Here are the steps to the home buying process:

1. Choose your agent! Hint, hint: The MacDonald Team!

2. Get pre-approval for a loan. You can actually do this before selecting your agent, but if you need a referral, your real estate agent should have some good ones.

3. Your home search begins! And, the fun starts!

4. Submit an offer on a home. Be prepared for possible negotiating.

5. Your offer is accepted. Hold on! Patience grasshopper, it’s not over yet!

6. Provide your agent with an earnest money deposit.

7. Your agent helps you schedule an inspection & an appraisal.

8. Commit to your mortgage & start preparing for your move.

9. Attend the closing. Usually 30-45 days after offer acceptance.

10. Move into your new home! PHEW! You made it!

Let’s be honest, buying your first home can be a little overwhelming, but it can also be an exciting and rewarding experience. We’re here to help make the experience as smooth as possible, and we feel the better prepared you are, the more enjoyable the process will be.

Let’s start with the basics! Why own?

Here are 5 reasons why you should consider owning a home:

1. You’ll own a home that is “yours” – It can be customized to your specific taste from paint colors to remodeling.
2. You’ll build equity – Equity in your home is the amount you can sell it for minus the amount you owe. Every month, when you make a payment, you reduce the amount you owe, thus increasing your equity.
3. You’ll have stability – Rental rates can rise over-time, but with a fixed-rate mortgage, your monthly payments will stay the same, making it easier to budget & save for the future.
4. You may have tax benefits – Interest on your mortgage and property taxes may be deductible.
5. Most importantly, you’re not throwing away money on rent – You have to live someplace! Why pay your landlord’s mortgage when you can pay your own?

Over the past decade, the real estate market has shaken everyone’s confidence in home ownership, but we’re in a new market now, and as long as you stick to a home you can afford, you’ll gradually build wealth. Homes are expensive, but they are totally worth it!