Shopping For a New Home

by Ingrid Macher
Congratulations on your decision to get a new home, now is the time to consider some aspects to help you find your dream home.

First and most importantly, find a professional Real Estate agent to help you get through the process. Before you decide how many bathrooms you need, or what area is the best, it's important to know how your credit is and if your actual financial situation is in good condition, and finally, how much you are going to be able to qualify for on a mortgage.

All these aspects are important to consider before you get in your car and drive around looking for you next home. So the beginning to buying a property starts with researching for a good real estate agent, somebody that you like and trust. You can find these qualified people on the internet or through the newspaper or possibly by referrals. The second step is to interview the agent and see what service he or she is able to offer to you and if you have to make a commitment to work with one person at a time.

After you select the agent that you feel most comfortable with, it's time to bring all the questions that you think are important to you in order to know if you are going to be able to aford the house.

The financial part is the most important one - that means your credit score, your monthly income, proof of employment, downpayment, etc. You will need to know how much money you are going to need for closing the transaction. Generally closing costs are 10 percent, byt sometimes it's up to an additional 3%. Finally, earnest deposit money is the first thing you will need to make the offer.

A proffesional real este agent is trained to help you through this financial part, but in addition to that, after you establish your criteria, is able to search easily for your criteria in a computer system, looking around all tha neighborhoods that you are interested in and show you all the properties available in the real estate market, before you get in the car. This means you get pictures and sometimes virtual tours, etc. so that you can disqualify the properties that you do not like, saving you time and inconvenience.

When you find your dream home, it's important to ask questions about the area, school, amenites like grocery stores, doctors offices, recreation areas, libraries etc. Sometimes driving around the neighborhood to identify these factors helps you to make the best decision.

Remember that working with a good agent, saving you time, money and inconvenience, is the best way to find what you want. Somebody that does the job for you, review all the contracts, negotiate the best deal, make sure the house passes all the inspections and is ready for you to move in immediately. Good luck on your new home.