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Showing posts from August 4, 2007

The Path to Homeownership

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When asked what their top ten greatest achievements are, many people say owning their own home is number one. Homeownership represents the American dream to many. It signifies a leave of success, a level of financial security, and independence. For those starting out, however, the path to homeownership can seem like a long journey. The Sale price of their desired home combined with interest rates, taxes, and homeowner’s insurance can make it seem like a dream that may never be achieved. The key to making homeownership a reality is to deal with the numbers at hand. Start with analyzing your finances. This will help you determine how much home you can afford or how much you need to save for the home. Examine your income and all your monthly expenses. Check out your credit score and make initial inquiries into obtaining a mortgage. However: be careful too many repeated requests for your credit score and duplicate loan requests can negatively impact your appeal to creditors ov

Guide to home buying

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Buying a home? Step 1: Defining What You WantStart by creating a prioritized list of features you want in your next home and the reasons why. Use it as your search guide, but remember that depending on your funding, you will probably need to make some compromises. In addition, talk to us about where you want to live. Location is a huge part of any move. Your real estate agents are trained to help our clients narrow down their choices by sharing market trends and local information like neighborhood statistics and community links. Step 2: Figuring Out What You Can AffordNow that you know what you want, it's time to see what you can afford. You can start by crunching the numbers yourself using our selection of calculators. When you're ready to move to the next step, you can get pre-approved for a mortgage. This process can often be performed in under an hour and it accomplishes two important goals. First, it will tell you how much house you can afford and what your monthly