Valuable Columbia SC Home Buying Advice and Tips
Columbia SC home buying advice is usually limited to ideas and tips to help you begin the house hunting process and what to do during each step of that process. Let’s take a look at several things to consider after you’ve found a home and are preparing to close the deal.
So, you signed the contract to buy your home and all that’s left to do now is sit back and wait for the closing day to get here. Right? Well, not exactly. There are a few important considerations to remember on the road to becoming a homeowner – regardless of whether it’s the first time or the fifth!
Don’t let your rate expire
Until your loan is closed and the papers are signed, the interest rate your lender quoted you won’t last forever. Mortgage interest rates can and do change daily. Normally, a bank or lender will lock-in your interest rate for a reasonable period of time in which to close your loan – usually between 45 and 60 days. If the lock expires, you may have to renegotiate and pay a higher rate. Keep a watchful eye out for hindrances along the way that may prevent your loan from closing during the rate-lock period. Keep in touch with your attorney during the preparation of the closing paperwork and let him or her know to alert you if there are any title issues as soon as possible.
It’s not your house just yet
In some markets, a walk-through of the home before final closing is more prevalent than others. Most real estate sales contracts allow for a walk-through up to 24 hours prior to the closing of the sale. Another piece of Columbia SC home buying advice: take advantage of the walk-through. For your own peace of mind, visit the home with your real estate agent – just to make sure everything’s as expected.
It ain’t over ’til it’s over
The often tedious and time-consuming mortgage process isn't over until the loan is officially closed. Even though you’ve received mortgage loan approval from your lender, in today’s more cautious credit lending environment some mortgage lenders choose to re-verify income, credit or other qualifications just prior to the loan closing. Our Columbia SC home buying advice, therefore, is to not make substantial changes to your financial situation until the closing is over. For example, don’t immediately go out and buy a brand new car for your brand new garage. And, don’t apply for new credit cards or other credit accounts or take a new job – without talking to your mortgage loan professional first. Sometimes even the slightest change to your financial status can alter your creditworthiness or disqualify you from being approved for a mortgage.
Do your homework
When you close the sale of your home, it’s all yours – for better or worse. In most states across the U.S., the law tends to favor the home buyer and requires the seller of the home to disclose any issues with the home and to confirm they have been resolved. In other states, “caveat emptor” – or let the buyer beware – prevails. As such, it’s the buyer’s responsibility to make sure the seller has taken care of any loose ends like closing out building permits, released any liens from the real estate title report and, resolving any other issues that may affect clear title and conveyance of the home to a new purchaser. Our Columbia SC home buying advice… do your homework and know what’s expected in your state.
The anticlimactic closing of the sale
The actual closing of the sale can occur in one of two ways. Most of the time, the two parties – the sellers and the purchasers – may not need to be in the same room to close the deal. The purchasers sign all the loan documents in an attorney’s office or lending institution, and the sellers sign the deed at the title company or attorney’s office.
Some closings, however, occur at a table designed to accommodate the buyers, the sellers, the real estate agents, the attorneys and maybe others who pass the papers around to be signed and witnessed. This process is thought by many to be outdated and old-fashioned in today’s fast-paced, electronic world.
Whichever closing method you experience, just remember with all the hype and build-up that has preceded the day of the closing, the actual closing itself is relatively uneventful, mundane and can be anticlimactic.
Make the process smooth and seamless
So, you've read the Columbia SC home buying advice we’ve provided so far. What else is there to know, to do, or be prepared for? To ensure the smoothest, most seamless and least stressful closing of the sale, do some research and keep an eye peeled for those pesky red flags. With the professional assistance of trusted team members working with you, you can avoid a number of pitfalls that could delay or halt the closing of the sale. Having a qualified real estate agent is a great start. Your agent can refer and recommend you to the mortgage lenders, attorneys, title insurance companies, home inspectors and others. That's the power of using professionals in the real estate industry. They have a network of people and companies they’ve worked with over time in which they have confidence and trust. Tapping into that network will not only save time and money, it will give you the importance of peace of mind and the feeling of accomplishment that should accompany buying a home.
Columbia SC home buying advice is valuable and should be listened to carefully – especially if it comes from experienced, knowledgeable real estate professionals who have your shared interests in mind – to make your home purchase as enjoyable and as successful an endeavor as it can be.
After all, should it really be any other way?
Read more about home buying advice in the section of articles on Columbia SC Home Buying Tips just below our Columbia SC Real Estate Categories in the column to your right. Remember, we also post tips daily on Facebook and Twitter. Check us out there, too.