Buying a home is an exciting adventure filled with the promise of a strong, stable living environment for you and your family. Unfortunately, many first-time home buyers don’t know where to start, and even small missteps can damage your ability to qualify for the right home for sale. Here are three steps you should take when you start thinking about buying a home.

Evaluate Your Future Plans

Before you start thinking about things like crown molding and polished quartz counters, you need to think carefully about your future plans. Think about where your work might take you in the future, whether you plan to have any children, or whether you are interested in owning pets. These early considerations can help you decide on factors like where to live and how large of a home you want, making finding the ideal home for sale easier. 

Check Your Credit 

Your credit score will be one of the major determining factors that helps lenders to decide your interest rate, so check your credit report long before you start looking for a home. Look for things like bad marks and signs of identity theft, and address these issues early to clear your history before you meet with lenders. 

Save a Down Payment

After you have a rough idea of where you want to live and how good your credit is, start saving for a down payment. To avoid paying private mortgage insurance, you will need at least 20% of the total purchase price of the home for sale.

Whether you are looking for a home for sale or you need to sell your existing place first, Justyna Johnson – Edina Realty can help. As a top realtor in the Woodbury, MN, area, Justyna offers complimentary Trustimates, which are no obligation property reports for your home. You will receive no spam email, calls, or sales communication by requesting a Trustimate, just accurate information that can help you to plan your next move. For more information about this free service, visit her website or call (651) 501-2345.