The New Year is a time for goal setting, resolutions and general life reassessments. If you want to buy a home this year, now is a prime time to start organizing your priorities and get ready for this big step.
Whether you’re ready today to make an offer once you find that perfect property or you’re simply considering a move in the coming months, here are some New Years’ resolutions to adopt. These responsible resolutions will make buying a new home quicker and easier – no matter what your starting point.
1. Focus on saving
Buy in bulk, stay home on Friday night and pinch pennies wherever you can because every dollar counts when you’re looking to buy a home. Once you’ve saved up for a down payment, start saving for your closing costs, movers, that new refrigerator you’ll need, furniture to fill your bigger space, the list goes on and on. Here’s a break down of costs to give you a better idea of everything you need to save for.
2. Learn how to fix a sink
If you’re a first-time buyer or you didn’t pick up this skill set, it’s time to learn this year! Learning how to do simple fixes around the house will save you good money once you’re in a new home. It can also make you more comfortable going after that fixer-upper.
3. Improve your credit
The better your credit, the better your home loan will be. That could mean a better mortgage rate on your loan, the potential to borrow a larger amount, the option to do a low down payment, or all of the above. Click here to read our more about what’s good and what’s bad for your credit so you know just how it all works.
The first thing to improving your credit is checking it which you can do online for free once a year. Once you see how you’re doing you can work on bettering yourself. You can raise your score by reducing your debt, checking for mistakes on your report and contesting them, and more. For more on raising your credit score, check out these 9 tips.
4. Do some exploring
You don’t have to go far but you need to visit a variety of potential neighborhoods to scout out the best places to live. Check out downtown areas to find your favorite. Explore different areas to find out which one has the best restaurants within walking distance.
While the actual house you choose is important, the community it’s in plays a huge role in the way you view your home. Take your time, check out local events and let yourself fall in love with not just a house, but also a hometown.
5. Visit open houses
Visiting open houses is a great way to get your feet wet and start easing into buying a new home. However, it’s never a good idea to visit homes you can’t afford – that can give you unrealistic expectations.
Checking out open houses early in your search gets you familiar with your price range and what’s available on the market now. That way you can start to decipher what’s on your must-have list and what you can give on. Search for open houses and take a look at just one property this weekend to get the ball rolling.
6. Find the right real estate agent
It’s never too early to pair up with an agent to help you in the home buying process. Searching early also gives you time to settle on the perfect agent for you. Interview multiple people if that’s what to takes to jive with someone. Your agent should understand your goals, personal timeline and most importantly put your best interests first and foremost.
To help you get on track with all of your New Years’ resolutions, team up with a First Team agent. You can find one near you by searching online or have us do the searching for you.
