Getting Ready - Part One of a Series on Buying a Home in New York State

You might find buying a house in the Greater Hudson Valley of New York's Orange, Ulster, or Sullivan Counties is a little different than buying a home in other states and even in different areas of New York State. This series will prepare you for searching for and buying real estate in my neck of the woods.

When you are looking for a house you should first speak with a mortgage representative. You can speak with someone at your own bank, credit union, or a mortgage company. It is my recommendation that you work with a lender who is at least familiar with the area you are planning to search in. With the different practices in different states and even within areas of states the local representatives will know how best to help you.

The mortgage representative will give you the amount you are qualified for but remember to ask how much your monthly payment will be including principle and interest and also remember that you will need to add 1/12 of the taxes plus insurance to each payment. Make sure you feel comfortable with the amount of your monthly payment. You still need to pay for the other things you need to buy like food and clothing. Once you know your target amount you can start your search.

Most home-buyers start their search on the Internet. They will go on a real estate search engine or to a broker's website and search through the available homes in the area they want to live in. Once they find some homes that they like they will start calling the agent's that have those houses listed. They will make appointments to see those houses with the listing agents and will go to see homes without representation. WHAT???? Yes, the agent who is showing them the house works for the seller. A Listing Agent is looking out for the best interests of the people who hired them. I can't understand why anyone would want to make one of the most expensive purchases they will ever make without representation.

If you choose to work with a Buyer's Agent you will have someone on your side. A good buyer's representative will do the search for you, put together a tour so you can see a variety of houses in your price range, and provide you with all the information and resources you need to make the right decision.

I wish you luck with your search and hope you will give me a call if you are looking to purchase a home in Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster counties of New York State or if you would like a referral to a good buyer's agent in your search area.