Once you have decided it is the right time to buy a house there are a number of steps to take before you walk in and call it "home".  Unless you have bought a couple of homes it can be confusing as to what steps to take and when to take them.  Buying a home in Salt Lake City Utah can take anywhere from 40 days if you are lucky (really lucky) to about 4 months.  So let's say you have average luck and so you can expect the process to take about 3 months.

Three Months

Come up with a checklist of things tasks to be completed in the home buying process. This checklist should include all the steps you need to take from educating yourself about the real estate transaction to shopping for the home to the closing. The checklist will serve as your guide throughout the home buying process.

Get pre-approved for a mortgage. This will give you a realistic price range to work with throughout the home buying process. Make sure that you are getting pre-approved and not pre-qualified.  Find a knowledgeable loan officer that you can rely on to guide you through the process

Start shopping for an experienced, professional real estate agent to assist your home buying.  In Utah, as a buyer, you do not pay for the services of a real estate agent.  Real estate agents can be invaluable when looking for your home, we will help in letting you know what the next step in the buying process is, and what you need to do so that you can be in your dream home as soon as possible. Feel free to visit me at my website to learn what you need to do to start finding your perfect home in Salt Lake City Utah.

Come up with a list of things you need and want from a home. Your real estate agent will be able to help you find homes that fall within your criteria. This is a very important step because with a solid idea of what you want in a home I will be able to show you only houses that you are truly interested in instead of having to wade through the thousands of homes in Salt Lake City Utah that don't quite fit your criteria.  The more specific you are about what you want and need, the less time and energy you will spend hunting for it.

35 - 50 Days

While house hunting, evaluate the houses in Salt Lake City Utah that you are considering. Work with your real estate agent to come up with a method to scorecard or analyze the houses that you are strongly thinking about purchasing.

One you find a home you would like to purchase, make an offer to the seller on the home. Your agent can guide you through the negotiating process and what it takes to make an offer on a home.  Once you make an offer and are negotiating for its purchase, it is wise to stop shopping around for homes. Continuing to look can just cloud your decision making and make the process more confusing and stressful than it needs to be.

Once the seller has accepted your offer and you have signed the sales contract, have the home inspection completed.  Your agent can help you select a qualified inspector if you do not know of one.  Go through the home with the inspector to know what you are buying.

Paperwork needs to get to the lender and the underwriting process should be started.  They may need additional information from you to get the loan fully approved.  Refrain fr4om making any large purchases such as a car at this time as it will change your debt-to-income ratio and credit report.

Start making arrangements for the closing.

20 - 35 Days

Purchase homeowners insurance and provide proof of the policy to your lender. This must be done prior to closing.

Make your moving arrangements. This can be an exiting experience especially since you are moving to Salt Lake City Utah don't forget to enjoy it.

If necessary, begin the process for school transfers or registration.  Your Salt Lake City real estate should be able to help you with any phone numbers you may need.

10 - 20 Days

Alert necessary parties of your change in address. You can also have your mail forwarded through the postal service by putting in a request at your local post office.

Make arrangements for utilities at your new home. If you will be working with the same providers you can simply put in a request to have your services transferred at a certain date.

7 - 10 Days

If you are having your items professionally moved, verify the arrangements with your mover.

Check with your lender to finalize the mortgage for the home buying process.

Pack your belongings unless you have arranged a full pack and move with the mover.

Closing Date

Bring your driver's license for identification purposes. Your down payment is due at this time, your loan officer will advise you as to the amount needed in a cashier's check. Also bring any home buying closing costs that you are responsible for paying.

Keep in mind that this is a general home buying timeline. You can adjust the time depending on how long it takes you to find a home you like.

At RE/MAX Associates we take great care to make sure you are aware of the steps it takes to get you into your dream Salt Lake City Utah home, and work to make these steps as easy on you as possible. There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in Salt Lake City Utah real estate. For complete information about the Salt Lake City Utah real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything Salt Lake City real estate.

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