Buying

Whether you're a first-time home buyer or a veteran, buying a home can seem like an overwhelming and painful process.  At Raines Realty we try to take the pain out of buying. As buyers ourselves, we know how unnerving the process can be. Holding high the value of great customer service, we strive to make the home buying as easy as possible for you. And our responsiveness is crazy good. We will actually make you think we aren't really real estate agents!

So, are you ready to buy, but not sure if you should or can? Let's start with the basics.

Commitment phobia? If you can't commit to remain in one place for at least a couple of years, then buying might not be for you until you are ready too. With the transaction costs of buying and selling a home, you may end up losing money if you sell any sooner than a few years!

Get pre-approved. Although cash is king, more than likely you will need a mortgage to buy a house. Getting a pre-approval letter from a lender or mortgage broker will you save yourself the grief of looking at houses you can't afford and put you in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house. Also, the lender or mortgage broker can and should go over the variety of public and private lenders and which type of loans you qualify for and which one bests suits your needs.

How much can you afford?  Big difference between what you can buy and what you can afford. The rule of thumb is that you can buy a house that runs about two-and-one-half times your annual salary. Check out our mortgage calculator page to see how much you think you should spend.

Where and what to buy? We all have a general idea of where we want to live - city, country, downtown, uptown and what you want in a home. Begin by compiling a list of what you are looking for - both wants and needs.  Your list should have things like how many bedrooms, baths, square feet, pool?, open kitchen, etc... Then, we will take your list, short or long, and help find you the perfect place to call home.