Are you looking to buy a home? Congratulations! Purchasing a home is an exciting time, but there is a lot to it. Ease your stress by hiring an expert and knowledgeable real estate agent to help guide you through the homebuying process.
If you’re looking to buy a home in the Greater Birmingham area, then let me help you!
For now, enjoy this resource to help give you some insight on buying a home. This is a master list of blogs to help you through the homebuying process.
Home Buyers Guides
Here are some free downloads for you to enjoy:
If you’re buying a home, download my Homebuyers Guide: Homebuyers Guide
Or if you’re a first time home buyer, download this Buyers Guide: First Time Homebuyers Guide
Home Buyer Series Blogs
Below are a list of blogs to help you through the homebuying journey:
Questions About Buying a Home in Birmingham, Alabama
Are you looking to buy your first home? Do you even know where to start? Buying a house for the first time can be an exciting but overwhelming process! Besides searching for the perfect home, most first time buyers have questions about how much they can afford on a house, where to find a home they can afford, and whether or not they need a real estate agent to buy a house.
So, should you buy a house without a real estate agent? To answer this question, let me tell you what all a realtor can do to help you through the process of buying your first home.
How Do You Know You’re Ready to Buy a Home?
Being a homeowner is part of the American Dream! But how do you know when you’re ready to buy your first house? There are a lot of different reasons you would want to become a homeowner, but first let’s find out what you should be doing in order to be ready to buy your first home:
- The first criteria is to have a steady job. It can be difficult to get preapproved for a mortgage if you have been with your employer for less than two years. So make sure you have a steady job and income. Bonus tip, do not change employers while you are in the middle of the homebuying process! Make sure you’re employed somewhere you are going to stay.
Do You Need a Real Estate Agent When Buying New Construction?
There are a lot of new neighborhoods and homes being built in the Birmingham area and new construction is a huge opportunity for most buyers right now! This is fantastic news for buyers, but you may be wondering, do you need a real estate agent when buying new construction?
What if Your Home Offer is Less Than Your Loan?
If you are pre-approved for a loan that’s higher than the amount of the home, what happens?
Let’s talk about what this means in this post.
What are Seller Concessions?
If you’re searching for a home, you may have come across the term seller concessions. But what does this mean? Let’s talk about seller concessions in this article.
What is a Home Warranty?
What exactly is a home warranty, and why would you want one?Let’s talk about what a home warranty is in this post.
Why Do You Need a Home Inspection?
When you’re buying a home, do you really need a home inspection? The answer is YES! Let’s talk find out why in this post.
Is Location Important When Buying a Home?
Do you know where you want to buy a home? Location is key, as they say! So let’s talk about the location and how it can affect the home buying process for you here:
What Expenses Are You Going to Have When Buying a House?
What expenses come with owning a home? The home buying process itself comes with many expenses that need to be covered, and once you’re a homeowner, you need to be aware of other expenses that you’ll need to pay as well.
Let’s talk about the expenses that come with homeownership in this post:
Why Should You Get Pre-Approved?
Should you get pre-approved before you start looking for a home? Definitely! Let’s find out some good reasons why you should get pre-approved for a mortgage before you start home shopping here:
What Does Contingent Mean?
What does it mean when a house status is listed as “contingent”? Well, this means that the house is already under contract. So when you’re looking at homes online and see that they are marked as contingent, you may want to keep scrolling!
There are some homes that may be under contract that you still might consider looking at as a buyer, such as homes marked as active break clause. So let’s talk more about houses under contingency in this post:
Do You Understand What Pre-Approval Means?
Do you understand what pre-approval means when you are shopping for your mortgage? Your lender is going to give you a pre-approval amount based on the documents you submit that support your income.
💵 This pre-approval will give you a limit on what you’re pre-approved to purchase up to when buying a home. Let’s talk more about what goes into your pre-approval here:
Can I Go Over My Pre-Approval Amount?
