What to do before you try to buy a home.

1 Well in advance start building you credit. I suggest as soon as you turn 18 get a credit card. Never charge anything that you can not pay for in full when the bill comes in. You will need to get at least 3 trade lines and make all your payments on time.

This will help you get the best interest rate and could save you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

2. Sit down and do your budget. If you earn $3,000 per month you can not budget to spend $3,000 per month. You need to plan for the unexpected such as the car breaks down, the washer or dryer quits, the baby gets sick and you have a few doctor bills and so on. There will always be things that come up so budget for them.

3. Save some money to put down on it. FHA financing requires 3.5% down. If you can save 20% you can go conventional and not have pmi. This will save you thousands of dollars. Work on saving enough money to live on for 6 months. This is not for your down payment. This is money if you run into hard times and need it to fall back on. It is no fun living from one pay check to the next. Budget for a home that does not cost every dime you make.

4 Talk with some good loan reps. Get pre-approved and know what price range you need to stay in budget. It does not do you any good to find the perfect home only then to find out you are not qualified for that large of a loan.

5 Find a good local Realtor. Note I said local Realtor. I sell homes in Dahlonega and Dawsonville which are in the North Georgia Mountains. I have closed close to 400 deals in this area and know the Dahlonega market very well. I would be us-less to you in South Georgia. I do not know the area or the values in South Georgia. Just because my license says I call sell anywhere in Georgia it does not mean that I should.

6 Have your Realtor talk with your loan rep of choice or ask them who they recommend and get approved with them. A good local Realtor will know who the best local loan reps are. Your Realtor will need to know what type loan you are doing, how much to ask for in closing cost to find a home and write a contract that will work for you loan program.

7 Now you are ready to start looking at homes. When you find one and get it under contract get a good home inspector to check it out. When you loan rep ask for your tax returns, pay stubs ect. provide them as soon as you can. Follow you Realtors and loan reps advice and start packing?

I have had so many people call they are ready to buy. They think they can. They say they want to find the house first, then get the loan. This brings to mind the old county saying that talks about putting the cart before the horse.

If you know anyone looking for a home or some land around Dahlonega Ga. Please give me a call at 706-344-7096 and I will be happy to help.