Buying a home for the first time can be thrilling, nerve-racking and an enormous accomplishment! Despite all the horror stories you’ve heard, it doesn’t have to be as difficult as some may think. At Ray Gernhart & Associates, our mission is to offer you the highest level of customer service and a stress-free first time home buying experience. We believe you should look back on the times of searching for your first home as fun, easy, informative and most importantly, a great success. Here’s three guidelines we’ve put together that you need to know when buying your first home.
1. Determining Costs & Getting Pre-approved
The cost of your new home is just one of the expenses associated with home ownership. It’s best to first meet with an agent to direct you to a trusted loan officer and mortgage company that has your needs in mind. Not all loan officers are alike. A good realtor will know all the programs available to create your perfect match and won’t take long. Our quick and helpful lenders can then tell you which mortgage you’re qualified for so we can concentrate on homes that are within your budget. Once you’re pre-approved to purchase, home sellers will take your offer to buy more seriously than an offer from someone who hasn’t been pre-approved. A team with decades of experience can help you concentrate on homes that are within your budget to make the process fast and trouble-free.
2. Knowing Yourself Helps
Speaking of trouble-free, do you want to be located where you can’t hear or see the hustle and bustle of everyday life? How about enjoying strolls around the neighborhood with nearby access to family-friendly parks? The answers to these questions can help us find prospective homes that will fit your lifestyle in Washington DC, Maryland or Northern Virginia. An important question to ask yourself should be, “How do I want to spend my time in this house?” Would commuting to work and back prevent you from the leisure experiences you would rather be doing? Such as biking, walking your dog (or cat, we won’t judge), or playing with your children? We’re super familiar with every opportunity in the city and surrounding areas and love pointing out the local amenities you’re looking for, and their respective distances to the homes you’re viewing.
3. We Love Sharing Our Insider Data
MLS has been a staple of the residential real estate industry for the better part of a century, and while it has the most viewed data on available homes, consumer access pales in comparison to what members can view. Those limitations and less visibility can be frustrating to buyers from using the service when saving properties they’re interested in. They call the listings and find out they’re all sold! With our experienced team on your side, you can search for your first home with confidence thanks to our unparalleled access to new properties for sale, including many that aren’t even listed on MLS.
Based on our expertise and our huge network of former buyers, sellers, and vendors – we have access to a lot more inventory!
Our round-the-clock dedication to staying on top of the most up to date data concerning anything dream home friendly is why you should “Talk to Ray”!
