A home buyer's journey by Richie Vraux

I love working with real estate buyers, especially first time homebuyers. It’s very important to know all the costs associated with purchasing your new home from start to finish, so you don’t leave yourself short and having to scramble to come up with money you weren’t aware of.
 

Your first step is to find a real estate agent that you will be comfortable with to help you throughout the whole process. You should sign a Buyers Agency Agreement so you and your agent’s interests are protected. You should have your real estate agent go through the entire buying process with you so you know, in advance, what to expect once your home buying journey is done and you are nice and cozy in your new home. Whether you are buying your first ever new home, upsizing, downsizing, purchasing a camp, land, second home, vacation home or relocating, we all follow the same steps.

Get qualified: If you don’t have a mortgage broker or a bank you are working with, ask your agent to recommend a lending institution. You will want to do this prior to home searching. The reason is that you don’t want to start looking at $300,000 homes if you only qualify at the $200,000 level. You don’t want to waste your time or your agent’s.

Meet with your agent and go over your wish list of the things that are absolutely essential in your new home. It could be the town, number of bedrooms or baths, basement or the garage. It is all about you -The Buyer, so make sure you go through what is important to you. Have your agent schedule showings and land on the right property that fits your family’s needs.

Once you find the perfect home, have your agent place your offer. In today’s market, follow the guidance from your agent as to what your offer should be. Once you go under contract, now the fun begins.

You must place an earnest money deposit, usually $500 and up; but it could be a lot more depending on the price of the home.

Inspection time: Your agent will recommend doing inspections - even if it is a brand new home. He will usually recommend two to three companies. The cost for inspections is out of pocket, paid by you the buyer at the time of the inspections and can run from anywhere from $500 to $1000 plus - depending on what you wish to investigate. Once you get by this stage and are satisfied with the results of the investigation, now you can move on. 

By this time, your lender should be close to completing your funding and acquiring title insurance. They will ask you for documents, more documents and more documents. Don’t get discouraged as it’s an important part of the process. Your banking fees can run between $4000 to $6000 and appraisal fees from $400 to $700, depending on your lender’s individual requirements.  Don’t forget your title insurance and title fees of $600 to $1000 and up. Most of these fees can be built into the mortgage.

Buying a home can be costly but there are things your agent can recommend to you. Your agent might recommend asking the seller to pay closing costs. It could be as high as $5000 or higher depending on the sale price of the home. Know what to expect when purchasing a new home and be prepared. Ask your mortgage broker to give you a breakdown of all associated costs.

As you can see, to live the American Dream may be costly – but there is no better feeling in the world of living the American Dream - owning your own home.

Richie Vraux is a Broker/ Realtor for 20+ years with RE/MAX Allied in Windham.

Call Richie for real estate consultation and advice at: 317-1297