Qualifying for first-time home buyer programs may not be as hard as you think. These programs are specifically designed to help a first-time home buyer like you overcome some of the more common hurdles people face when buying a home. Those hurdles, of course, include saving for a down payment and the closing costs.
The homebuying process…where do you even start? Buying a house may be a lifetime dream of yours, but for many buyers it can feel overwhelming at first. While it may seem like a lot, our APM Loan Advisors have your back. Our 100% focus is on getting hardworking people like you into the homes they deserve.
Buying a home involves a lot of choices—locations, type of home, type of loan, and more. When it comes to the type of home, remember that a single-family home isn’t the only option. Condos can be great places to live, not to mention solid investment properties. That’s because the condo market continues to expand and may increase your options.
Single-family homes aren’t the only game in town when it comes to homeownership, building wealth, or fulfilling the American dream. Condos are another great avenue to achieve all three.
Many people think of an existing single-family home when they think about homeownership or buying residential real estate. Purchases of this type of property are common, after all. But there are other residential real estate purchases that might be perfect for your lifestyle and/or financial situation.
Real estate agents are a dime a dozen, right? While it’s true that buyer’s agents and seller’s agents are in no short supply, a good real estate agent is something to appreciate. So how do you know if they’re good, and—even better—how do you know if they’re good for you?
Protecting your credit is important all the time, but especially when you’re in the middle of—or about to begin—the homebuying process, it’s even more crucial to protect your credit. That’s because there aren’t many other times in our lives where we need a loan of this size.
That means that in addition to getting your finances and paperwork in order, you’ve got to protect your credit like nobody’s business. Thankfully, there are a few easy, low-cost ways of doing this so your housing dreams don’t get derailed.
Interest rates are low, and it seems like open houses are springing up everywhere now that COVID restrictions are lifted. You may even have friends who recently purchased a new home, leading you to wonder whether you should be buying instead of renting.
There are so many options out there that promise to help you build wealth. High-interest rate savings accounts can make a few drops in the bucket, but not many. The stock market is certainly a vehicle for making money, but you have to know what you’re doing, what you’re buying, and when to get out. Retirement accounts can be a great way to accrue money over time, but 65 is a long way off for some people. Then there are cryptocurrencies. A year ago, it seemed the sky was the limit for these virtual coins. This year, it’s a whole different story.
It’s the age-old question: when is it a good time to buy a home? The problem with that question is it has no right answer. You can have the most favorable market conditions in the world—low listing prices because it’s a buyer’s market, low interest rates, loose qualification standards—but if you’re not in the right position to buy, it’s still not a good time to buy a home.
In today’s competitive housing market, there’s a good chance that your offer won’t be the only one a seller is entertaining. It’s not uncommon to hear sellers have more than 10 offers for one property . . . or that some buyers have put in offers on more than 20 homes, just to lose out time and time again.
In a market like this, it’s not enough to simply have your ducks in a row and walk in with a pre-approval. A market like this takes work if you want to win a bidding war.
Do you want to achieve the dream of homeownership but dread the looming down payment you’ll need? Figuring out how to come up with a down payment for a house can seem like a huge hurdle, especially for those with little to no savings.
Believe it or not, there are many, many people who want to see you in the home of your dreams. We know that dream doesn’t always seem attainable. Money can be tight, and a down payment is just one more thing you have to save for.
Interest rates are still attractive, and inventory is creeping up, which means now is a great time to jump into the housing market! Here’s the thing, though. While “Zillowing” has become one of America’s favorite pastimes, actually buying a home isn’t as simple as jumping into the market. Unless you’re a cash buyer. In which case, bravo to you!
Low interest rates, even lower housing inventory, and tons of competition. That’s today’s housing market in many areas around the country, and that can be frustrating for buyers.
Having been in business for over 25 years and witnessed many real estate cycles, we know how you feel. That’s why APM has focused all its energy on making sure you are in the best possible position to have your offer accepted.
That’s why we developed our Keys on Time™ program. Here’s how it works: You get your loan approved before you shop for a home. That’s right. We will give you full approval of your financing before you ever find a home . . . this is not your average pre-approval! Once approved, you go shop for your home, secure in the knowledge that your financing is in place.
There are times to DIY (do it yourself), and there are times to call in an expert. Buying a home is not the time to try your hand at real estate negotiations. Can you buy a home without an agent? Of course you can—just as you can sell a home without an agent—but those decisions tend to cost you in time, energy and, most of all, money!
Getting into debt can be fun for a moment (hello, last-minute trip to Cabo!), but that debt hangover will last long after those margaritas have made their way out of your system. Once your splurge is over, you’re left with a long-term debt obligation that may grow ever larger, thanks to compounding interest.
Let’s face it, debt is the pied piper that demands you sacrifice current and future wants and needs for past spending. It can also prevent you from achieving your goals if this debt hurts your credit score or results in a high debt-to-income ratio, making it harder to borrow more money.
So, nip that obligation in the bud and get that piper off your back by managing debt effectively.
There are so many VA home loan benefits that make this the ideal lending vehicle for service members, veterans, and surviving spouses. But you can’t use these benefits to buy a home if you don’t understand what they are—or who qualifies for them.
So let’s get right to it.
