10 Top Buying Tips
Buying a home is a huge financial investment and one of the biggest decisions you will ever make, so there is a lot of information to navigate. Buying a home is not as simple as just finding a home you love and signing on the dotted line. There are a lot of things to consider when buying a home.
Is there a right time to buy? The truth is there isn't ONE best time to buy a home. The real question is, are you ready to buy a home?
10 Tips to buying success
1- Get Pre-approved – From knowing what you can afford to being more attractive to sellers if you can have pre-approval in place this will fast track your buying process.
2 – Make a wish list of your preferences – what is important to you when looking for a home? Think about ideal locations, size of home, land, and amenities in the area.
3- Get in the know – learn as much as you can on the current market conditions, what properties are selling for in your area of interest. This will give you a leg up when looking for a home.
4- Start house hunting – Many websites allow you to subscribe your preferences to receive buyer alerts. Contact us at MIX and we can add you to our list to receive buyer alerts. Many homes can go under offer in a matter of days, so you need to act quick when you see something you like.
5- Making an offer – familiarise yourself with a contract for sale, all offers need to be submitted in writing. What conditions if any your offer will be subject to? Some common conditions include a finance and inspection clause. Also consider enquiring with solicitors and conveyancers, once you have an offer accepted you will need to appoint a legal representative.
6- Get legal representation – Once you have made an offer that is accepted you will need to appoint a conveyancer or solicitor for legal representation, this rep will either need to be locally based or have a someone who can be present in person at settlement. They will take care of all legal matters for the sale including transfer of funds and title transfer at settlement.
7- Confirm any conditions – if your offer was subject to any special conditions such as deposit payment, finance, or an inspection clause you are responsible for meeting the time deadlines set out in the contract. Make a note of all important dates and get to work confirming these clauses as soon as you can.
8- Confirmation of the sale – once all special conditions have been confirmed the property will be marked as SOLD. The settlement date will be confirmed, and you can start packing and getting ready for the big move.
9- Pre-settlement inspection – Close to settlement it is best practice to arrange an inspection of the property to ensure that it is in the same condition as when you inspected it and that you are satisfied to go through to settlement. If there are any issues arising from this inspection it is best to contact your legal representative.
10- Settlement Day – once settlement has been completed you are now legally the new owner and access will be granted from this time, enjoy your new home and start unpacking.
