I:1:T Get a Professional Realtor. Buying and selling real estate is a complex matter. At first it might seem that by checking local picture books or online sites you could quickly find the right home at the right price. Save your gambling for visits to the Casino, not your life’s biggest investment.
Understanding your credit is very important for first time home buyers. Your credit history is maintained by three different private companies called credit reporting agencies: Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Their websites and phone numbers are listed at the end of this article. You can order your report by phone and charge it to your major credit card if you like. It usually takes about a week to arrive. You can even order your report online directly from each of the three agencies, but they have to verify your identity before you can obtain any private information. Know what you can afford before going out shopping. Getting Pre-approved will allow you to find and move quickly if you find your dream home.
The old adage of Real Estate is that there are three things that are the most important and they are: Location, Location and Location. A bargain is never really a bargain when located in a bad neighborhood. Knowing the pros and cons of the different areas is very important for ensuring you truly are getting good value for your money.
Prior to finalizing your purchase it would be wise to visit your chosen neighborhood on the weekend or even in the evening at around 4 to 5 pm. You might be surprised how different it may look with everyone home in the neighborhood. Is there cars parked all over the street, is someone running a taxi business out of there home or is your street so busy you have a hard time backing out of your driveway. f High traffic volume can reduce values by tens of thousands of dollars.
Bring a digital camera and begin each series of photos with a close-up of the house number to identify where each group of home photos start and end. Then take pictures of what you like and what you don’t like. This will give a great reference when you are finished looking and need to discuss what you have seen on your tour of potential homes.
Start looking for your home inspector prior to purchasing a home. Waiting until the last minute to try and book a home inspection may leave you using someone who is maybe not the best inspector available. Checking out your home inspectors qualifications is one of the most important decisions you can make. Provincial and Federal Government courses are the best. Building Code qualifications are a prerequisite requirement if you want a true assessment of your homes systems. Check the age of your prospective home inspectors web site to verify how long he has really been in business.