First Time Homebuyers

Buying Your First Home?  Real Estate Agents Are Your

 Professional Guides.  Make Sure You Choose Top Experts.

You might be a bit afraid or intimidated by the whole process of buying your first home. As top Volusia County real estate experts, its our job to guide you, from beginning to end.

We will take the time to go through each and every step of the buying process. There are no dumb questions!

 First Time Home Buyer? Shop around. 

Just because you are a first time homebuyer doesn’t mean you can’t be choosy. When you are looking for your first home, make a list of the criteria of utmost importance and do your best to stick to it.  You may be tempted to offer on the first home or condo you see but you should avoid that impulse and continue looking around to make sure that you’ve found the right place for you.

 Getting Your First Home Mortgage

If you are ready to start your first time home buying process, make sure you educate yourself on your options and don’t depend on the advice of others.
For instance, first time home buyers are often entitled to special government funded mortgage programs that have low interest rates and low down payments. If you arm yourself with knowledge, you can explore all the options that you have.

 It is recommended that you get a mortgage pre-approval before you go house hunting.  Many sellers today demand a pre-approval letter before they will accept your offer. Pre-approval also gives a first time homebuyer a realistic idea of what they can afford.

 Low down payments with a First Time Home Buyer Program

Are you worried about coming up with a down payment as a first time homebuyer?

There are many programs out there that are specifically designed to help with this very concern.  Several programs require little or no money down.

 Did you know that the federal government even allows a one time withdrawal, up to $10,000, from an IRA or retirement account with no penalty for first time home buying? 

3 Reasons to Use a Real Estate Agent as a First Time Home Buyer

1) Negotiation Skills – Great real estate agents know how to negotiate.  They represent their customers in negotiation of the home price, anything that needs to be addressed after the home inspection, closing details and the like.  They have an impact on every aspect of your home buying process and using a real estate agent can mean saving thousands of dollars.

2) Experience – Looking for a home and getting through the closing process the first time can be incredibly intimidating.  Real estate agents have the experience to guide you though this process and they have the knowledge of neighborhoods, homes or condos on the market and properties coming on the market that you should absolutely tap into. 

3) Resources – Finding a home inspector, a title company, an appraiser, a mortgage broker or bank can all be arduous and painful.  Your real estate agent will have contacts in all of these areas. You may find better mortgage rates online, but it doesn’t hurt to explore all of your options and tap into your real etate agent’s network. 

Making the Most of Your First Time Home Buying Experience

Make the most of your first time home buying experience by enjoying it and learning from it.  Find out about schools, about average home values.  Assess crime rates and try to find out if anything significant is happening in terms of home or town development that will increase your homes value into the future. Take time ot learn about mortgage programs Learn about your options as a first time homebuyer and arm yourself with information for the future. 

New to the home buying process?  Tell us your concerns.  Ask us questions.  It’s our job to help! There’s no obligation, and we promise to get back to you quickly.