Buying a Home

There's no doubt about it — owning a home is an exciting prospect. After all, you've always dreamed of having a place that you could truly call your own. But buying a home can be stressful, especially when you're buying one for the first time. Fortunately, knowing what to expect can make it a lot easier.

How much can you afford?

According to a general rule of thumb, you can afford a house that costs two and a half times your annual salary. But determining how much you can afford to spend on a house is not quite so simple. Since most people finance their home purchases, buying a house usually means getting a mortgage. So, the amount you can afford to spend on a house is often tied to figuring out how large a mortgage you can afford. To figure this out, you'll need to take into account your gross monthly income, housing expenses, and any long-term debt. There are many real estate and personal finance websites on the Internet that can help you with the calculations.

Should you use a real estate agent or a broker?

A knowledgeable real estate agent or buyer's broker can guide you through the process of buying a home and make the process much easier. This assistance can be especially helpful to a first-time home buyer. In particular, an agent or broker can:

Help you determine your housing needs
Show you properties and neighborhoods in your price range
Suggest sources and techniques for financing
Prepare and present an offer to purchase
Act as an intermediary in negotiations
Recommend professionals whose services you may need (e.g., lawyers, mortgage brokers, title professionals, inspectors)
Provide insight into neighborhoods and market activity
Disclose positive and negative aspects of properties you're considering

Keep in mind that if you enlist the services of an agent or broker, you'll want to find out how he or she is being compensated (i.e., flat fee or commission based on a percentage of the sale price). Many states require the agent or broker to disclose this information to you up front and in writing.

Choosing the right home

Before you begin looking at houses, decide in advance the features that you want your home to have. Knowing what you want ahead of time will make the search for your dream home much easier. Here are some things you may want to consider:

Price of the home and its potential for appreciation
Location or neighborhood
Quality of construction, age, and condition of the property
Style of the home
Lot size
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
Quality of local schools
Property taxes
Proximity to shopping, schools, and work

Making the offer

Once you find a house, you'll want to make an offer. Most home sale offers and counteroffers are made through an intermediary, such as a real estate agent. All terms and conditions of the offer, no matter how minor, should be put in writing to avoid future problems. Typically, your attorney or real estate agent will prepare an offer to purchase for you to sign. You'll also include a good faith or earnest money deposit. If the seller accepts the offer to purchase, he or she will sign the contract, which will then become a binding agreement between you and the seller. For this reason, it's a good idea to have your attorney review any offer to purchase before you sign.

Other details

Once the seller has accepted your offer, you, your real estate agent, or the mortgage lender will get busy completing procedures and documents necessary to finalize the purchase. These include finalizing the mortgage loan, appraising the house, surveying the property, and getting homeowners insurance. Typically, you would have made your offer contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a home inspection, so now's the time to get this done as well.

The closing

The closing meeting, also known as a title closing or settlement, can be a tedious process--but when it's over, the house is finally yours! The closing may require some or all of the following entities to be present: the seller and/or the seller's attorney, your attorney, the closing agent (a real estate attorney or the representative of a title company or mortgage lender), and both your real estate agent and the seller's. Depending on what state you live in, all parties may be required to attend the closing at once or the closing can take place over the course of several weeks. Some closings can be conducted by mail or via the internet.

During the closing process, you'll receive and/or sign a variety of paperwork, including:

Closing Disclosure: This lists all of the final terms of the loan you've selected. Your lender is required to send you the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before the actual closing meeting.
Promissory note: This spells out the amount and repayment terms of your mortgage loan.
Mortgage: This gives the lender a lien against the property.
Deed: This transfers legal ownership of the property to you.

In addition, you'll need to provide proof that you have insured the property. You'll also be required to pay certain costs and fees associated with obtaining the mortgage and closing the real estate transaction.