5 things you should do to get ready to buy a home

Minneapolis, Minn: Buying a new home is an exciting prospect. Make sure you don’t hit any potential bumps along way by following our tips below.

Examine Your Finances

Obviously purchasing a home is a large financial decision. Taking a look at your monthly expenditures and your debt is a great way to get started in the home purchase process. Take a look at where your money is going every month; figure out where you can make changes in your spending or cash flow that’ll increase the money you can dedicate toward saving for a down payment. Look for easy areas of spending, like that monthly subscription you don’t even use or start making coffee at home versus the expensive cups from the drive through on your way to the office. These are simple tweaks in habit that may give you a big boost to start saving.

Check Your Credit

While you are examining your finances, pay special attention to your debt, especially credit card debt. Things like credit card debt or accounts in collections are places you will want to focus your efforts first. Getting your debt in line and any past due accounts caught up could be the key to making sure your credit score is trending in the right direction. The key takeaway here is to get your credit score on your radar. Before you do anything, reach out and we can make sure it's the right move for you!

Get Pre-Approved

This step is so important for many reasons. Discussing your options with me now can set you up for success later, and maybe even sooner than you thought. I will look at your unique and specific situation, your future homeownership goals and the current market conditions to give you an overall picture of what the home buying process will look like for you. Once you know where you stand and what ‒ if anything ‒ you need to work on before your purchase, you will be that much closer to your new home.

Click here to get Pre-Approved for your VA loan.  It is quick, easy, secure, and there are no obligations.

Set-up Your New Budget

Once you are pre-approved and know the price range of homes you are qualified to be looking at, start living like you are making that monthly mortgage payment. You may be pre-approved for a certain amount, but the larger payment could limit your discretionary funds that you use for travel or other fun things. Living with the new payment will give you a true sense of how much you really want to spend before you actually make the commitment. So every month set aside that specific dollar amount. If things go according to plan, this will help you have a good chunk of savings set aside for that downpayment, too. Now that is a win-win!

Find a Realtor

Once you are pre-approved, your finances feel good and you know what you want to spend on a house… Contact a Realtor and get out there! Working with a Realtor can help you target neighborhoods that fit your lifestyle and get into homes before they even hit the market. Having a professional on your side could be the key to your success. If you have no idea how to find a good Realtor, let me know. I have worked with a lot of great ones through the years and can help you with a few recommendations.

Remember, it's always best to ask me first!  It's a privilege to guide you through the home financing process.