Everyone has a dream home. Some of us already live in it, while others have just begun imagining it. Maybe, right now, you’re working hard to attain it. If that’s the case, keep reading.
Exploring locations and layouts is such an exciting place to be.
How many bedrooms are ideal?
Do we need a pool?
Where would the kids go to school?
How big should our backyard be?
As your dream home begins to take form and that picture in your head becomes tangible, these questions, along with a million others, begin racing through your mind and likely dominating all of your conversations. It’s overwhelming-we know. It can be tough to know where to start and where to place priority. At this point, may we make a recommendation?
Let’s ease in and take some first steps.
- What your home is worth?
- What price point fits your financial comfort zone? (Think about a mortgage payment in relation to the sales price and tax rates)
- Do your needs and wants line up with your financial comfort zone?
Now that you have a starting point, let’s walk through these items together.
What is your home worth?
Depending on your financial situation, knowing what your home is worth could be a crucial part of your purchase process. The equity in your home plays a substantial role in the type of loan you’ll be able to take advantage of. Even if you aren’t taking out a mortgage and you plan to pay cash, that amount will also be determined by the equity in your current home. Our listing agent, Joel Griffin, is market savvy and a numbers wizard. He can schedule a time to meet at your home and discuss, based on hyperlocal research, what the market is currently paying for homes comparable to yours.
What price point fits your financial comfort zone?
If you are looking to pay cash for your next home, this step is fairly straightforward. If you’re going to go the mortgage route, you’ll want to schedule an appointment with a local lender to discuss your options. Making any decisions on a loan product can feel heavy and impossible on your own. I have found that my clients are most successful and confident with a local mortgage BROKER or their local credit union. During your appointment, you’ll want to be sure that you are discussing exact numbers, so make sure you have all necessary paperwork gathered beforehand and ready to reference. We have worked with fabulous lenders throughout the US – I would be glad to refer you. Give me a call: 832.610.5111 or send me an email – Kristi@Griffin-RealtyGroup.com. With a great consultation, estimates, and options, you’ll feel confident about how to move forward.
Step 3: Do your needs and wants coincide successfully with your financial comfort zone?
Once you know how much your home is worth and you have a pre-approval from a lender, you’ll want to begin exploring opportunities on the market within your financial comfort zone. This is when we schedule a consultation at our office. During this meeting, we will talk about exactly what you’re looking for. We’ll take our research “LIVE” on a big screen and discuss areas, school districts, tax rates, and areas that could yield you the most return on your investment, based on how long you’re planning to stay in your new home. We’ll create a list of homes that fit your criteria best and schedule a private showing before our meeting ends. You may be surprised to find that after this exercise, your best option might be to stay in your current home. Or, you watch us put together a schedule of private tours of homes that really do seem to look like what you’ve dreamed up.
Keep in mind, knowledge is power and the more you know the more confident you will feel in moving forward with the decision you make – even if it’s to stay in your current home.
Feeling any better? Stay on this train and ahead of the game. Don’t let options and decisions overwhelm you, take a hold of them! Work hard until you are on track to reach your goals and confident in your decisions.
At Griffin Realty Group, there’s someone on our team to meet all of your real estate needs. Buying and selling tips, resources, experience and consulting…we’ve got it all. Even if you know you’re not financially ready to move, let us help you figure out how you’re going to get there! Schedule an appointment today to get on the road to your dream home.