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Top 5 Mistakes that First-time Home Buyers Make

Disclaimer: The content of this blog is written by a 3rd party blog writing service and does not reflect the opinions of A.G.G. Home inspections

Right now, the prospects of buying a new home in Palm Coast is looking very achievable and most people are thinking about it because of the recently favorable lending rates for mortgages, averagely low home prices and increased number of houses available for sale throughout the country. Most realtors are now aggressively selling homes to more people and the mortgage market is getting higher standards to help buyers with great financial standing acquire homes.

Because of the complex process involved when buying a house, it makes sense to take your time to go through the process with someone experienced as a new home buyer instead of picking something out of a realtor’s catalogue and slapping a huge bid on it. That approach almost always leads to regrets down the road and lots of financial stress that may take many years to fix.

In buying a new home for the first time, we will be looking at the most common mistakes that most people make and more importantly, how to make sure you don’t fall prey to these pitfalls.

1. Not considering that renting may be a more sustainable option

Everyone wants to own a home and that’s good as you will reap the benefits of an ever-rising real estate market and home equity and all the tax advantages that come with being a home owner. Regardless of all the positives, sometimes it is actually better for you financially to just rent for the time being. Before deciding to buy a home, thing about how long you will want to stay in the house and factor in your estimated closing costs. It might not make sense anymore especially if you have a job that is subject to lots of mobility.

When considering buying a home, you should remember that beyond the mortgage and property tax, there are a lot of more expenses to worry about which you are not bothered about as a renter. Also, the longer you rent, the more you can save and be more financially prepared to own a home.

2. Not preparing for an all-cash real estate market

Buying a house requires you to be financially ready to meet whatever your local industry demands. Before you even begin to search for a house, you should check your credit history, your current loans and any financial liens that you should pay back. You must be prepared for the mortgage process by getting a pre-approval from your lender. This will give you a good idea what your likely mortgage rate will be so you have more information to calculate with. It also reinforces your seriousness to sellers who know that you won’t have issues securing a loan during closing.

3. Putting too much belief in online home valuation when planning

You definitely should not plan towards buying a house by using values you find at website like Zillow, these do not accurately reflect home values. It is not difficult for you to call a licensed real estate agent to find out exactly how much you need to plan for instead of going the lazy route and checking online. It’s like looking through pictures to see how well-maintained a house is instead of hiring a home inspector in palm coast to do a thorough check for you. If you are serious about buying a house, make an appointment with someone that understands your local market and is there every day to know exactly what is going on.

4. Skipping the home inspection

According to the American Society of Home Inspectors, almost 10 percent of newly bought homes did not have a home inspection done. This is by far one of the biggest mistakes you can make when trying to buy a home for the first time. You must under no circumstance, even if it is a brand-new house, purchase a house without having a home inspector in palm coast carry out an inspection. Most home owners skip the home inspection to save cost but the result is just the exact opposite. The average home inspector in palm coast charges around $500 on average and dependant on the size of the home and its style.

Buying a house requires you to be financially ready to meet whatever your local industry demands. Before you even begin to search for a house, you should check your credit history, your current loans and any financial liens that you should pay back. You must be prepared for the mortgage process by getting a pre-approval from your lender. This will give you a good idea what your likely mortgage rate will be so you have more information to calculate with. It also reinforces your seriousness to sellers who know that you won’t have issues securing a loan during closing.

5. Expecting home values to appreciate over time

Unless you are Nostradamus, how do you want to know if current market trends will hold till you are ready to sell your home? You cannot under any circumstances buy a home because of the estimated rise in value. So many things happen that you can plan for and cannot foresee that will affect the value of a home. For example, a criminal event could leave a perfectly good house with a bad reputation that makes it almost unsellable. Also, you may plan to stay in the home for five years and then get transferred out of town.

Don’t invest all your life earnings into a home and expect to sit back and reap a handsome profit in a number of years. It hardly works that way. Houses are not very liquid assets and while you can get home equity from your property, be sure to be able to cope with unforeseen occurences.

Final words

Buying a house for the first time is a big decision and should be treated as such especially because of the amount of money involved, both yours and the bank’s. Be sure to work with a professional real estate agent that is familiar with your target area. When you decide on the house, make sure you have your financial plans and projections done accurately so that you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into financially. See recommendations for the most reliable home inspector in palm coast to help you with the inspection. This will save you thousands of dollars down the line.

Schedule your home inspection today by calling (386) 302-7704