Five common home buyer mistakes

In the market for a new home? Purchasing a home is definitely something you don’t do every day. So it’s easy to make mistakes, and when it comes to home buying, mistakes can be costly. Here are some of the most common errors made by first-time buyers:

Shopping before getting pre-qualified. Pre-qualification is an essential first step before starting your home search. Without consulting a mortgage company, you aren’t going to know how much house you can afford or how much you’ll need to have for a down payment. You also should know that most sellers today disregard offers from buyers who aren’t prequalified by a mortgage company. Get pre-qualified before you start looking at homes. Call us to get started: (214) 417-1000.

Looking for homes on your own. Don’t go it alone. You’ll want the experience and knowledge of a real estate agent on your side. An agent can provide another perspective on the home you are thinking about buying and help you avoid common home-buying mistakes.

Using up all your cash on a down payment. Many buyers want to put as much as possible down on their home purchase to lower their monthly payment and/or to reduce or eliminate mortgage insurance premiums. Just make sure you have enough cash and financial reserves remaining for unexpected expenses after you’ve bought your home.

Skipping the home inspection. Never skip a home inspection when buying a home, if at all possible. A quality home inspection can reveal critical information about a home’s condition you’ll want to know before you sign on the dotted line. Your offer on a home should be contingent upon a home inspection.

Buying things. Hold off on purchases of items such as furniture before you complete your home purchase. Your home loan pre-approval is dependent on your current financial situation. Adding more debt could put your home loan in jeopardy. Plus, this isn’t the time to be adding more financial obligations or draining your savings account.