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What to Do Before You Start House-Hunting for Your First Home

Checklist for First Time Homebuyers - Orlando Homes for Sale

If you’re thinking about buying a home but you’re currently renting, we can help you figure out if you’re really ready. This checklist explains what you need to do to prepare to buy your first house.

What to Do Before You Start House-Hunting for Your First Home

If you’re buying your first home – or, at least your first home in a while – you’ll have to prepare ahead of time by:

  • Figuring out how much house you can afford
  • Coming up with a down payment
  • Sprucing up your credit score
  • Researching your mortgage options
  • Finding the right Realtor®

All this happens before you start searching for your dream home, so the sooner you start, the better off you’ll be.

Figuring Out How Much House You Can Afford

Subtract all your monthly obligations – rent, car payments, credit card payments, insurance, utilities and everything else – from what you make each month. If you’re doing just fine now with rent, chances are pretty good you’d be able to afford a similar mortgage payment. However, remember that when you borrow more money from a lender to buy a home, your mortgage payments will be higher – which is why coming up with a good down payment is essential.

Coming Up With a Down Payment

Most lenders want you to put down 20 percent of your own money as a down payment on a home, but there are many loan programs that require much less. Some programs allow you to borrow the money for a home with as little as 3 percent down – and VA loans let you borrow with nothing down. However, if you’re putting down less than 20 percent, you’ll have to buy private mortgage insurance, or PMI. PMI protects the lender if you default on your payments. (The exception is when you use a VA loan – in that case, you’re not required to buy private mortgage insurance.)

Sprucing Up Your Credit Score

When you’re buying a home, lenders will look at your credit score as an overall picture of your financial health. Now is the time to start paying down debt and making sure all your payments are made on time. Many experts advise against closing credit accounts, though, because it’s good to show lenders that you’re able to juggle multiple lines of credit without any issues.

Researching Your Mortgage Options

There are hundreds of mortgage products available, including loans that last 10, 15 and 30 years. Even within those brackets, there are programs that allow you to put down less than 20 percent as a down payment, some that have fluctuating mortgage rates, and many more. Start researching your options early to find out what type of loan is right for you.

Finding the Right Realtor

You’ll want a skilled buyer’s agent on your side when you’re ready to take the leap. Your Realtor will help you find the right house, negotiate with the seller on your behalf, and file all the appropriate legal paperwork. He or she will also be there to give you recommendations for contractors, like home inspectors, and can even help you find a lender who can help you get the cash to buy a house.

Are You Buying a Home in Orlando?

Call us at 407-529-4621 to find out what’s available now.

Explore our current listings, search all Orlando real estate listings to find out what’s available now, or check out these communities:

  • Homes for sale at Alaqua Country Club
  • Houses for sale at the Country Club of Orlando
  • Homes for sale at Isleworth Country Club
  • Real estate listings in Sweetwater Golf and Country Club
  • Homes for sale at Heathrow and Legacy Clubs

Posted in: Buying a Home Tagged: Buying a Home, Credit, Down Payment, Mortgage

10 Fees Associated With Buying a Home for Sale in Orlando

10 Fees Associated With Buying a Home for Sale in Orlando

If you’re buying a home, you know it comes with a price tag – and the total cost is a bit more than what you list in your purchase offer. That’s because there are some fees associated with buying a home.

Here’s what they are.

10 Fees Associated With Buying a Home for Sale in Orlando

When you buy a house in Orlando or anywhere else, you’re going to encounter some costs. Some of them, like your earnest money deposit, you’ll get back; others are simply part of the cost of buying a home.

#1. Earnest Money

An earnest money deposit is money you give the seller to show that you’re serious about buying his or her home. (You don’t actually give it to the seller; you give it to your agent, who puts it in escrow.) After you close the deal, your earnest money deposit goes toward your closing costs, your first mortgage payment or your down payment.

#2. Down Payment

You’ll have to come up with a down payment to buy a home. For most people, the down payment is between 5 and 25 percent of the home’s total purchase price. The higher your down payment is, the lower your monthly mortgage payments will be.

#3. Homeowners Insurance

Your lender will require you to buy homeowners insurance. That way, if something happens to the house, your lender won’t lose its investment (and neither will you).

#4. Property Taxes

Everyone has to pay property taxes, which vary by location. The taxes typically go toward public services, such as police, fire and EMS, roads, sewage systems, and schools.

#5. Private Mortgage Insurance

Not everyone has to pay for private mortgage insurance. However, if you put down less than 20 percent of the home’s purchase price as a down payment, your lender will most likely require you to buy it. This insurance protects your lender if you default (fail to pay) your mortgage payments.

#6. Appraisal Fee

You’ll have to pay a professional appraiser to value the home you want to buy before the bank will give you the money. You can’t choose the appraiser or shop for the best rates; the lender chooses an appraiser it trusts for the job.

#7. Loan Origination Fees

Your lender will charge you loan origination fees to generate and process your loan. The lender will let you know how much the fees will be, and they may even be negotiable (so it doesn’t hurt to ask).

#8. Title Search Fees

You’ll have to pay an attorney or title company to make sure that the seller who’s selling you the home is its legal owner. The title search will also show if there are other problems with the title that could later affect your ownership of the home, such as liens.

#9. Home Inspection

Smart buyers have a home inspection before they lay down any cash to buy a house. The inspection will show you what issues the home has so you can use them to negotiate with the seller – or, at the very least, know exactly what you’re getting into.

#10. Closing Costs

You’ll have to pay closing costs when you actually close the deal on the home. These typically range between 2 and 5 percent of the home’s total purchase price.

Are You Buying a Home in Orlando?

We can help you find your dream home on a golf course in the Orlando area. Call us at 407-529-4621 or get in touch with us online to talk about your idea of the perfect golf course home.

Explore our:

  • Homes for sale at Alaqua Country Club
  • Bay Hill Club homes for sale
  • Houses for sale at the Country Club of Orlando
  • Keene’s Pointe Golf Club homes
  • Homes for sale at Isleworth Country Club
  • Real estate listings in Sweetwater Golf and Country Club
  • Homes for sale at Heathrow and Legacy Clubs

 

Posted in: Buying a Home Tagged: Appraisal Fee, Closing Costs, Down Payment, Earnest Money, Home Inspection, Homeowners Insurance, Loan Origination Fees, Private Mortgage Insurance, Property Taxes, Title Search Fees

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About Abr Orlando

We love working with Buyers and have worked hard to develop the skills necessary to assist our clients. All of us at Accredited Buyers Representative-Orlando LLC are certified as ABR®’s or working towards that and other NAR Designations to help you find your perfect spot. This short video highlights some of the important benefits of working with an ABR® when buying your next home. Education and Experience produce results for our clients.

ABR Orlando
1936 Lee Road Suite 100
Winter Park, FL 32789
Email: dave.hoyle@abr-orlando.com
Phone: 407-529-4621

  

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