The path to homeownership can be an easy one, if you take the right steps. The more prepared you are at the start, the easier it will be for you to find and purchase the home of your dreams.
Before window-shopping for homes online or in person, it is incredibly important that you come prepared with a free, no obligation pre-qualification. Why?
Real estate agents and individual home sellers want to know you’re serious about buying a home before they spend their time with you. Every minute they spend with someone who they don’t think is qualified to buy a home is a minute they would rather spend with someone who is. Pre-qualifications are an easy way, without any cost or obligation, to show that even though you may not be purchasing a home today, you have the potential to do so.
While our HomeBridge Mortgage Calculator is a good place to start, it is not the final decision in what you can afford. In addition to speaking with your financial advisor and accountant on the monetary benefits that may come with owning a home, you’ll want to speak with an experienced mortgage lender, such our team here at HomeBridge, about a pre-qualification.
To start your pre-qualification, which again, is free, you can give us a call or come into the office for a visit. We’ll discuss your income (or your combined income, depending on if you’re looking to buy with a spouse or partner), other assets and investments you have, as well as your debts. We will not do a credit check at this time. Credit checks are necessary in securing a mortgage, but they come later in the process if you do move forward buying a home. With your pre-qualification, you’ll have a ballpark figure of what we’d be willing to loan you and something you can show to real estate agents and individual sellers.
A pre-qualification does not mean that you to actually have to take a mortgage out through HomeBridge. However, pre-qualifications do show sellers and real estate agents that you are taking the process seriously, so why not put your best foot forward?
With a pre-qualification number in hand, you can more accurately decide what homes and neighborhoods are in your price range. There will be more steps to take on the path to homeownership, but finding out how much you can afford to spend on your next home isn’t just the first one, it’s the right one!
A consultation with a mortgage professional is always free and there is never an obligation to work with us when you do decide to buy a home.