By Kathy Henne

Contributing columnist

Welcome to the exciting journey of finding your home! From pre-approval to the closing table, your trusted, local agent will help guide you through the process.

First – Get Pre-approved! The first step of the home-buying process is to find out how much you qualify for by talking to a great local loan officer. You want to know how much the payment will be. You don’t want to fall in love with a home and then find out the payment will be too much for you to be comfortable. You may be willing to give up one expensive coffee a week, but you don’t want to have to give everything that brings you joy!

Your search and offer – Explore homes within your budget, select your ideal property, and make a competitive offer.

Inspections – If you’re a seasoned investor, you may consider waiving the inspections. However, if you’re inexperienced or not handy with a hammer or a wrench, you may want to have inspections. A whole house and termite inspection will give you some great knowledge about the home. If there are habitability issues, you may be able to get the seller to make the repairs or give some money towards having a contractor do the repairs.

Before Closing you’ll receive an Alta or Closing Statement with all the costs listed that you will be paying for the home. You’ll need to get a cashier’s check or wire the money that you’ll need for closing. If you’re getting possession at closing, you’ll need to get in line for the utilities.

At Closing, you’ll need to bring your driver’s license! You’ll sign all the closing paperwork with a representative from the title company. If the seller isn’t offering a home warranty, you may want to purchase one for your peace of mind. It covers the mechanical systems of the home for the first year after closing.

Being prepared will eliminate bumps in the road to homeownership.

Contact the Kathy Henne Team Re/MAX by calling 937-778-3961