buying your first home - what you should know

Answering Common Questions About Buying A Home

There are few purchases that you will make that can be more intimidating than buying a house. Unfortunately, many individuals will lack the experience with real estate purchases that is necessary to know what to expect from this process. In order to help you be a better-prepared home buyer, you may want to keep the following answers to common questions in mind as you work your way through this process.

What If You Do Not Want To Pay For A Real Estate Agent?

A home can be an extremely expensive purchase. Not surprisingly, you are likely wanting to trim any expenses that you can, including hiring the services of an experienced real estate agent. Often, individuals will make the assumption that they must pay to have a real estate agent help them buy a home. However, you should be relieved to learn that the commission for the buyer's agent is usually the responsibility of the seller. Therefore, you will be able to enjoy the services and representation that these professionals provide without needing to pay out of your own pocket.

What Costs Should You Consider When Evaluating A Home?

When considering the cost of a home, many individuals will simply look at the listing price for the house. However, you should be aware that this will not tell you the true cost of owning the home. For example, real estate taxes can be a major yearly expense, but the exact amount of this tax can vary greatly from one community to another. As a result, you will need to closely consider the local real estate tax rate to know what you can expect to pay each year. Also, you will want to consider the maintenance and utility expenses for the structure. While you may enjoy the aesthetics of an older home, these homes can be extremely expensive to heat or cool, and they may also require far more frequent repairs.

What If You Are Concerned About Saving A Large Down Payment?

You may be under the impression that you will always have to make a large down payment in order to buy a home. However, there are numerous loan programs that are designed to help individuals that may have difficulty saving this down payment. Typically, these programs are targeted towards first-time home buyers, but the exact rules for participation can vary greatly from one state to another. For this reason, you should contact your local housing authority to learn about the available programs in your area. If you are unable to qualify for these programs, there are many lenders that may be willing to issue loans with low down payments. However, these loans will often be more expensive, which will a cost that you will need to consider.

For more information about buying a home, check out http://www.foxfirerealty.com.


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