Our Simplified Guide to Buying a House

In this guide to buying a house, I’ll take the word “guide” here for all that it means, and I will assume the role of a guide by bearing the responsibility to direct the buyer in the best way that I find possible. Having learned to do many things, and licensed as a master of one, I have found that in all my pursuits there has never been one source only; there have been many. This therefore leads to step one.

Step one: Rely on more than one source.

Apply enough time and concentration right in the beginning to realize that even if you choose someone that you highly trust to oversee all matters involved, it is that choice which makes you responsible for making all of the correct decisions.

Step two: Become informed of the various points involved in buying a house.

There is the selection of the type and style of home, the location of the neighborhood and who and what is in it, the assessed value and what you can comfortably afford. Then there is the whole mortgage process which involves so many things such as fees and costs, the commission of the realtor, the down payment, the originator’s fee and discount points, etc. You want to make sure that the title is clear and that there are no liens on the property, that the person selling the house has the legal right to sell – be careful of scams.

Step three: Get a real estate attorney.

Get a good one, someone experienced in all of the legalities to be your legal guide to buying a house. Remember, even here, that you are the primary guide, the director of all matters involved. If your selection of attorney is not careful and informed, then should something turn out to be a legal matter that you didn’t expect, unless it a very tricky matter, it is not a matter of a poor attorney so much as your selection of that particular one.

Step four: Take your time.

Anything learned well may seem easy at first, and then there are difficulties after which a person realizes that they only thought they knew at first, but “now” they really do know. Later, the person learns more. Naturally, anyone mature in their career or business understands how this happens, and it is over time and effort that one learns well. Now that you have decided to buy and are looking for a guide to buying a house, you are tuned in. You will see and hear things applicable to your endeavor that you might otherwise have missed. You will seek out what you need to know and that leads to the final step.

The final step: Learn

Learn through reading magazines and newspapers, talk to friends who own houses or maybe even sell them. Stop at a bank and see if you can talk to a loan officer to find out what you need to know. You have an honest intention to buy a house; the bank will want to assist you. There is no pressure to this. Search online with Google, Bing or Yahoo for the specific wording of what you want to know and also use Wikipedia as a guide.

In many ways, our entire website acts as a guide to buying a house. We encourage you to navigate the other pages on this site which will help with the education process.