{"id":11529,"date":"2018-12-11T11:11:24","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T18:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/?p=11529"},"modified":"2025-05-12T13:23:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T19:23:26","slug":"steps-to-buy-a-home-in-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/steps-to-buy-a-home-in-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Steps to Buy a Home in 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s an annual tradition\u2014as one year winds down, we look toward the horizon of the next year and anticipate all the exciting developments that will dawn with it. And if you\u2019re planning to buy a home, no doubt it\u2019s on the short list for upcoming 2019 highlights. After all, a successful home purchase takes long-term saving, planning and determination. In other words, it\u2019s a big deal. To help achieve your goal of homeownership in 2019, let\u2019s review some important steps to buy a home.<\/p>\n

Establish a down payment<\/h3>\n

If you plan on buying next year, chances are you already have an idea of what down payment you\u2019ll be able to put toward a house, but let\u2019s do some math. Take some time to review your finances and establish how much you\u2019d be able to contribute from your personal savings. Then factor in how much you expect in gift funds<\/a> from family members (or possibly even close friends and employers).<\/p>\n

Once that\u2019s totaled, see if there\u2019s any room to save even more toward a down payment<\/a>\u2014without dipping into other important nest eggs, of course. Every little bit will help draw down the amount you\u2019ll owe on your mortgage each month.<\/p>\n

P.S. Also make sure to set aside some of that money for closing costs<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Assess your cash flow<\/h3>\n

This is to estimate how much you\u2019ll be able to put toward monthly payments on mortgage principal, interest, taxes and insurance (known as PITI<\/a>). Factor in all of your income, expenditures and savings goals to estimate how much you\u2019ve got left over to put toward a monthly PITI payment.<\/p>\n

Double check your credit<\/h3>\n

A good credit score will help ensure you get you the lowest market interest rate on a home loan. Check that there aren\u2019t any errors on your credit report\u2014like false accounts or negative flags that should have been removed\u2014at www.annualcreditreport.com<\/a>. If there are, you\u2019ll want to challenge those so that they don\u2019t artificially suppress your credit score. After that, see what you can to help maintain or improve your score<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Figure out your target price<\/h3>\n

From here, you\u2019re ready to take all that financial legwork and estimate how much home you can afford. Once you have identified what your maximum home price is, you\u2019ll save yourself valuable time by not looking at options outside of that range. A mortgage calculator<\/a> is a really handy tool for this.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve made your own estimation on what you can afford, pre-qualify for a mortgage<\/a> to confirm that lenders agree with your estimates. This will also give you a chance to review the different types of home loan options<\/a> you might qualify for with a mortgage professional.<\/p>\n

Look for real estate agents<\/h3>\n

Phew.<\/em> Now that you\u2019ve got all that number-crunching behind you, it\u2019s almost time to hit the road (or internet) and start shopping! But first, you\u2019ll want a sidekick, and by that we mean a good local real estate agent. This should be a reputable professional with a solid working knowledge of the areas you\u2019re interested in moving to. To get started, check out 4 Things to Look for in a Real Estate Agent<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Prep current home for move<\/h3>\n

Once you\u2019ve got a real estate agent and you\u2019re ready to rev up the home search, it\u2019s also a good time to start planning out your move. Do you currently own a home that you need to sell<\/a>? Or will you be moving from an apartment<\/a> or other rental? And of course you can never do with enough packing tips<\/a>. The more you can anticipate and plan ahead, the more you\u2019ll enjoy moving day.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We hope you\u2019ve found these steps to buy a home useful, and wish you every success on your 2019 home search! And if you\u2019re interested in buying a new home, check out communities in your area here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s an annual tradition\u2014as one year winds down, we look toward the horizon of the next year and anticipate all the exciting developments that will dawn with it. And if you\u2019re planning to buy a home, no doubt it\u2019s on the short list for upcoming 2019 highlights. After all, a successful home purchase takes long-term […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11530,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[150],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/CO_Anthology_Yorktown_Kitchen_19415_Wrk_RET_P-crop-2.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"rahblogadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/author\/rahblogadmin\/"},"yoast_head":"\r\nSteps to Buy a Home in 2019 - Richmond American Homes Blog<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is buying a home one of your goals for the upcoming new year? 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