How To Get Your Foot In The Real Estate Door
Monday, August 30th, 2010Is it an unrealistic goal to be able to buy a home in this market and afford to make the payments, as some say? Don’t just take their word for it, though. Everyone’s situation is different. This might actually be an ideal time to buy your first home, if you meet certain conditions. But what do you need to know before taking the plunge? Even in the current real estate market, taking a few simple steps can put you on the path to successfully buying and keeping your first home.
First word of advice is to find out how much you can afford. Use an online mortgage calculator or speak with a licensed Real Estate Professional. It would be a frustrating waste of time to look at houses that you can’t afford, and it would be less than optimal to look at homes that are smaller than what you need. If you know what your price range is, you’ll start off on the right foot. A good Realtor who is familiar with your local market can help you find the best homes in your price range and help you through the loan application process.
You also need to know what your credit score is. The interest rate on your loan will be determined by your credit score and how much you have to put down on a home. Also the more you have available as a down payment will reduce your loan amount which in turn will reduce your monthly payment.
No and low down payments are available and require little if any cash, from the buyer. Today buyers are able to purchase a home with as little as four percent down. Compare that to the average down payment of twenty percent 20 years ago. Many factors will figure into how much you need to put down. Look for a special loan that allows you to buy with little or no cash down. No down payment loans can be challenging to find in today’s market. Your Realtor will know what’s available and what your circumstances make you eligible for. If you are a veteran you can probably qualify for a VA Loan but low down payments in the form of FHA loans are also available.
You can buy a home with only 3.5% down if you can qualify for an FHA loan. That’s a very low down payment. Home buyers in high cost areas used to be unable to get FHA loans because of their relatively low maximum balances. Recent increases to more than $700,000 in some geographic areas have made them accessible to almost all first time home buyers. Many first time buyers have not saved up enough to make a 20% down payment, so an FHA loan with only 3.5% down is an ideal solution. Mortgage insurance is often required if the borrower puts less than 20% down, depending on the loan program. Make sure to consider the cost of this mortgage insurance in your monthly payment.
After a few years of making mortgage payments, your equity will have grown. Once you have 20% to 22% equity in your home, you should be able to cancel your private mortgage insurance and save that money each month. Think of it as a cost of getting your foot in the door of homeownership. It’s usually easier than saving up a 20% down payment.
Even if you could come up with a 20% down payment, you may choose to apply for a loan with a lower down payment. Then you could use the extra money for other things, like debt consolidation, your child’s college education, or future mortgage payments.
What does all of this mean to you? There are resources available, especially through the government, to help first time buyers get into a home. Take advantage now while the opportunities are so good and home prices are low.
Many homes on the market today are short sales, which take a long time to buy. Another option is to buy new construction, like these new homes in San Diego. Builders will walk you through every step of the way, including applying for a home loan.
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