**SPONSORED CONTENT BY VALERIE HUNTER-KELLY**
We recently closed on the sale of our first home and found the experience to be somewhat unnerving. We liked our agent but weren’t sure the agent was prepared for some of the challenges we encountered. Now we are searching for our next home and want to be better prepared for the process. Is there some guideline we can consult to help us be better prepared?
Congratulations on the successful sale of your former home and on the ‘hunt’ for your next home? Here’s the Ten Commandments of Home Buying that might help you be prepared for the process that lies before you:
Commandment 1. Know Thy Buying Power. All things good start with knowing how much money you are qualified to borrow. Remember not all lenders are created equal. Don’t be fooled by ‘interest rate slight of hand’. A low interest rate is of no value if the lender cannot get you to the closing table on time and on budget.
Commandment 2. Find Representation. The world is full of salesmen. What you want is someone who will represent you and your interests in the real estate marketplace. All REALTORS are licensed, but not all licensees are REALTORS. REALTORS have a Code of Ethics that is their guide to good conduct in representing their clients. It is their responsibility to help you find the property that you love and to guide you through the home buying process from start to finish.
Commandment 3. Ask Questions. Starting with the licensee you hire to represent you. If the person you are thinking about asking to help you with the most important financial decision of your life is not suggesting an initial consultation before starting to work together, then perhaps you should. It’s an opportunity to get to know one another, in a no pressure environment, to discuss experience and expectations and decide if you can work together. A real estate professional will appreciate the opportunity to review the market and go over the home buying process and to clearly understand your needs and wants.
More of the Ten Commandments of Real Estate Home Buying next week.
Valerie Hunter-Kelly is team leader of the Air Assault Team, a part of Keller-Williams Realty.
To buy a home, click here: www.airassaults.com
To sell a home, click here: www.virginhomesellers.com