Entering into home ownership can be one of the most rewarding yet stressful experiences anyone can have.  Embarking on this journey without in-depth knowledge of the process can make the experience "painful."  At Ivanhoe Financial, we strive to make your home buying as simple and stress-free as possible.  We?ll give you the answers to questions you may not have thought of.

Take your time and don?t start shopping for a home before you do your homework.  Not spending the time to do the necessary preparation can make the home buying process very difficult, and at times, almost disastrous.  Get pre-qualified or even a pre-approval in some instances.  This gives your Real Estate Agent a very good idea how much mortgage you can afford comfortably, based on your current household financial picture.

When purchasing a new home, it is imperative that you work with a competent  and reputable agent who will work with your interests in every step of the process.  This can help you to not overpay for a home.

When you shop for a home, make sure it is within your pre-qualification range.  Buying a large, beautiful home sounds great, but when almost every dime is going into a mortgage and household bills, this can make for a very stressful family life.  Pushing yourself up to or over your limit is not advisable, especially for the first-time home buyer.  Please give yourself some breathing room.

One of the biggest mistakes many first-time home buyers make is buying into the "perfect home" myth.  With so many different factors in home style, size, condition, etc., it is almost inevitable and often times an unattainable goal for the first-time buyer.  In pursuit of the dream home, many would be buyers pass up on a great home (which has 85% - 90% of what they want), only to find themselves settling for a home with far less than what they originally wanted.  While they wait for the perfect home, rates can go up or they get tired and simply walk away altogether.  A good piece of advice to the first-time home buyer is to realistically consider their needs and base purchase decisions on those needs.

Keeping all this in mind, I think you are now ready to embark on your home buying adventure.

Good luck in your search, make it a good experience and should you require any assistance, please contact me at any time.