When you are getting ready to buy your next house there are three definite things you want to do. These things will lead you right into your next home in the straightest, most stress-free path possible. Here are the three things you want to make sure you do:
Work on your credit
While you should have been working on your credit simply for the sake of having good credit, if you are like some people you don't really check on your score until you actually have a reason for good credit, such as for home buying. However, this is a dangerous game because it can take time for you to improve your score. If you have let your credit score slip, here are some things that you can do to get your score to increase, hopefully quickly –
- Pay down all your lines of credit as low as you can
- Do not apply for any new lines of credit
- Do not let people run your credit for any reason unless absolutely necessary
- Pay all of your bills on time
Make a list from the most important features down to ones you can negotiate
There are some things you want in a home, such as on a quiet, residential street, a specific number of rooms and bathrooms, the style of the home, a garage, etc. Then, there are other things that you may consider negotiable, such as the exact square footage, whether or not it is fenced in, if it has a pool, etc. You may want to put stars next to the must-haves and pass a copy of the list along to your real estate agent, so they have it as an exact reference for what you want when new properties come up on the market.
Be ready to jump when your realtor calls
There is no worse time to decide to go out of town than when you have a real estate agent looking for a home for you. This is due to the fact that they can call you at any time and let you know that there is a house that has just come up that meets what you are looking for. If you aren't available to look at it, then there will be others who are. They may be able to get their offer accepted and get in escrow before you even get back to town to look at the house. This is why you want to be in the area and ready to look at a house at any time.
Contact new home builders for more information and assistance.
