utilities, something that you may not be doing currently if you're living in an apartment.
Get your credit report: Your credit report will determine whether or not a lending company is going to be willing to give you a mortgage to purchase any single family homes. Even if they're willing to lend to you, a lower credit score will mean a higher interest rate. Check out your credit report to make sure that there are no mistakes and that nobody has stolen your identity and run up bills in your name. Getting this sorted out now can save you time and aggravation later.
Consult a financial advisor: If your credit rating is less than perfect, it's a good idea to consult a financial advisor to get assistance and find out what to do. For instance, if you have significant credit card debt, the first impulse of many people is to simply close that card or cards. While this may prevent you from making further purchases on the closed accounts, this may actually impact your credit score in a negative way. Let your financial advisor know that you're interested in buying one of the single family homes for sale in your area and he or she can set you up on the correct path to doing just that.
