When it comes to purchasing your first single family home, there are likely a lot of things that you don't know. This process is probably something that you haven't experienced personally before, so it is important that you know what you are doing, so that you are successful. Thankfully, there are certain things that you can do to make the process of purchasing a home go as smoothly as possible. This article will discuss 2 things to remember when looking for your first home. 

Get Pre-Approved For A Loan First

It is likely very important to you to be able to afford the home that your fall in love with. Because of this, it is best that you only look at homes that you can afford and are sure that you will qualify for. A great way to ensure that this happens is to find a loan officer before you ever begin looking for a home and see how much money you can get approved for. You will need to turn in documentation, such as pay stubs, tax forms, bank statements, etc. This allows the loan officer to determine how much money you make, how much debt you have, and ultimately how much the bank is willing to lend you for your home. With this information, you can then go to your real estate agent and tell them how much you know you can spend on your home and still get approved for the loan. 

Plan For The Future 

Another thing that you should do when purchasing your first home is to plan for the future. Sit down with your spouse and discuss how long you would like to live in the home, if you think you will have kids in the home, what you would like to potentially fit into the home, etc. This allows you to tell your real estate agent what you are looking for in a home, so that they only show you what you want. For example, if you feel that you will likely have one or more children in your home, then you may want to look at homes that are a bit bigger than what you currently need. A home with an unfinished basement would be an excellent idea because you could always finish it later on in the future when you had the funds, and then you could use this space as well. 

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