Ask The Reel Team About Real Estate: 1st Time Home Buyer Tips

1. Talk to a lender and get pre-approved. The easiest thing you can do is contact your local Indianapolis mortgage lender and find out how much you can afford before going out and falling in love with home that’s out of your price range. Once you know how much you can afford this will help you figure in other expenses such as homeowner’s insurance, taxes, utilities, and homeowners association fees when determining the final price range of what you can afford.
2. Determine what you are looking for. There are lots of great Indianapolis houses for sale but not every one of them is going to fit your wants and needs so before you go out it’s important to know what you want such as: 2-story vs. ranch, basement vs. no basement, etc. This also includes knowing the area you would like to be in, many first time home buyers aren’t always thinking about the school district but it’s important to keep everything about not only the city but school district as well.
3. Think about re-sale. Keep in mind the features that the average homebuyer is looking for because when it comes time for you to sell you may have a hard time overcoming that obstacle that wasn’t a big deal to you. For example, sure you may only NEED 2 bedrooms but think about later on when you are trying to sell it, you are going to miss a lot of traffic because you only have 2 bedrooms, you may not need 3 bedrooms but this will make the property more marketable when it comes time to re-sell.
4. Be willing to make compromises. Most first time home buyers want the “perfect” house, but often most first homes are “starter” homes so be willing to be flexible and not get everything you want right now. Often you give up something to get that item you just have to have. For example, you may want a gourmet kitchen but you may have to purchase a smaller home to afford the gourmet kitchen. Instead you could settle for a big open kitchen that would allow you to make the updates over time.
5. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. People read the real estate news and think that they can get a steal by buying an Indianapolis foreclosure and then fixing it up. It's not just foreclosures but historic homes that need major renovations or older homes that need updates. Many times there is more work than you can handle, such as buying all new appliances, replacing flooring and walls, repairing cabinetry, the list goes on.