The purchase of a home is both exhilarating and challenging.  Owning a home comes with an assortment of benefits both financially as well as personally.  The benefits financially range from building equity to tax deductable interest.  Personally the benefits can range from the satisfaction that comes from ownership as well as the stability that it gives you. To give yourself the financial and personal benefits of owning a home you need to get started; below are some tips on finding the perfect home for your needs.

First things first you will need to get your finances in order.  You need to know what you currently have, what you will have coming in and what you will have in the future. This will vary from person to person.  Some people will be working with equity that has built up in their homes, others will work from their savings alone and some will work in combination of resources to obtain a reasonable down payment.

Once you have established a down payment you have a starting point to where you should be when looking for a home to purchase.  The rule is twenty percent down however mortgage lenders have recently become more lenient with the requirements of what is needed to get a home loan.

A long with what you can afford you need to consider what you want; what are your intentions. Do you need a home to accommodate a growing family; do you need a home to address your need to have accessibility and to age in place?  Is it possible that you need to live closer to work, shopping or entertainment? Did your income increase or decrease; do you need a smaller mortgage payment or more tax deductible interest?  Prioritize your objectives with the purchase of the new home and start looking at other wants and needs.

Consider the style and size of the home that you desire.  Are you willing to purchase a home that needs time and sweat equity to be perfect but is the right size or do you want a home that is perfectly kept but a bit smaller than you would like. Do you need a large space outside for entertaining? If you are looking for a home to grow old in you may only need to take into account the fact that your biggest goal is a ranch, a home all on one level.  Is there a certain location that is needed, perhaps by a highway or work? When it comes to location also consider the schools, the commute to work and the neighborhood.

This is just the beginning of buying a new home.  It doesn’t matter if it is your first home or your last the process is the same from start to finish.  The beginning of the home purchase process all starts the same. It is important to consider your finances, your personal preferences, your wants and your needs.  Prioritize what is most important to what is least important for you and choose a realtor that is willing to help you get what you want.

Lake and Land Real Estate is Livingston County’s premiere realtor out of Pinckney, Michigan serving homes that provide a recreational lifestyle including golf courses, lakes and the Huron river chain of lakes, throughout Hamburg, Pinckney and Howell.  More information can be found at http://www.lakelandmi.com/buyers-resources.php