Whether you are looking to buy or sell, I can offer the highest levels in real estate expertise and professionalism. Don’t hesitate to contact me and allow me to help guide you through that process!

You’re ready to fall in love with your first home. As you write your wish list, you may find that it grows longer than you’d imagined. You want more living space, a place to do your art and crafts, enough bedrooms to expand your family or accommodate relatives and friends, a separate master suite, and an entertaining area that will impress. All in the best neighborhood, of course!

Welcome to the first lesson of homebuying – you won’t find the perfect home, but you’ll find one that’s perfect for you right now, and that may mean doing without a swimming pool or hilltop view. Choose three essentials to begin your search, so your Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network professional can show you homes that best match your needs. 

1. Price range – Your lender will prequalify you and tell you how much you can afford, based on your down-payment, credit history and debt-to-income ratio. If your limit is $300,000, it won’t benefit you to look at homes that are $400,000.
2. Neighborhood preference – Choose neighborhoods based on a radius of where you want to be, whether it’s in a certain school district, close to work, or near family and friends.
3. Bedroom and bath requirements. Start with three bedrooms and two baths, typical for a starter home.

By sticking to basics, you’ll find you have plenty of homes to consider. You’ll narrow your selection more quickly if you’re not distracted by showy or unnecessary features, and ultimately, you’ll be more satisfied with your new home.

If you’re active military or an armed services veteran who’s ready to buy a home, a Veterans Benefits Administration (VA) home loan allows you to transact with no down-payment, no minimum credit score, and a better interest rate than you’d otherwise qualify for because the VA is guaranteeing the loan for the mortgage lender.

You’ll need a Certificate of Eligibility that you can acquire online or through your lender, along with social security numbers, pay stubs and debt obligations to give the lender. 

Your loan approval requires an appraisal provided by a VA qualified appraiser. VA and FHA loans have stricter housing guidelines, so if the appraiser notes a health or safety issue that has to be repaired, installed or remedied, and the seller agrees to the scope of work, a follow-up compliance inspection will be necessary to insure the work has been completed. 

You’ll have to order your own property inspection to ascertain the working order of the home’s operating systems and installations not obvious to the naked eye, which is a different focus from the appraisal.

Your lender will explain which fees are paid at closing as you’ll be responsible for any fees that aren’t VA-approved. Expect to pay about one percent of the loan as a loan origination fee, plus “reasonable and customary fees” such as hazard insurance, credit reports and other items.

Your VA home loan benefit is not a one-time thing; you can use it to refinance or buy your next home.