So, most of you may have seen my video series with local realtor, Lisea Julien, of One Stop Realty. We discussed the top three things that first-time homebuyers needed to know. The videos were wonderfully entertaining due to the Rockstar editing skills of Paradigm Pathways and can be seen on Facebook and here on my website. But for those with no time to watch (you’re missing some good stuff), I’ll break it down here for swift consumption.
Tip #1 – Get Loan Pre-Approval. The worst thing to have happen is finding the perfect house, putting in your offer, having it accepted and not qualifying for the loan. Only second to that, is having your offer and another presented to a seller simultaneously, but the other offer has pre-approval and yours does not. 9 times out of 10, the seller will take the pre-approved offer. So, get that pre-approval before you start shopping.
Tip #2 – Negotiate Closing costs. This is often done by the realtor on your behalf. As Lisea mentioned, if you have a seasoned realtor in your corner, they will know the right amount to offer to get as much of your closings costs paid by the seller as possible.
Tip #3 - Give Good Feedback. – When shopping with your realtor, let them know what you liked and what you didn’t like about the house. Not necessarily colors or decorating – those can all be easily changed, but the number of bathrooms, size of the yard, things that you can’t really change about the house. This will help your realtor show you houses more to your style and liking and get you into your dream home sooner.
I encourage you all to watch the videos and call Lisea or myself if you have any other questions.
Lisea Julien – One Stop Realty – 941-737-3935 or liseajulien@gmail.com