Home buying tip #1: Use a realtor
Using an Arizona realtor can greatly increase the chances of finding a home that you really like, are satisfied with, and that is within your budget. Realtors have full access to the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) listing database, which has the most homes for sale listings available anywhere and can speed up your property search.
Home buying tip #2: Choosing a neighborhood
Choosing a neighborhood should come before you pick out an actual home. You want to make sure that the home you ultimately pick is in an area where you feel comfortable living and where your children have access to the best schools. If you don’t choose a specific neighborhood, at least designate a general area in which you would like to find your new home.
Home buying tip #3: Choosing a home
Once it is time to choose your actual home, there are certain things that you may want to look for. You need to ensure that it has the proper amount of bedrooms, at least 1.5 baths so that you will have a bathroom on the main floor for your guests to use, and a suitable amount of garage space according to the number of cars you own. You may also want to plan for the future, since buying a home is a long-term investment. For example, if you plan to have more children, make sure you buy a home with the necessary extra space.
Home buying tip #4: Know if you are ready to buy
Knowing if you are ready to buy a home should be evaluated before you sign for a mortgage. You can look for a home that you would like to buy and check out your options but, before you sign on the dotted line, there are a few others things to consider, such as knowing the benefits and the costs of owning a home as opposed to renting.
Home buying tip #5: Know the benefits of home ownership as opposed to renting
The benefits of home buying, as opposed to renting, are that sooner or later it will be yours and you will no longer have to pay on it; it gives you something to put up as collateral if you get in a tough financial spot and have to take out a loan; and if property rates rise around it or if you make some home improvements then you can receive more for it than you bought it for, even after interest rates, if you ever decide to sell it.
Home buying tip #6: Know the cost of home ownership as opposed to renting
The extra costs of home buying, as opposed to renting, are that you will have to carry homeowners insurance on it, which will be an extra monthly expense; you will have to fix or repair any issues that arise with the property; and you will have to pay property taxes on it.
Once you have looked at the benefits and disadvantages of home buying as opposed to renting, you will again need to evaluate if buying a home is the right decision for you at this time. Maybe you don’t have the financial means to support all the extra expenses that come with owning a home or you just aren’t ready for the responsibility. Either way, waiting a few years to take the step into home ownership may be best for your situation. If home ownership is the right decision for you, make sure that you do it right and use the above tips as a guide, so you don’t end up disappointed with your purchase.
Jeff Blackwell is the Designated Broker for Easy Living Solutions Realty a member of the Easy Living (R) franchise specilializing in mobile homes for sale. Jeff Blackwell is also the founder of the Arizona Manufactured Housing MLS (AZMH) the original and only Multiple Listing Service designed "exclusively" for mobile homes for sale and manufactured homes for sale in Arizona.
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