Home Buying Tips

Selection Criteria

If you are like most buyers, you will probably determine your need or desire for a new home before anything else. Once you have made the decision that you need to buy a new home, answer these questions to begin forming a "criteria list" that you can share with your Realtor®.

• How much can you comfortable and financially afford?
  Speak with a loan officer or use my mortgage calculator to figure out a monthly payment on a loan.



• What is the primary reason for buying a new home?
  Need more space, bigger yard, better schools, better neighborhood? Identify your root motivation for moving.



• What must you absolutely have in a new home?
  Attached garage, air conditioning, a specific school district? Label these as "required"



• What would you really like to have, even though it might be unaffordable?
  List some things that would be great to have but not required. You might discover later that you actually want these items enough to make them required.



• What do you absolutely NOT want or will not consider?
  This list may change over time but think of things like tri-level homes, backing to streets, pet/smoking odors, unfinished basements, and other things that would cause you to instantly disqualify a home from buying.



• Are there any areas that you prefer?
  The rule of thumb is that people buy a neighborhood first and a home second. List areas or subdivisions that you like or don't like to narrow the home search.

Step 2: Mortgage Pre-Approval...