Finding a home for yourself can be the most fulfilling or draining experience depending on how you go about it. Here is what our in-house experts have to say to make your dream come true and get you in the right place.
Know What You Want- My Happy Place
This is often the most basic and THE MOST IMPORTANT thing. Talk to yourself, talk to your family and figure out if you like a craftsman home or something with a modern kitchen, easy to move in apartment or a single family home with a yard if you have kids and/or pets. This is a good time to start making a wish-list.
Do Your Homework- Online And Offline
Once you have decided ‘What you want’, you may want to figure out- ‘Where you want to live’. Do you prefer hustle of a downtown life or sprawling uptown or residential areas? It is a good idea to do online search as well as visit several neighbourhoods at different times of the day, if possible. It will help you get the best overall sense of the place. Location of the home is a very important factor when you are looking for a dream home. Another good thing to do is to check walkability score for those that like to ditch your car or use public transit often.
Know your finances
This is the part which people fear the most but trust us, we got your back. Getting your finances in order will help you get through this smoothly. The first step is to get your mortgage pre-approved. Next is to get your credit report and credit score to get moving. Make a note of things that you can do to improve on this, if required. Get your proof of income W2s (wage and tax statement), paystubs etc). Total what funds you have for your down payment and get started.
Getting To Must Haves and Good To Haves
Once you have your research in place for locations and the type of home you are looking for, it is time put out a list of must haves and good to haves so that we don’t loose sight of what we are looking for. This should include things like number of bedrooms, bathrooms you wish, do you prefer a garage or not? If you are buying home for a family, It would be good to make sure that the list has wishes from all the family members!
Knowing What You Don’t Want
This is a very crucial step but often ignored. Knowing what you don’t want will help you focus on the options that makes sense for you, having this sort of a list will help you weed out what you don’t like bringing you a step closer to what you like! For instance, you do not want to go over a fixed budget or you don’t like the idea of living in a busy downtown area without parking, this step will ensure you’ve got it covered.
Once you have this information decided, you are good to move a step closer to Your Happy Place!