How Can Professional Seguin TX Realtor Help You Buy a House?

Charming backyard view of a spacious home in Seguin, TX, ideal for prospective homeowners seeking guidance from a professional realtor.

Whether your future plans call for upgrading or downsizing, count on Seguin TX Realtors Jeff and Kim's checklist to help you better understand the process.

1. Determine Your Budget: Understand your financial situation and determine how much you can afford.  Generally, your monthly PITI mortgage payment (Principle, Interest, taxes, and Insurance) should be less than 36% of your pretax income.

2. Save for Down Payment: Typically, you should aim to save 20% of the home’s price for a down payment.  There are programs that allow you to purchase a home for a significantly smaller downpayment.  However, these types of loans usually require Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). PMI protects the lender—not you—if you stop making payments on your loan.  The premium for PMI is added to your monthly mortgage payment.

3. Hire a “Forever” Real Estate Agent: A forever real estate agent provides you with valuable information and can recommend experts for you every need from lenders to contractors.  A Forever Seguin TX Realtor, like Jeff and Kim, is willing to help you at every stage of the home-buying process.

4. Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage: Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is a quick and easy process that can usually be done over the phone.  The pre-approval estimates the mortgage loan for which you are likely to qualify.  However, you are under no obligation to use the lender preparing the pre-approval.

5. List Your Needs and Wants: Make a list of your must-have features and nice-to-have features for your new home.  After deciding the size and location of the house you wish to buy you will then consider the following:

   • Number of Bedrooms and Bathrooms

   • Size of the front and backyard.

   • Fences for pets.

   • Laundry room

   • Garage storage space

   • Front and back porch or patio

   • Walk-in kitchen pantry

   • Landscaping

   • Table space in the kitchen

6. Start House Hunting: Spend some time exploring potential neighborhoods to get a feel for the atmosphere, cleanliness, and noise levels at different times of the day.  Have your Forever Agent set up a search for houses that meet your needs and are within your price range.  Walk through the house in person before making a final decision.

7. Make an Offer: Once you find a home you love, your Forever agent will help you write an offer for the property.  An offer is a sales contract between the buyer and the seller that stipulates legal conditions required for the sale.  The offer includes earnest money that is held by the title company until closing. The Seller often requires the Buyer to provide their pre-approval when making an offer.

1. Home Inspection: Jeff and Kim will help you hire a professional home inspector to find potential issues before the sale.  The inspection is typically performed during the option period.  During this period, the buyer has the right to unconditionally terminate the offer.

2. Negotiate: The inspection will likely find issues that you will want resolved before completing the sale of the house.  Jeff and Kim will negotiate with the seller on your behalf to either fix the problems or to reduce the price of the house.

3. Find a Lender and Finalize Your Loan: Although you were pre-approved for a loan, you are not obligated to continue with the same company.  Jeff and Kim will help you shop around to find the lender that best suits your needs. 

4. Close on Your New Home: When the loan is approved, and all requirements of the sales contract have been fulfilled, it is finally time to close on your new home.  The closing process is directed by the title company.  There you will need to sign all the necessary paperwork (and it’s a lot!) and get the keys to your new home!

5. Remember, buying a home is a significant decision, so take your time and make sure you’re comfortable with every step of the process.

For best results, use Seguin Tx Realtor Jeff and Kim as your “Forever” Real Estate Agent.  Good luck!