First Steps to Buying a House in Lewis County

If you’re a first-time homebuyer I know that buying a house can seem like an impossibly far away idea, but it really isn’t! How many times have you scrolled through Zillow, peeked in the front windows of a home listed for sale, fantasized about how differently you would do things if only it was your house? I’m guessing a whole lot! That’s why in this short series, I’m going to walk you through the home buying process, starting from your Zillow search, all the way to the keys in your hand!

First Steps to Buying a House

The very first step is knowing whether you’re ready and able to purchase a home. Start with the basics and ask yourself some of the following questions.

• What’s your current employment situation?
• What could you reasonably afford in terms of a mortgage right now?
• Do you have any large debt, credit cards, student loans, car payments, etc.?
• Where do you want to settle down and build your life?
• Do you have personal or professional goals that are going to potentially change your locale?
• Are you prepared for potential home improvement projects? Replacing a window because you hit a rock with the lawn mower, and it ricocheted right through those double panes. Or maybe you need new floors after you started a load of laundry and ran to the grocery store, just to come back fifteen minutes later to the washing machine flooding the whole house. (These are real life scenarios that happened to my parents while I was in high school).

Gather Your Personal Information

You’ll need a variety of personal documents when applying for a home loan. Take your time to assemble a folder of the following items.

• Tax Returns
• Pay stubs, W-2’s, any other proof of income
• Bank statements and assets
• Credit History
• Photo ID
• Social Security Info
• Rental History

Put Your Thinking Cap On…

Owning a home is a new and exciting venture, but it’s also a large commitment that can put you in over your head if you’re not asking the right questions. I encourage you to ask yourself these questions, mull them over and be honest with yourself about where you’re at in life. After you’ve done that and decided you’re ready to purchase a home, come back here next month so we can, as they say, get this ball rolling!

Guest Post by Tawnie Lasby, Buyer Representative for Eren Millam Realtor