By Warren McNeil

Here is a video for the “Top 5 Things To Do Before Shopping For Home”.

Buying a home is probably the single largest investment that you will ever make in your life so it is very important to understand the entire process.

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Here is the transcript of the video.

Today I am going to talk to you about a few things you need to do before shopping for a home.  Buying a home is probably the single largest investment that you will ever make in your life so it is very important to understand the entire process. The following tips will help save time, money and headaches.

Number 5: Employment:  It is very important to ensure that you have solid employment before buying a house. You should also try and keep your debt in check and to make sure that you aren’t overextending yourself.   Maintain good credit so that you will be able to get a mortgage.

Number 4:  Down payment:  When buying a home, you will require down payment. You should save up at least 5% of the cost of a house as well as a little extra for closing costs such as lawyer fees, land transfer tax and a home inspection.

Number 3:  Pre-approval – By getting pre-approved, you will know exactly how much you can afford so you don’t waste your time looking at houses that are above or below your price range. The other reason to get preapproved is so you can lock in an interest rate so that if the interest rates go up you will already have the best rate.

Number 2:  Choose a good realtor to help you through the process. Buyers are able to choose a real estate agent the same way sellers can. The goal of a seller’s agent is to sell the house for the highest amount of money with the most favourable terms.  Likewise, the goal of the buyer’s agent is to help the buyer purchase the house for the lowest price with the most favourable terms. Working with your own licensed realtor will ensure that you are not taken advantage of.  A buyer’s agent will be able to tell you what the other homes sold for in an area as well as protect you with special offer conditions. They will also negotiate price and all the terms of any offers. Don’t risk buying a home without your own buyer’s agent. 

And the Number 1 thing to do before shopping for a home is:
Determine your Wants and Needs: Work with your buyers agent to create a list of everything you want in a home. Some things to consider are: Area, Size, the total number of bedrooms & bathroom, the age of the house and the style of the home.  Sometimes you need to look at a few houses before you find the one you like. Knowing what you want can help reduce the time it takes to search for a new home.

Shopping for a new home can be an exciting adventure. If you follow the tips above, you will be better prepared to start shopping for that perfect home.

If you are thinking about buying a house in the Waterloo Region and you would like to get started with this exciting adventure, please visit our website at www.clickthathouse.com or call us at 519-498-8118. Thanks for watching and see you next time!

We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and  everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-new free search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil Re/Max Twin City Realty, Brokerage (  519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118                8 www.TeamMcneil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.LoftStyle.ca, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

Connect with us on the following social networks   Facebook: www.facebook.com/teammcneilremax

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