Buying The Right Home

Buying a new home can be a stressful BUT WONDERFUL experience – there is so much to think about such as budgeting, location, and all of the extras to accommodate you and your family. After all, buying a new home is not something you do very often. A house not only represents where you live; it also serves a place for you and your spouse to build a family, make memories and call home. So in order to help you in the process of buying the right home, here are a few simple tips to keep in mind before making your selection.

1. Create A Budget – Before you begin looking for a home, it is a smart idea to create budget. It is important to know your income versus your monthly expenses to make sure you do not purchase a home that is out of your price range. A budget will help you to discover what sort of payment you can afford on a monthly basis and still allow you to live comfortably. Creating a budget will help you to stay stress free and will allow you to love your home instead of stressing out about making monthly payments.

2. Get Pre-Qualified – Getting pre-qualified for a mortgage is the next important step. The mortgage company you with whom you choose to do business will give you an idea of what you will be able to borrow from a bank, and will give you an idea of what price range to stay in when looking for a home. If you are unable to get pre-qualified for a certain home price, at least you won’t waste time looking in that price range when you are unable to buy.

3. Create A Wish List – Creating a wish list of you and your family’s needs will make sure you choose the right home to accommodate your family. Decide what is important in finding a home – such as a pool, yard space, bedroom size and number, and the number of bathrooms. Deciding the area in which to live is also important. For example do you want to live near schools, parks, shopping, restaurants, and etc.? A wish list will help you narrow down your home search, so you are not wasting time looking for homes that will not suit your lifestyle.

4. Hire a Realtor – With so many home choices finding one on your own may be overwhelming. Hiring a realtor can help narrow your search. A Realtor’s® job is to show you homes that meet your needs and lifestyle and can eliminate you from looking at homes that are not right for you. Realtors® can also help to negotiate if you find the perfect home but the cost is a bit too high.

5. Create A Journal – While viewing homes it is smart to keep a walk-through journal about your experiences of each home you visit. Creating a journal including positive and negative points of each home helps you to weigh your options. A smart idea is to create a check list or rating list including all of the things you listed in your wish list then rating these features for each home you view. The homes with the highest scores are the ones you may want to consider viewing again before making your decision.

Finding your home should be a fun experience – by following these tips you can experience the true joy of buying a new home in St. Tammany Parish. Finding your perfect home may be just around the corner so Happy House Hunting! If you would like more information about searching for existing homes please visit our Homes for Sale page to find homes ready to purchase from Hearthstone Homes by Ron Lee and Ron Lee Homes.  You can also call us at (985) 626-7619 or e-mail us at [email protected].