Calculate What You Can Afford

Before you begin shopping around for a new home and fall in love with a beautiful property, it's important that you calculate the amount that you can afford with the property. As a first time home buyer, it can be easy to only take the mortgage payment into consideration without factoring in all of the other costs that are associated with owning a home. You'll need to estimate how much you'll spend on utilities each month, possible HOA fees, homeowners insurance, landscaping, repairs, and property taxes. Each of these extra costs can influence the size of the property and where you can afford to live. If you plan to move into an older home, you'll also need to determine how much you'll need to spend on upgrades or remodeling that is needed in the future to improve the condition of the property and increase its value over time.

You may also need to purchase smaller or larger furniture if the pieces you currently own don't fit into certain rooms. Window treatments will also be needed when furnishing the space to increase the style of the home and enjoy added privacy.

Find a Realtor

You may want to save money by buying a house on your own without the help of a professional real estate agent, but this can make it challenging to determine how to make a fair offer on a home or how to find certain properties that may not be listed. When finding an agent that you like, it's important to talk to recent clients who have purchased a home in the last year through the agent. Ask if they had a good experience and how long it took to find the home that they purchased.

You'll also need to check the licensing of the real estate agent, which will allow you to discover any complaints or disciplinary action that may be on their record. Look for someone who has at least five years of experience in the industry and is actively engaged in the local area.

The realtor should also be familiar with the local area that you're looking to buy in to ensure that they can help you make the right real estate purchase.

Evaluate the Area

When buying a home for the first time, it can be easy to fall in love with a property that has all of the features that you desire. Unfortunately, many first time buyers make the mistake of failing to look at the surrounding neighborhood when making the purchase. It's important to visit the local area at different times of the day to evaluate if there's a lot of noise late at night or if people are loitering on the streets. Look at the surrounding properties in the neighborhood to see if the yards are maintained well or if the homes have been recently updated. All of these factors can influence how much you feel comfortable in the area and will directly affect the value of the property that you purchase when buying a home.

It's also important to estimate how far the home is from your work, curricular activities, and grocery stores. This will determine how much time you spend on the road and how easy it is to get around throughout the week.

Handle the Paperwork

There are dozens of documents to fill out and sign when closing on your real estate purchase. The lender will arrange to have a title company handle all of the paperwork. Your real estate agent can also assist you to explain the fine print and ensure that everything is completed properly.

Close the Sale of the Property

The final step of the home buying process is closing the sale, which is when all of the paperwork and loan documents are signed to finalize the transaction. The loan often takes a few days to be funded once the paperwork is sent to the lender, which can cause the buyers and sellers to wait on the edge of their seat to ensure that everything is completed successfully.