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Step 3: Picking the right Mortgage Product

Step 2: Choosing a Home

After you’ve made the decision to buy a home, it pays to prioritize your needs and wants. It goes without saying that when you do this, you’ll consider standard home features, like number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, living areas, kitchens, and outdoor amenities. That covers the basics of the house itself, but what about features of the neighborhood? School quality is the major factor for many buyers—particularly those with children. Even people without children value good schools—they typically are one of the major factors in the home’s resale value. There are lots of ways to perform research, like visiting with school officials, talking with neighborhood residents, and using the Internet. Of course, you want to feel safe in your new place, so again, talk to the neighbors and surf around on the Internet to check on various crime statistics for different zip codes. Other factors that you may consider important are amount of traffic and access to major roads; proximity, condition, and available amenities of parks; emergency and city services; entertainment options and local nightlife; proximity to major retail shopping, a large grocery store, or a hospital. You get the idea—whatever’s important to you. There are so many reasons you may like or dislike a particular house or neighborhood. Having an idea of what you’re looking for is going to help you narrow your options and be a more educated consumer. After you’ve gotten all of this straight, let a dfwREALTOR® know about your needs and wants. As an expert in the local area, your REALTOR® can help you find the right neighborhood for you.