Buying a home can seem fairly intimidating if youve never done it before but it doesnt have to be all that difficult. Yes there are some complex financial issues involved and some even more confusing legal matters. Still the process of buying a home in Atlanta can be quite manageable if you understand the process beforehand and if you tackle it step by step. So heres a brief explanation of the standard home-buying process. 28% of your monthly gross income will go toward your house But theres more. You also have to make sure you have enough cash reserves left over after making the down payment to cover any unexpected expenses or repairs. Then you still have to figure in property taxes and insurance. And dont forget that you have utility bills to be paid monthly. Determine the Best Mortgage and Get Pre-Approved After youve figured out what you can really afford the next step in the process of buying a home in Atlanta is to determine the best kind of mortgage for your situation. Generally this means choosing between a fixed rate mortgage and an adjustable rate mortgage. After that you should get pre-approved for a mortgage so that you will know exactly how much your lender will finance and that they will in fact do it. That way you dont waste your time or the sellers time when you approach the phase of making an offer. Determine Your Must-Have Features Youve talked about it and thought about it and you have a clear idea of what you want in a home. But the reality is you seldom find exactly what you want a home with everything you had in mind. Then the next part of the process of buying a home in Atlanta involves determining your must-have features. Before you begin the actual house hunting then need to know what features you have to have in a home for example number of bedrooms and bathrooms proximity to shopping fenced-in yard triple-pane windows in-ground pool and so on. Once youve determined your must-have features then youll know what features fall into the nice-to-have category. Doing this will streamline your house hunting significantly. Start Shopping Now its time to start shopping and house hunting which is the fun part. Most people these days begin the search for a home online using resources like Trulia. Then after discovering several possibilities you can hop in your car and start viewing the homes youre interested in. An agent can be a great asset at this stage helping you find homes with your must-have features and helping you avoid wasting time and effort in your search. Make an Offer Once youve found a home that meets all your criteria especially price and features its time to get down to the nitty-gritty and make an offer. This is where you need some negotiating skill so you dont come out on the short end of the stick. You should have a good idea from both your own and your agents research of what similar homes in the immediate area have recently sold for. This will let you know the reasonable price range for making an offer. Then obviously you dont want to make too high an offer and wind up paying more than you have to but neither do you want to lowball and insult the seller who may then retract the offer to sell to you. Knowing how long the house has been on the market works to your advantage as well. If it has sat on the market unsold for a long period then a lower offer is more likely to be accepted. Go Over the Contract and Submit Mortgage Application Next in the process of buying a home in Atlanta is going over the contract especially the contingency clauses to make sure everything is satisfactory. If everything in the contract meets your approval and the home has passed inspection then you move on to submitting the mortgage application. And then all you have to do is close. Close The final step in the process of buying a home in Atlanta is of course closing. But before you sign those papers be sure to do a walk-through to make sure nothing has changed since the inspection. Also its a good idea to review copies of the paperwork beforehand. After that if everything is satisfactory you can sign the dotted line and get the keys to your new home. Do you want to learn more about the process of buying a home in Atlanta ?We can help! Send us a message or give us a call today! 678-337-1165 The post The Process of Buying A Home in Atlanta Explained appeared first on Fresh Start Home Sales. via Blog Fresh Start Home Sales https://www.freshstarthomesales.com/the-process-of-buying-a-home-in-atlanta-explained/