Can I go over my pre-approval amount? If you’re shopping for homes outside of your pre-approval limit, then learn where the extra funds need to come from in this post:
When Can I House Shop?
🔑🏡 Looking to buy a home? Congratulations! Let’s talk about when you can start shopping for houses (and what you need to do before you start looking for homes) here:
What Happens When You Go Under Contract?
🤔 What happens when you go under contract on a home? Well, there are a few things that happen when you go under contract on a home. Learn what to expect when you go under contract in this post:
How Long Does it Take to Close?
🕰 How long does it take to close on a home? Well, there are a few different variables to take into account. Let’s go over how long you can expect the closing process on a home to take depending on your situation in this article:
When to Make an Offer
When do you make an offer on your home ⁉️
Once you’ve finally found your ✨dream home✨, it’s time to sit down with your real estate agent and write up an offer! Let’s take a look at this process here in this article:
What Does Sewer Mean in Real Estate?
When you see ‘sewer’ on a listing, what does this mean? Let’s go over the different types of sewers in the Birmingham, Alabama area in this post:
Why Do You Need a Survey?
Before you purchase a property, it’s always a great idea to have a survey done. Learn why a survey is important in this post:
Why Do You Need a Title Search?
Do you need a title search when you purchase a property? The answer is yes! Find out why here:
Watch Out for Hidden Landmines When Buying a House
When you’re purchasing a home, be sure to look out for “hidden landmines”. What do I mean by this? These are things to watch out for when buying a home. Find out four examples of hidden landmines to be on the lookout for when you’re buying a house in this post:
What Happens When You Go to Closing?
What happens when you go to closing on a home? A lot goes on! In this post, let’s go through the closing process so that you know what to expect here:
What is a HOA?
What is a HOA? A Homeowner’s Association (HOA) enforces rules in subdivisions or neighborhoods. So buying a home with a HOA means you’ll have to follow certain covenants and restrictions. Find out more about HOAs in this post:
What Does “As Is”Mean?
What does it mean if you decide to buy a home “as is”? Let’s talk about what you’re signing up for if you buy a home “as is” here:
What is an Appraisal Gap?
Ever heard of an appraisal gap? Before you decide to use this tactic in an offer, talk to your lender & real estate agent. Let’s go over what an appraisal gap is in this post:
No Inspection Contingency
What does it mean if you have a no inspection contingency in your offer? Let’s talk about it in this post:
What Does Contingent on Finance Mean?
What is a finance contingency? Let’s discuss what this buyer contingency means in this post:
Why Do Contracts Fall Apart?
Why do contracts fall apart?
Let’s go over 3 of the most common reasons that cause contracts to fall apart here:
What Financial Documents are Needed to Buy a House?
📑 What documents do you need to provide to your lender in order to get prequalified for a loan? Let’s go over the checklist here:
Want to Know More About Buying a Home in Birmingham, AL?
Ready to buy a home? Contact me and let me help you with your buying needs in the Greater Birmingham, Alabama area. If you’re new to the Birmingham area or looking to relocate to Birmingham, Alabama, please feel reach out to Dianna Howell with The Howell Group: 205-568-5435 or dianna.howell@kw.com
For information on Pelham, Alabama or Birmingham in general, contact real estate agent Dianna Howell, a top buyers agent in the Birmingham, Alabama area.
Visit our website for more information on the Birmingham area: https://diannahowellrealtor.com/category/lifestyle/
🔑🏡 Want to learn more about the buying process? Then read this article for 6️⃣ easy tips: Six tips to Buying a Home
📕 Read more about the Birmingham area in this post: Relocating to Birmingham, Alabama
I have plenty of resources and information to provide including my expert help. Call me today and let’s get started on the search for your new home.
Sincerely,
Dianna Howell
The Howell Group of Keller Williams in the Birmingham Alabama area
Top Birmingham Real Estate Agent
