Are you considering purchasing a Boston area home for the first time? If so, you are probably both excited and nervous about your decision. After all, purchasing a home is a major transaction and you are getting ready to embark upon a major change in your life.
To ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible and to make certain you are making a sound financial decision, it is important to keep a few tips in mind when purchasing your first home.
First-Time Boston Homebuyer Tip #1: Know What to Expect
Before you contact a Boston real estate agent, it is a good idea to get a clearer picture of how much home you should expect to get at what price, and how the buying process works. While your real estate agent will certainly help guide you through this process, the better prepared you are beforehand, the easier it will be for you to work with your agent. To get a general idea of what you can expect to pay for a home in your area, visit Websites such as Zillow.com and Homegain.com.
First-Time Boston Homebuyer Tip #2: Determine What You Can Afford
It is also in your best interest to have a good idea of what you can afford to pay for a home. In this way, you can give your agent an idea of the price range of homes to look at. To help get a better idea of how much you can afford to spend on a home, you might want to use one of the many mortgage calculators that are available on the Internet. Also, keep in mind that Fannie Mae recommends spending no more than 28% of your gross income on your housing costs. You can follow this up by speaking with a mortgage broker, a resource that can provide significantly more detailed information about the lower and upper bands of home prices you should be considering.
First-Time Boston Homebuyer Tip #3: Decide What You Are Looking for in a Home
By assessing your current and future needs, you will be better able to determine the type of house and features you are looking for. Given the housing stock mix in Boston along with the average home price, you may end up searching for Boston condos for sale as opposed to single-family homes like you might more readily find outside Boston. The better you communicate these needs to your real estate agent, the better he or she will be able to narrow down your options to those that are the most likely to suit your needs.
First-Time Boston Homebuyer Tip #4: Don’t Be Afraid to Negotiate
One of the benefits of working with a real estate agent is that he or she should have great negotiating skills. Don’t be afraid to speak up about what you want from the transaction, including extras such as having the furniture included in the price or having the seller pick up the cost of certain inspections and repairs. The more you communicate your desires to your Boston agent, the better prepared he or she will be to negotiate a great deal on your behalf. Bear in mind that almost everything is negotiable in real estate, including inspection items that come up during the standard inspection process.
About the Author: Brian Kinkade is a broker and team lead with Brokers Guild – Cherry Creek Ltd, one of Denver’s fastest-growing full-service Denver real estate firms. Brian’s team of Internet savvy agents service the Denver Metro area while specializing in Denver luxury homes, Colorado horse property, and International sales. They invite you to visit their advanced real estate website today to search for homes, gather local information, and learn about Denver neighborhoods. Brian and his team are standing by and ready to assist with your home purchase, property sale or relocation needs.
Keith Munsell 
