By Meghan Belnap
Living in a luxury home is a lifelong dream for many people, but purchasing a beautiful piece of property could end up putting you in debt for 40 years or longer if you aren't careful. Luckily, with a little bit of planning and some patience, you should be able to buy the house of your dreams with a reasonable mortgage. Here's how:
Improve Your Credit Score
When it comes time to apply for a home loan, the loan officer is going to carefully scrutinize every aspect of your credit history. If you have blemishes on your credit history, or your credit score is low, you will need to spend some time dealing with those issues. Boosting your credit score by just a few points could greatly reduce your interest rate, which will allow you to pay off your home loan much quicker.
Avoid Coastal Properties
Buying a house on the beach might seem like a great idea, but those homes can be incredibly expensive. It's also important to note that beachfront property is very difficult to maintain. You could end up spending tens of thousands of dollars on maintenance every year, and that will quickly eat into your budget. Instead of coastal properties, you might want to take a look at waterfront homes near lakes and rivers. If you’re flexible on scenery, you can find luxury mountain homes for sale at much lower prices than coastal or waterside homes that still have stunning views.
Work With an Experienced Agent
Purchasing a luxury home without an experienced real estate professional by your side could be a serious and expensive mistake. Your real estate agent will be able to find homes that meet your criteria, schedule walkthroughs and negotiate on your behalf. Bringing the asking price down by a few thousand dollars could end up reducing the total length of your mortgage by multiple years. One of those professionals can also connect you to different lenders so that you can choose the best deal.
Head Outside of the City
There are quite a few benefits to living within a city, but you're going to pay for those advantages. If you want to save some money on your home, then you might want to take a look at local suburbs. Homes that are located outside city limits are almost always more affordable, and you won’t end up paying as much on property taxes. With the money you would have spent on property taxes and higher living expenses, you can aggressively work on your home loan.
In addition to these few tips, you also need to make sure that you remain as patient as possible. This process is going to take quite some time if you have a strict budget, and you don’t want to make an offer until you've found the perfect piece of property at a great price.
Nancy M. Alexander - Stone Harbor and Avalon NJ Real Estate NancyAlexander.com
