What is great about this book is that it gets you to critically think about what you are going to be doing in buying a home and then being a homeowner. While there is no cookbook to buying a home, there are enough folks and resources out there that you do not have to go it alone.
First Time Home Buyer - The Steps To Buying A Home
To keep yourself out of hot water you should do some research all on your own before you ever pick up the phone and call a real estate agent or a mortgage loan officer. Having some sense of what you are doing will go a long way to getting you a deal that works for you and your situation as well as keep a check on the professionals helping you. One thought is that if more consumers knew more about home buying and financing then a major portion of the mortgage and real estate crisis that hit the U.S. housing market in 2007 could have never happened. Unfortunately, there was considerable amounts of unchecked buyers' trust and emotional purchasing that won out over being properly educated about the homebuying process and making responsible buying decisions.
To be really successful in getting what you want in a home and getting a deal for that home, you will need some knowledge in a variety of areas. You will need to know something about negotiation, what to look for in the various home inspections, financing, and having some understanding of some of the legal contracts - especially the sales contract and the contract that you might have with your buyers agent.
Being really knowledgeable in all of these areas to the point of buying a home without a team of professionals is a bit unrealistic. Although people do it, there seems to be a wide open door for lawsuits if something goes wrong and someone stands to get hurt financially. Paying the real estate professionals to represent you while you are buying a home is absolutely worth it.
Do yourself a favor and find a good real estate agent, mortgage broker, home inspectors, and other professionals to help with the process. However, do not stand on the sidelines and expect people to always put you on their best foot forward. Remember they are people with their own wants and desires, and if you do not pay attention you are likely to get the short end of the stick. Your job is to understand what each specialist that you hire is meant to do and recognize when one of them is not doing his or her job right.
100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask arms you with the basic knowledge to help you know what questions to ask of your realty and financing team, what to look for in your quest for a property, etc. One question in this book that you will answer for yourself is Do I Really Want To Buy a Home? Now it is not that bad. Owning a home is a wonderful thing, it is just that being a homeowner brings in a whole new set of responsibilities that you did not have as a renter.
Some of the questions you will consider after reading this book are:
- Do I really want to buy an older home?
- If I am going to buy an older home, have I considered heating and air conditioning upgrades to newer more efficient equipment?
- What about new windows? What are the energy costs if I am not going to make the home more cost and energy efficient?
- Do I really understand asbestos, lead paint, mold, radon, and other environmental hazards?
- Am I going to need to repair tile, upgrade the kitchen etc.
- What kind of mortgage payment do I want, or can I afford etc.
- What do I want in a home? Privacy versus close to a school on a greenbelt?
Again, serious about buying a home, do yourself a favor and read this book.
Get it Now!
(New site)