What's the first step of the home buying process?
The mortgage pre-approval. Unless you are paying cash for a house, you will need to get a mortgage. In order to know how much home you can afford, you will need to get pre-approved for a loan. This is the first-step in the home buying process.
How Long Does it Take To Buy a Home?
Approximately 30 days. The timeline for finding a house varies greatly from person to person. Once you find a house and have an accepted offer, it usually takes around 30 days to close.
What Kind of Credit Score Do I Need to Buy a Home?
A 620 credit score, or higher, is recommended. As you are probably aware, a higher credit score offers better lending terms. This is an ever evolving topic, however, as loan requirements are constantly changing. There are some lenders who will approve buyers with a 580 score, sometimes even lower. Your loan officer will be the best source to give you a current answer for today’s lending requirements.
How Much Money Do I Need for a Downpayment?
The most common answer is 3% to 5% of the purchase price. FHA loans just dropped their requirement from 3.5% to 3.0%. There are also some conventional loans that only require 3% down. Veterans are usually eligible for a VA loan, which requires no money down. Properties in rural areas are usually eligible for a USDA loan, which also requires no money down.
Are There Special Home Buying Programs That I Should Know About?
Yes. There are some great home buying programs to research. The main ones would be VA loans, USDA loans, and FHA loans. Knowing the difference between these loan types is very important.
Where can we find school information?
It's best to ask friends, family members, neighbors, and real estate agents. Visit school web sites and do research on the school. Here’s a useful and informative web site where you can research public and private school information – explore top-rated schools, view local information, overviews, parent and student reviews, test scores and more.