In the excitement of beginning a search for a home, many people jump right in without considering every aspect that makes a home truly right for them. It's a complicated process and making the wrong purchase can be very costly: you could lose money, waste time and effort relocating, or even put your family’s happiness at risk. The following are some things to consider when planning out what your ideal home should look like.

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SPEAK TO A PROFESSIONAL

Mortgage specialists or financial planners are excellent resources to give you accurate numbers on what you can comfortably afford without being “house poor”. Taking this first step will benefit you and your family prior to searching for the perfect home. Often when people are unsure of what they can afford, they inevitably end up with feelings of “being let down” and “disappointed” when they find the homes they love are out of their price range.

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PRE-QUALIFICATION

Pre-qualification is free and most lenders are happy to sit down with prospective buyers and figure out how much they can afford. Having an accurate idea of price range will save time in the bidding process. If there are several people making offers on your dream home, being pre-qualified can make your offer more attractive since financing is not in question. However, lending institutions will base their final decision about a mortgage on the buyers ability to repay a mortgage and the property as security in the event of default on payment.

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It is important to note that a pre-qualification is highly dependent on the accuracy of the information provided by the buyer. No credit report is pulled and lenders often do not look in depth at a person’s financial situation during this stage of qualifying.

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By taking all these points into consideration, you can worry less about the process of buying and get busy finding your ideal home! For more information on the costs and considerations of buying a home, please contact The Realianty Group at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.