How to Buy Your First Home
Between these walls, you will decide what colors to paint and how many pictures to hang. Maybe you need more space, or you desire a neighborhood where you can become part of a community. The first home you buy will play a major part in building the life you envision. We’ll be with you every step of the way.
A Trusted Partner for the Process
Most of us don’t purchase homes very often, maybe a few times over a lifetime. Long & Foster agents give guidance to buyers every day. So, ask us all your questions. You’ll get our best advice on how to buy your first home, drawing on our extensive training, connections and experience. From seeking financing and scheduling inspections to negotiating the best offer on the home you want, we have all the resources needed to help you get into your first home.
Buying vs. Renting
Numerous factors should be considered before deciding to buy a home or rent a property. While buying comes with costs you don’t encounter as a renter, such as property taxes and maintenance, you’ll have a chance to build equity – money you’ll get from selling the property someday – and take advantage of tax benefits. Use a good online calculator to crunch the numbers and see how your financial picture might change when you buy a home.
The New Way to Buy Your First Home
Through our exclusive First Home program, first-time buyers get a personal guide, a dedicated team, financial incentives and guarantees – all designed to get you to homeownership. Simply sign up for the program now and start the home-buying journey when you’re ready.
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GUIDE &
TEAM
FREE HOME
APPRAISAL
FIRST YEAR FREE
HOME WARRANTY
CLOSING COST
$ CREDITS
GUARANTEED
CLOSING DATE
Get an Advantage with a Pre-Approval
That affordable home you toured and fell in love with? You’ll want to have a mortgage pre-approval letter in hand, so you can put in an offer right away. That means a bank has taken a deeper look into your financial life and determined you’re eligible to borrow up to a specified amount. A pre-approval is more definite than a pre-qualification letter, which is based on a less-thorough review of a borrower’s eligibility.
My Down Payment
There are many programs to help first-time buyers who might not have thousands of dollars in cash for a down payment and closing costs. Some types of assistance are based on geographic areas or are offered to those in public service professions. Others offer tax benefits. Work with a knowledgeable mortgage consultant like our partners at Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC, to find out which options might be available to help you reach your goals.
Start Shopping for Your Home
You can see all the homes on the market today at longandfoster.com, including those offered by other real estate firms. Search by number of bedrooms, neighborhoods, schools and more. A mortgage calculator on each listing even tells you how much you can expect to pay monthly. You can also find out everything you want about your dream community, too.
Determining How Much Home You Can Afford
Does the house you love fit your budget? With our agents’ expert knowledge of the local housing markets combined with our partners at Prosperity’s pre-approval process, we can help you find out just how much home you can buy.
Custom Coverage for Your Home
After your real estate agent leads you to the perfect home, the team at Long & Foster Insurance can guide you in protecting it. Their expert agents can gather proposals from the nation’s top insurance providers and help you choose the right protection for your first home and the life you build there.
Stay Focused on the Big Picture
Once you’ve found your dream first home and negotiated the contract on it, your agent will connect you to the settlement pros Long & Foster Settlement Services. With their help, you can stay focused on the big picture of purchasing your first home, while they scrutinize the critical details of your deal. They’ll meticulously vet your new home’s title, get your legal documents in order and protect the future you’ve pictured, so you’re all set for a perfect closing.
Delivering the Perfect Move
Before you can move into your first home, you’ll need a moving partner to get you there. Tailored Move promises to deliver you the ultimate moving experience, helping take the guesswork out of moving with a guaranteed flat-rate quote. They listen to your individual needs and provide you personal attention and superior service, so you can start enjoying your new home with less stress.