h.    Help you in the selection process of inspectors.

                i.    Help you understand the what the inspections mean.

                j.    Help you get your loan.

                k.    Make sure closing data has been reviewed for accuracy.

                l.    Help make the closing process a positive one.                 

2.                  Do the Finances before you begin looking for your perfect home.    Check with a bank or mortgage broker to go over your finances.  It is a good idea to get pre-approved.   This is important for several reasons:  

• a.                   It gives you an idea what price range you can afford

• b.                  Being pre-approved will give you an advantage over other house buyers.  Sellers would rather deal with people who they know will have no problems getting a loan.  Many are more likely to accept an offer from a pre-approved buyer.

• c.                   It allows you the opportunity to take actions to improve your credit if there is a problem.

• d.                  It is better to have your house up for sale (if not sold) before you make an offer.  Some sellers may take you offer contingent upon your house selling, but they are more likely to take one from someone with no contingencies.   They are more likely to take this contingency if your house is under contract to sell or at least on the market

.  3  Look at payments       

• a.       Go to this web page:  "Calculate Payments"   From here you will be able to access information about payments,  how much a loan will cost for different amounts of years for different rates, what you can afford, buying costs vs. renting,  tax advantages, equity in houses.  They will try to have you get a loan from them, ignore it and just get the information.
• b.      Most loans cost 10 to 20% down, but there in some cases you can do it with less.  Remember that if you pay less down you may increase expenses by having to buy mortgage insurance.
• c.       Closing costs will usually run between 3% to 6% of the money you will borrow.  Most of the time these costs can be added to the loan so you don't have to pay them right then.

4.         Determine where you want to live.

• a.       Convenience to work

• b.      Quality of schools

• c.       Safety of neighborhood

• d.      Convenience of shopping

• e.       Closeness to public transportation if necessary

• f.        Are the houses near objectionable sites (dumps, hazardous waste sites, sewage treatment plants, factories, etc)?

•          Visit this area a different times of the day to see what it is like.

1. What are traffic patterns like in the morning?

2.  What are noise levels like?

3.   Would streets be cut troughs at different times?

4.    Walk around and talk to people in the neighborhood, what do they think about the neighborhood?

•   What are the crime statistics?

•  The neighborhood you live in is as important as the house you choose.

•  Will the area appreciate or depreciate?  Normally it takes at lease 3 years for the house to appreciate enough for you to get your money back if you sell.

•  Are houses taken care of, are there a lot of rental properties.

• What are the taxes, utilities, and insurance rates?

• Your Agent will discuss these needs and help you.

• Check out the second section on the Home Inspection Page for a listing of what to look for in a neighborhood.  The first page of this form deals with location and personal needs and the rest of the inspection report deals with the physical characteristics of a house.

• Will the house be easy to sell.

• What are subdivision restrictions.

1. Number of bedrooms
2. Number of baths
3. Size of kitchen
4. Basement/crawlspace
5. Garage
6. Size of lot
7. A new house verses a old one
8. Square feet
9. A real estate agent can have new properties meeting your criteria e-mailed to you daily.

6.    Home Inspections:

1. Inspect the house yourself before you make an offer, but you can only see so much. 
2. Make the sell contingent upon an inspection by a “home inspector” with a report that is satisfactory to you. 
3. The house should also be inspected for pests, hazardous materials, is it in a flood plain, near hazardous web site, or a flood plain.
4. Remember the home inspector will give you a list of what “could” go wrong.   The list you will get is not a list of things they will fix.   Every house will have things that “could” go wrong.   I am a certified home inspector and believe that I could go into most new houses and make a list of what could go wrong.   What you need to do is sit down with your agent and prioritize what needs to be done to make sure you move into a “decent” home, not a perfect home.
5. I can provide you with home inspection forms if you are interested.

7.   Buyers typical expenses:   Now is the time to go to:

                     "Finances Getting A Loan - Click Here".