Park Meadows Blog

Home Buying Made Easy!

Three Simple Steps to Owning The Home of Your Dreams. 

1. Get Your Home Loan First! 

One of the most discouraging experiences a home-buyer can have is to find the home of their dreams only to discover - often too late - they aren't qualified to buy it. 

To avoid this stress follow these 3 simple steps to get a written Pre-Approved Home Loan . . .

Find a lender that offers a Pre-Approval process and get pre-qualified. Meet with a loan officer to take your loan application and to provide the supporting documentation.  Use this opportunity to address any questions and concerns that you have about your loan and interest rate options. Ask for a Pre-Approval Lender Letter!

Your Pre-Approved Loan gives you buying power! Offers to purchase a home that have your Pre-Approval Lender Letter assures the listing Realtor and the Seller that you can buy their home.  Once you have been Pre-Approved all parties are guaranteed that you will not be turned down for the loan on the home they're selling because you've already been through the entire loan approval process!

• Your file has been reviewed by an underwriter, the final loan decision maker.
• Your income and assets are sufficient to qualify for this house.
• Your credit is acceptable for the terms of the loan program you're using.

Here is what it will do for you . . . You will have peace-of-mind and confidence in your home search and -- all of the hassle is avoided by not having to deal with the stressful and tedious process of applying for a home loan while others are looking at the home you have chosen.

• It gives you written approval from a lender for  so you know exactly what price range you can search in. 
• It gives you  peace-of-mind in knowing that your being approved will not be an obstacle in buying your home.
• It gives your offer maximum credibility, and shows the seller that you’re serious about buying.  (If the sellers received multiple offers on the home, which one do you think they would pay more attention to?)
   

As your Realtor, we will be better able to work in your behalf because we will know for certain that you are qualified to buy and the price range we can work in. And you have just guaranteed the seller a smooth, worry free transaction. They know that you qualify to buy their home! Get your Pre-Approval Lender Letter NOW . . . and have the peace-of-mind in knowing that you do qualify when the opportunity to buy your dream home comes along!   

2. “Finding your home is a process of elimination, not a process of selection!”  

Most home buyers assume they will look for a few days and find “just what they are looking for.”  When in reality they are embarking on an adventure that will help them to better understand what they don’t want then what they do want. 

Here is the process you are likely to go through --  

1. You’ll most likely spend weeks looking through th e Internet, dozens of newspapers, and magazines until you find a neighborhood that appeals to you.
2. Then, you’ll eventually drive around those neighborhoods that look interesting, just to get a feel for what they’re really like or don’t like.
3. You’ll soon begin to go to open houses to get an inside look at the homes in those neighborhood you’re interested in.
4. Eventually you’ll begin working with a Realtor to find out about other homes in those neighborhoods you’re interested in.
5. Finally, after countless hours of searching, going to open houses, calling on ads, driving around neighborhoods, finding out about the areas, amenities, school districts, and shopping facilities, you’ll eventually find a home that you fall in love with.

You are not selecting your home, you are eliminating the areas, neighborhoods, home styles and features that you don’t want.  This process can happen quickly or slowly depending on how well you have thought through your long term plans.

Finding your home happens one step at a time:

• Qualification Stage – Learn about your home loan options to know what price range you can buy in.
• Information Stage – Become familiar with neighborhoods, streets, locations and homes available in your price range.
• Look and Compare Stage – Begin to see the insides of your favorite homes.  The right one may appear on the first or second showing, or you may look at 10-20 or more before you find the “right one.”

3. Get some boxes and start packing . . . you are going to move!

Timing Is Critical! When you are “house hunting” timing can be your ally or your foe depending on whether or not your are prepared. The following can, and will happen . ..You could the home of your dreams on the Internet or in a newspaper or magazine any day now. You may unexpectedly come across the exact home you’ve been looking for. We may call you at any moment with the home that meets your criteria. 

If you don’t have a Pre-Approved Lender Letter in-hand and ready to include with your offer, the seller may accept another offer because the buyer has been Pre-Approved by a Lender.