Whether you're buying your first home, or simply buying a new home or vacation property, the basic home buying process is the same. First and foremost is the decision as to whether or not to buy a home.

Unless you are building your dream home from scratch, there will likely be some trade offs that you'll have to make during the home buying process. Because of this, it's a good idea to know "why" you're buying a new home so that you can choose the home that best fits your needs - and not waste your time.

Why Do You Want To Buy A Home? Are you tired of paying rent? Have you outgrown your current home – do you need more space or a home office? Or perhaps you'd like to downsize and decrease maintenance responsiblities? Maybe you prefer a larger yard? Would you rather live in a different neighborhood or part of town? Do you want to be closer to work, school, recreation, or family? Are you looking for tax benefits of owning your own home?

Has Your Income Increased? Historically, real estate is one of the best investments families - or individuals - can make. For many, owning your own home allows you to leverage your income and increase your overall wealth. For others, homeownership is means of “forced savings” where each and every month, you pay a portion of the principal part of your loan and increasing your equity (in addition to market appreciation in your area)

Can You Afford To Buy A Home? Experts recommend spending between 33-40% of your income on housing. If you’re renting, you might be shocked when you add up what you’ve spent on rent over the years. Many people find the tax advantages of home ownership make it less expensive than renting!

Do You Have — Or Even Need — A Downpayment? While there may be advantages to making a down payment when buying your home, there are many loan programs today that allow you to buy your home with little or no down payment… Depending on your situation, you may even be able to get money BACK AT CLOSING! Contact us to see if you qualify to get money back at closing.

Do You Need A Tax Break? You may be pleasantly surprised to discover that you could afford to spend more money each month on a larger mortgage, because the tax benefits from your mortgage can actually lower your income taxes! You might also consider buying an investment property to take advantage of some of the tax benefits associated with owning additional properties.