Tips for first time home buyers
Anyone who is planning to buy a house will have access to all kinds of information about the process but the best tips will come from the estate agents who have worked in the industry for a long time. Real estate agents have spent a long time figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
Start early
Anyone who wants to buy a house these days will need to start saving as early as they can. It can take a lot of money to buy a house, even if you get a mortgage. You will need to have a deposit and, in most cases, this will need to be at least 10% of the purchase price. There are some mortgage deals where you would only need to have 5%, but these are not always available and they aren’t always available to everybody. With house prices rising dramatically the earlier you can begin to save the better.
Work out what you are looking for
You need to get an idea of the price range that you are looking in before working out the type of house that you want. The price range may dictate the area that you are limited to or the size of the property. It will depend a great deal on your savings and the amount of money that you earn each year. Then do a few searches in the area that you would like to live in and find out the average prices and the type of property available.
Keep an eye on your credit score
Your credit score will have an impact on your ability to get a mortgage, so it is worth making sure that you have a good credit score. Make sure you have only a small amount of credit and that you make regular payments on time so that there are no negative features on your credit report. Make sure you are on the electoral register too, as if you aren’t then it will be harder for companies to verify your identity. If there are negative features on your report, look at ways to mitigate these and all credit reference agencies offer tips on how to do this.
Finding a mortgage
Some estate agents will have a mortgage expert who will be happy to talk to you about the types of mortgages available and the offers that you can take advantage of. All mortgages are different and different lenders will use a variety of criteria when deciding whether or not to offer you a home loan. The real estate mortgage expert will be able to explain all the options and provide you with the information that you need to make a decision.