By Tara Millar


Here's a simplified step-by-step information to purchasing a house.

1. First off have a duplicate of your credit report and see if there are any problems on it. Clear it up as best you can as you need good credit to buy a house.

2. Proceed to your bank, ask to speak to a loan officer and inform them you need to buy a home. They will offer you a Pre-Qualified house loan letter to fill in. This document may cost you anywhere from $30 upwards to acquire.

3. Search for a realtor. This costs you nothing as the seller pays the realtor to look for a buyer. Realtors have databases that enable them to find a dwelling that's suitable to your demands and budget.

4. Meet with the realtor and inform her or him exactly what kind of house you want, how much the bank mentioned they would loan you and the place you want to live. Your realtor will then provide you with a list of homes to look at.

5. Have a look at the homes recommended by the realtor and once you find one that you want get a Disclosure from the seller. The Disclosure is a list of problems that the house might had and the seller is needed to provide you those by law.

6. In case you can live with what you read within the Disclosure settlement then you should get a suggestion from the realtor about how much you need to give. Normally you give slightly less than what the seller is asking for the property. In case you are undecided what the house is worth then ask for a List of Comparables. These will let you know the price of similar properties that have offered in the area. This should give you a thought of how much the home is worth.

7. Officially make the offer by signing an agreement. To indicate that they've accepted your offer they are going to sign the deal too. At this point you might be obliged to buy and the seller is obligated to sell although some contracts are worded carefully so either can back out of the deal.

8. Pay to have the house proficiently assessed. This costs $300 or more. If the inspection turns up problems that weren't listed in the Disclosure then you can ask the seller to lessen the value of the house or walk away from the deal.

9. Get the house appraised by your bank. This makes sure that you're paying what the home is worth. A bank doesn't need to loan you $200,000 for a house that is only worth $125,000.

10. Search for an insurance agent and get a quote. Comparison shop between two or three companies in case you need one. The cost of this insurance will be added to your closing costs.

11. Closing the deal. You go to the office of the title company or attorney (generally chosen by a lawyer or title company.) Be sure you bring a blank check to cover the entire down payment and the closing costs (which sometimes might be surprising as there might be miscellaneous fees.)




About the Author: