3 Things Buyers Must Do BEFORE Buying Their First Home by Clyde Brown, Fremont Real Estate Expert

Buying a home in the Bay Area for the first time can be very exciting. It can be very tempting to want to jump right into looking at homes, dreaming about your future and making offers. However, it's important that you cover your bases before you jump into the pool, so to speak. When you're buying your first home, there are several important steps you should take before making an offer.

Step One - Improve Your Credit Rating

If you're thinking about buying a house now is the time to start working on your credit. There's very little you can do a few weeks before closing. However, if you get started six months before you make an offer, you can very likely improve your credit and reduce your interest rate when it comes time to qualify for a loan. You can always get your free credit score online. Make sure to review it to make sure you know what is on it and what you need to fix.

Step Two - Find a Good Real Estate Agent

Working with a real estate agent generally doesn't cost you anything, because the seller pays all the commissions. How great is that? A good agent should have all the resources to guide you in every aspect of owning your first home.

Working with a real estate agent gives you a huge advantage. You get access to years of real estate knowledge and experience. You have a trained negotiator to negotiate on your behalf. You have someone with a wide variety of contacts, from lenders to property inspectors you can call on.

Step Three - Get Pre-Approval for a Loan

Not only should you get pre-approval, but you should also do your homework on how much of a home in Fremont you can really afford. Although you might get approved for a loan that's more than your means really are, that doesn't mean you should do it.

It's important to figure out how much you can really afford and work from there. Once you have a pre-approval letter, sellers are much more likely to consider your offer seriously.

A buyer who's worked on his credit, is working with a great agent and has a pre-approval letter has a far better start on buying a house than a buyer who doesn't. Follow these three steps and you're well on your way to purchasing a great new home in the Bay Area.

If you are considering buying or selling property, planning to relocate, looking for East Bay Area homes for sale, or looking for any other information about real estate in the East Bay, or the surrounding areas, please visit the most complete website dedicated to everything real estate related www.ClydeBrownHomes.com.

If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and experienced Bay Area Realtor, or have real estate or mortgage related questions, please feel free to contact me I will be more than glad to answer your questions. Call me at 800-839-0665 or email me at Clyde@ClydeBrownHomes.com. For all your East Bay cities needs including Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward, Oakland, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and San Ramon. Clyde Brown Legacy Real Estate & Associates.