After meeting with my Realtor®, Maggie Redmond, and diving through the information packet, I realized this Homebuying Adventure was going to be about more than just buying a house!  Lucky for me, Maggie came to my rescue. No more overloading on information by myself.  She made everything simple.

As I digested the step by step buying guide, commonly used terms and my property wish list, I came away with the following:

Why should I buy? Why now?

• Interest rates are historically low. (This means savings!)
• Inventory is high. ( I have more to choose from and can get somewhat picky.)
• Sellers are motivated. (Do I smell opportunities???)
• Financing is available. (I will be able to pay for this.)

Now that I knew it was a great time to buy, what’s next? Could I start searching and picking out my perfect home?  As I began filling out the wish list I realized that I didn’t even know what I could afford. I knew I wanted to keep the payments close to what I was already paying in rent. Wait! There was a paper in the information packet all about mortgages!

What can I afford? What do the financing folks think I can afford?

Before I started picking out “dream homes” I remembered Maggie saying something about getting pre-qualified.   I let out a sigh of relief… Maggie already works with someone in Mortgage.  The next step is to meet with Mollie Bergstrom from Allen Tate Mortgage and see what I should do about getting pre-qualified.

Maggie pointed out some key things to keep in mind when searching for your first home. Some of these tidbits I was unaware of….like a warranty? Pre-qualification?

What to know when buying your first home:

• Your Realtor can assist in determining what you want and what you need in a first home.
• Get pre-qualified/pre-approved so you will know what to look for ahead of time and avoid any unnecessary frustration.
• Start the home-buying process early. Understand how much notice you must give for your current lease.
• Challenge yourself to keep an open mind.
• Make sure the home has a warranty. As a first time buyer you don’t want surprises. If a warranty isn’t provided, buy one.
• Know the history of the area you are considering.

Now that I’m armed and ready with my trusty Realtor Maggie, I’m ready to tackle this big bad world of first time home buying. I know I will pick up a few others along the way. Mollie from Mortgage, I hope you are ready for me!

What are some of the reasons you think you might need a realtor to buy your first home?

By Amy Gibbs