Purchasing a home in Aiken, South Carolina, is an exciting experience, whether you’re moving to start anew or have a bigger house for your family. Your life in the city will open up more opportunities and experiences for you.
To help you through the home-buying process, we’ve compiled a list of tips for purchasing a home in Aiken.
1. Determine Your Needs and Wants in a Home
The first step to buying a new home is defining what you need and want it to have. Decide on the property type, whether an apartment, condo, townhouse, single-family or multi-family home. Consider how many bedrooms and bathrooms you want, what kind of neighborhood you prefer and your ideal home layout.
Determining what features you desire for your home is crucial to setting a budget and learning what kind of house you can afford.
2. Review Budget, Financial Preparations and Mortgage Options
Once you know what kind of home you can afford according to the specifications of your needs and wants, you can review and prepare your finances to plan a budget and discover mortgage options. Some things to consider as you assess your finances:
- Income stability
- Debt-to-income ratio
- Monthly expenses
- Savings funds
- Emergency funds
- Credit score
- Insurance costs
- Taxes
- Down payment
Reviewing your life’s financial aspects will help you better prepare for home-buying. You will be more aware of how money flows in and out of your accounts, helping you plan a budget that will meet your home ownership goals. While figuring out your payment options, you could use a mortgage calculator to predict and estimate your monthly mortgage payments based on your input numbers.
3. Find a Home
Now that you know the kinds of homes you can afford and what price ranges to consider, it’s time to find a house. Work with a Realtor or real estate agent or on your own to discover homes in Aiken that meet your specifications and budget. Use property listing sites and drive around neighborhoods to see if any homes are for sale. You could also seek help from your network, such as friends, family, co-workers or business contacts, to see if anyone they know is selling their home.
4. Partner With a Trusted Financial Lender
During your home-buying process, make sure you partner with a financial lender and adviser like Assurance Financial. Working with a mortgage lender you feel comfortable with helps you receive a loan that works for your situation. At Assurance Financial, we can help you get pre-qualified in 15 minutes and teach you about the mortgages you can afford. If you’re happy with your loan options, you can pick one, and one of our advisers will verify and process it.
5. Make an Offer and Complete Home Inspections
If you want a specific house, consider the estimated closing costs in addition to the home price and make an offer if it falls within your budget. To better ensure you get the most from your new home purchase, hire a trained professional for a complete home inspection and use the information to negotiate with the seller.
6. Close on the Property
When all deals are done and you’re happy with your home, you can close on it, which involves the final sale and property ownership transfer paperwork.
Partner With Assurance Financial for Your Mortgage
Ensure you have a trusted mortgage adviser to help you move to Aiken, South Carolina. Assurance Financial is ready to help you get pre-qualified and make the loan process seamless. Learn more about our mortgage services by contacting us today.