| Finding your dream home can take several months, | | | | inspections can be lengthy and fairly complex, but |
| and you'll need a plan to sort through all of the | | | | they are well worth the effort when you narrow |
| financing details, conduct research about your | | | | down your choices of properties. Learn about the |
| neighborhood, and to find a reliable real estate agent | | | | different stages of the home inspection, and don't |
| to work with. Drafting up a checklist or step-by-step | | | | forget to create your own DIY home inspection |
| plan can make the process much easier, and will give | | | | checklist when you're visiting several properties. |
| you a chance to keep everything organized on track. | | | | 4. Use a scorecard to compare different homes in a |
| Bridget McCrea, the author of the book, "The Home | | | | neighborhood. Keep track of all the homes you are |
| Buyer's Question and Answer Book" explains that it's | | | | considering and visiting by designing your own home |
| very important to create a plan both for your | | | | scorecard. This can include items such as asking price, |
| financial side, and in terms of what you want and | | | | key benefits and drawbacks, number of rooms, |
| need in your home. This means everything from | | | | access to highways, and any other top priority items |
| doing a budget analysis, to listing all of the amenities, | | | | that may be key reasons in your decision to buy. |
| rooms, themes of the home and other features you | | | | 5. Select your ideal location. Being specific about |
| want your home to have. | | | | exactly where you want your home to be can help |
| If you're a first time homebuyer who is just getting | | | | you quickly narrow down your field of choices. You |
| started with the home buying process, here are | | | | may need to take factors such as proximity to |
| some essential items to include on your checklist or | | | | work, schools, parks or public transportation into |
| plan: | | | | account. Even if you don't get your exact location, at |
| 1. Learn about different housing types in your | | | | least you will know where your key access points |
| selected neighborhood. Every neighborhood has at | | | | are and can find a home as near as possible to these |
| least five to six different types and styles of housing. | | | | areas. |
| Unless you're planning on building your own home | | | | 6. Map out your budget. You can meet with a |
| from scratch, it's a good idea to find out what styles | | | | personal financial advisor at your local bank or credit |
| and classifications these are. | | | | union for some budgeting advice, or you can draft up |
| 2. Start reviewing online listings. Working with a good | | | | your own home budget to get a strong idea of what |
| real estate agent will give you a strong idea of | | | | you can and can't afford. Making a budget and then |
| available properties, but you can do a lot of | | | | sticking with it regardless of how much you are |
| homework on your own. Don't be afraid to review | | | | preapproved for is a much more intelligent choice |
| FSBO listings in the local newspaper, or jump on the | | | | than waiting to 'hear' from your lender about your |
| Internet to search for properties in your area. | | | | options from your lender. |
| 3. Learn about the home inspection process. Home | | | | |