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Buying a Home for the First Time Explained
The process of buying your first house is an exciting one, but it is also very daunting. It will likely be the biggest financial commitment you have made up to that point.
There will often be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt that you need to purchase the home, Therefore, you want to take the time needed to find the ideal mortgage lenders for your needs as a first-time homebuyer.
Many variables are associated with buying a house for the first time. As you do not have direct experience buying a house in the past, you will need to consider many different variables for the first time.
Naturally, you will need to figure out in what region you want to live and what you can afford. Then it would help if you prepared your credit to get as good of an interest rate on your mortgage as possible. You will need to have enough savings to make the down payment.
Once you get pre-approval from a mortgage broker, you can start looking around at potential homes to purchase, and you need to compare the different lenders to see which one offers the best terms for your situation. Many top-tier mortgage lenders look after first-time buyers, so it is about narrowing down the different options.
Types of Mortgages
If you are a first-time home buyer, there are usually two major types of mortgages that you will have available for you to consider. These will be government-backed loans and those that are conventional loans. If you go for a government-backed loan, this means that the government ensures it, and it takes the risk away from the lender in case there is a default on this loan by the borrower.
Naturally, a conventional type of loan will carry more risk for the lender as the government does not ensure this loan. Therefore, conventional mortgages will often have larger interest rates, fees, and even down payments. Conventional loans are very straightforward as they will be nice and flexible for first-time buyers. However, there are a few different types of government-backed mortgages that you might need to be aware of:
VA Loans
VA loans are usually dedicated to people who are part of the military and their families. There are numerous advantages to this type of mortgage, including having a $0 down payment and no PMI once the eligibility requirements have been met.
HUD/FHA Loans
There are loans whereby the borrower is required to make a down payment of at least 3.5% and have a FICO score of 580 or greater. You can still get this loan type if your FICO score is below this level, but the minimum required down payment is going to be larger.
USDA Loans
USDA loans are focused on people looking to buy a home in a rural area, which will be guaranteed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). People can apply with low incomes and still get the ability to borrow funds to buy, build, or renovate a home in certain areas of the country. All the closing costs and mortgage expenses will be combined into the loan to keep everything neat and tidy.
How to get a first-time home buyer mortgage and the best mortgage rates
Get pre-approval or pre-qualification
If you get pre-approval from a lender for a mortgage, you can get a letter that will often include the loan amount. While this letter does not guarantee you a mortgage because it is based on certain assumptions, it allows you to start shopping for potential homes. This letter can be shown to sellers to show that you have access to the funds in principle, being a form of good faith.
If you are chosen to be the buyer of the house, then it is likely you will then have access to these funds. Even if you get this letter, it does not mean you will be tied down to going with this lender. You can still compare different lenders and get access to the best rates possible.
Getting the necessary documents together
When you make an offer on a home that is accepted, you need to get all of the necessary documents together and present them to the lender. Some of these forms include:
- Recent pay stubs and W-2 forms
- 1099s for business owners
- Information regarding outlying debts
- List of different assets
- Tax returns from the most recent two years
Good Faith Estimate and Lending Disclosure
Within three days of getting approval for a mortgage loan, you will get a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) from the lender, which will showcase all of the costs associated with the loan. Then the Truth in Lending disclosure will showcase info about the costs you need to pay and the other key terms of this loan.
Choosing the Best Mortgage Lender
You can get a mortgage these days as a first-time buyer in many different ways. The likes of banks, credit unions, and online lenders will all cater to your needs. Before shopping around, you must know what type of mortgage best suits your situation.
You also want to ensure that you only look at lenders with plenty of professional experience, a good track record, and complete transparency regarding fees. There will also be different requirements for different lenders, which is something else that has to be factored into the selection process.
Traditional Mortgage Lenders vs Online Lenders
Traditionally, people would get a mortgage from a bank and have to submit documents in person. However, online lenders allow you to get a much more efficient experience by applying entirely online. This allows you also to shop around much more easily than if you were looking to deal with physical banking branches.
Therefore, you can often get the best deal possible for your mortgage. This is especially important as a first-time homebuyer, as you might want to minimize your outgoings as much as possible.
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