Many first time Louisville home buyers are looking for tips for buying a home during a recession, particularly in today’s shaky economy. They recognize that it’s a buyer’s market right now and they know they should strike while the iron’s hot, however they’ve never bought a home before and aren’t really sure where to begin. Instead of end up like a lot of today’s homeowners who are looking at eviction and foreclosure notices they need to make certain they are doing the right thing and that they are doing it the right way. So here are some first time Louisville home buyer tips for buying a home during a recession.
The first thing you ought to do is visit your bank or lending establishment and get pre-approved for a loan. Not pre-qualified. All the pre-qualification process does is look at your income and subtract your bills and tell you how much you’d have left over to use for a house payment. You want to get pre-approved which means your bank will do the credit check, verify your employment and income, and take into consideration all your bills and credit cards. Then they will actually pre-approve you for a specific dollar amount. When dealing with your Real Estate agent this pre-approval will give you more credibility and let her know that you’re serious regarding buying a home. It will also help you when it comes time to negotiate the price. If the seller knows you have already been pre-approved he’ll often accept a little lower price because he knows he’s going to get his money faster.
After you have been pre-approved, sit down and make a list of all the the things that you have to have in your home. Not everything that you want, but all of the things that you cannot do without. Maybe an additional bedroom or bathroom. Or the laundry area needs to be on the main floor. Specific things that you absolutely must have in your new home. If you’ve never looked at homes before and you would like to get some ideas of what’s available you’ll do a search of homes for sale within the Louisville marketing area right from your own computer..
Then contact a Louisville Real Estate agent and give them your list and your budget. Be sure to let the agent know if you are concerned regarding any specific neighborhoods or schools. Or maybe you want to live near work or other family members. The more information you can give the agent the better it will be for her to find you just the right place to live.
When negotiating your price remember your pre-approval amount. It’s usually a pretty high number compared to your income and you don’t have to offer it all on a house. That is just the maximum amount you can borrow. Remember that you’re also going to have additional expenses as a homeowner including taxes and insurance every year. First time Louisville home buyers who are looking for tips on buying a home during a recession should always check with a Louisville Real Estate agent to get their expert opinions.
Want to find out more about Selling in a seller’s market, then visit Theodore S. Lincoln’s site on how to choose the best Buying foreclosures for your needs.
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