by Marco Di Gabriele
So you’ve decided to buy your first home in Philadelphia.
Congratulations!
Buying your first home is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. You may be asking yourself - "where do I event start?"
Many buyers who are in the early stages of their search don't even know where to begin, and though everyone has a different way of identifying their criteria for buying a new home, sometimes it helps to have an outline to get started.
1) Open Houses
The best place to start your search for a new home is at open houses. Open houses give you the opportunity to explore different neighborhoods and get a better understanding of the cost to purchase different types of homes in various areas. As you go to more & more open houses, you will begin to build a more concrete idea of what you are looking for in a new home, and what is realistic based on your price range. Speaking of price range.....
2) Confirm Your Price Range
One of the most important first steps for beginning you home search is to confirm your price range by getting pre-approved. Getting pre-approved is quick and painless, simply consisting of a short conversation with a knowledgeable lender regarding your finances. In most cases, a pre-approval can be issued within 24 hours. Having a pre-approval will give you peace of mind that you are looking at houses in the right price range. If you'd like to be pre-approved but don't know any lenders who can help, let me know and I can connect you with one.
3) Consultation with a Local Realtor
Having a consultation with a realtor is probably the single most overlooked step in the process of finding a home, but also one of the most crucial. Having a local realtor who is committed to working with you will make the process of buying a home much less stressful.
A quick 30 minute consultation with a realtor on the front end of your search can save you a lot of time and a lot of headaches down the road. The front end consultation will give you the opportunity to: 1) ask any questions about the home buying process 2) define your criteria more clearly so that you have an agent searching for the perfect home, and 3) get paperwork out of the way early so that you aren't scrambling when it comes time to make an offer on a home.
