If you’re interested in purchasing a home in the state of California, you’re in luck. There have been few better times than now to get involved in the California real estate market thanks to the interest rates hitting a historic low. Of course, choosing to buy a home is a large step in any person’s life. It necessitates saving money, constantly looking for new listings and the fortitude to deal with rejected offers again and again.
As it stands, California has some of the most-wanted real estate in the entire world, so it makes sense that it would be quite competitive. Buyers are constantly competing with one another in order to be able to buy their dream home in the state. From San Diego to San Francisco and everywhere in between, both experienced and first-time homebuyers alike may be nervous about trying to buy a home in the state.
Below, we’ve put together a quick guide to help you prepare to buy a home in the area:
How To Begin Searching for a Home in California
Buying a home can be one of the most expensive transactions an individual or a family will ever make during their lifetime, and buyers need to get themselves prepared for the process that goes with it. California homebuyers have to get their finances in order by collecting records. Then, there is the step of going to open houses or property tours while also negotiating with home sellers who often have plenty of offers on the table.
First, buyers will need to weigh the pros and cons of the area they hope to live in and the way their life will be after moving there. California is a big state, one that offers buyers the opportunity to buy a home near a variety of landscapes, such as the Los Angeles area surrounded by mountains and the ocean to the timeless, monumental redwood forests north of San Francisco.
Buyers will need to be honest with themselves about where they are in their lives, as living in a gated community in Orange County will differ greatly from living in a beachside compound in Santa Monica. While buyers look into what home styles and cities are best for them, they should also be getting their budget ready and determining how they will finance their new home.
Timing is something else to keep in mind; if you need to close on a home swiftly to start at a new job, you might have to make pricier offers in order to attract the attention of sellers. On the other hand, those who have no time constraints can take the time to find the right home or stick it out for a better price.
Save a Lot and Save Early
Anyone who is buying a home in California will need a decent amount of savings that they can use for a down payment, so starting to save early is in every buyer’s best interest. Though some wealthier homeowners may be able to make cash offers, most people do not have that much money just lying around and should instead be saving up for the move.
Choosing a monthly budget and totaling up your expenses can go a long way since buyers will need to be sure of their total income and how much they can realistically give for a down payment. Reducing any excess spending can help, but buyers will still need to save a good amount from their paychecks. Fortunately, there are banking apps that allow you to automatically save money while you’re looking for homes.
Saving is important because the amount of available housing in the state is tight. Beyond that, sellers usually enjoy offers higher than their asking price for holes in LA or Hollywood Hills. Buyers will need to have a convincing amount of money saved up to confidently make an offer when the time comes. Buyers will also need to consider closing costs. In LA, for instance, closing costs can come out to be two or three percent of the purchase price alongside the down payment. A simple way to offset these numbers is to work with a buyer’s agent that offers commission rebates when the buyer closes on the home.
Hiring a Buyer’s Agent
Looking for a property in a price range you can afford is simple nowadays with the ability to browse various listings from their home online on their computers or smartphones. Though it’s easier than ever to search, actually buying the home can be a difficult, time-consuming process. Buyers should enlist the help of an experienced agent to guide them through the entire endeavor, but no longer have to rely solely on agents to find listings due to the Internet. However, an experienced agent can advise the correct way to go about making a move during the most important moments of a deal.
Locating a home is the first step in the process of buying a home, and the role that the agent plays has changed over the years. Brokers assist buyers by connecting them to mortgage lenders, organizing open houses, comparing different neighborhoods, preparing offers and assisting with the negotiation process during the last steps of the transaction.
A good real estate agent will walk their client through the process of making an offer, give expert advice and lend their negotiation skills when going through a sales contract. Though many buyers choose the first or second agent they talk to, it’s a better idea to interview a few more, taking their credentials into account. This way, you can learn about their expertise in the area and see if they offer any commission rebates when they close a deal.
Commission rebates are legal in 40 out of 50 states and practically allow the buyer’s brokers to give their clients a percentage of the commission back once the purchase has been closed on. For instance, when someone buys a home in Newport Beach, a traditional agent would be paid around three percent of the closing price. A modern investor like Fast Cash Any Home has made the searching and selling process more streamlined while giving home owners a beneficial $0 commission fee.
Get Your Mortgage Pre-Approved
Once you have chosen your perfect neighborhood, you can begin going on property tours and giving offers. Before you can begin scheduling tours, you’ll need to get your mortgage pre-approved. After they have saved for years, buyers tend to think that they know how much they can afford when paying their mortgage. The truth is only a mortgage lender can accurately predict how much you can afford every month when making payments.
Though you can plan out your budget and make a savings plan that includes your down payment, your lender will also need to go through your finances and your credit score to determine how much you can realistically afford in a mortgage payment each month. Buyers will need to show several years of pay stubs, as well as debt liabilities, a list of owned assets and their tax returns in order to get pre-approval from a bank.
Mortgage lenders will also use these documents in order to find out how much they are willing to lend you. Having good credit will help you when applying for your loan. Try not to miss payments and don’t open any lines of credit before buying a home, as this can end up being seen as strikes against you from a lender’s point of view.
While a buyer will need to organize their finances for a mortgage, no rule in California says they should work with the very first lender they talk to. Buyers should talk to as many lenders as possible in order to get the best rate.
How To Get Ready to Submit an Offer
After you’ve found the perfect dream home you would like to be your next home, it comes time to make an offer. In a seller’s market, the inventory is often considered tight, meaning buyers might have to be aggressive with their bids and use it to reflect how much they value the home. A broker can help give comparable prices, recent trends and historical data that will assist buyers in making a more informed offer on the homes available.
Sellers often do not want to spend unnecessary amounts of time in negotiation, so making a good offer will take you a long way. Another way to get a seller’s attention is to waive any inspection contingencies, something that is good for buyers who are good handymen and can make such repairs themselves when buying a fixer-upper.
How important is hiring a home inspector?
An inspector will look for issues like structural flaws or other conditions not usually shown during property tours, so you don’t buy something you will regret or spend thousands on repairs. Buyers can use this time to look for homeowners insurance. Having an inspector is a good idea.
Final Walkthrough
After the rest of the process is finalized, buyers can do one more walkthrough of the home to make sure they are totally satisfied. By now, a buyer should know the ins and outs of the home. Working with real estate investors such as Fast Cash Any Home offers knowledge that will be beneficial once you move in to make any changes to purchase a home.
