{"id":12050,"date":"2019-06-04T16:26:03","date_gmt":"2019-06-04T22:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/?p=12050"},"modified":"2024-01-04T15:46:45","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T22:46:45","slug":"5-things-to-do-before-you-contracting-new-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/5-things-to-do-before-you-contracting-new-home\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things to Do Before You Contract on a New Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We recommend having a checklist of things to research and do in the days and\nweeks leading up to your home purchase. A few simple steps can help you feel\nprepared, well-informed and ready to sign that contract with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;\nScope out neighborhoods<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re moving within the same area of town, researching the neighborhood\nmay not be a necessity. But if you\u2019re relocating between states or even across\ntown, this is a must! When you purchase a home, you\u2019re also buying into the\nlifestyle of the area, and it\u2019s important you get an accurate feel for the\ncommunity you may decide to call home. What does that mean? You should take a\ngood old-fashioned Sunday drive. Try out restaurants. See how far you\u2019ll need\nto travel to the dry cleaner and the grocery store. Do you feel safe? Give your\ncommute a test run. The more info you can find out, the smoother your\ntransition will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;\nGet your credit in order<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Checking on your credit health is something most finance experts recommend doing yearly, but looking at your reports before you prequalify for a mortgage is essential! Did you know that mistakes on your credit report can lower your score? False information, or even a wrong identity associated with your account, could change how creditors see you and how much you\u2019re able to borrow for a mortgage. To learn more, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/campaigns\/3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">this guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Set up a budget &amp; get prequalified<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A home payment and other living expenses, such as utilities and Homeowner\u2019s Association (HOA) fees, usually account for a significant portion of a homeowner\u2019s monthly budget. Before you fall in love with the perfect home, it\u2019s important to determine what you feel comfortable paying out monthly. Do you take yearly vacations? What is your allowance for clothing and food expenses? Know your numbers! You\u2019ll need to keep your home-related expenses in check so you can afford other needs and any curve balls life throws your way. When you\u2019re ready, contact a loan officer to get prequalified so you know what lenders will be willing to offer. Go <a href=\"http:\/\/www.homeamericanmortgage.com\/\">here<\/a> to learn about our affiliate, HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4.&nbsp;&nbsp;\nTamp down on your spending<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be eyeing furniture for your new home or planning a vacation\nbefore your big move, but you\u2019ll probably want to postpone until after you\nclose on your home. Keeping money in your savings account is important during\nloan processing. Lenders may see you as less of a risk if you have cash\nreserves to get you through tough times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5.&nbsp;&nbsp; Get on the KonMari bandwagon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you watch the Netflix series or are armed with your own\nclutter-busting philosophy, doing a purge before you even shop for a new home\nis a smart idea. Yes, you could wait until the packing starts, but space\nplanning is a huge part of the floor plan selection process. You need to have a\ngrasp on how many belongings you\u2019re truly bringing to your next home. Trust us!\nMoving into a new home where everything has its place is sure to bring you joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ready to start your home search? Start <a href=\"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We recommend having a checklist of things to research and do in the days and weeks leading up to your home purchase. A few simple steps can help you feel prepared, well-informed and ready to sign that contract with confidence. 1.&nbsp;&nbsp; Scope out neighborhoods If you\u2019re moving within the same area of town, researching the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":12053,"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":[381,57,150],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/5ThingsToDoBeforeContractChecklist-3.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Brian Metzger","author_link":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/author\/bmetzger2\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>5 Things to Do Before You Contract on a New Home<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ready to start the homebuying process? 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