Buying a home in Daphne, Fairhope, Malbis, Mobile, the Mobile Metro area, Montrose, Point Clear, Saraland, Satsuma, Semmes, Spanish Fort or West Mobile, Alabama can be an emotional, time-consuming, and complex process. There are a few helpful hints to help make the process go as smoothly as possible:

1. Check your credit.
Before you apply for a home loan, regardless of your credit, it's a smart idea to obtain a copy of your credit report from the three major credit bureaus and review the information. If there are errors or things that need to be addressed, it's easier to address them before you have found a house in Daphne, Fairhope, Malbis, Mobile, the Mobile Metro area, Montrose, Point Clear, Saraland, Satsuma, Semmes, Spanish Fort or West Mobile, Al than after you have found a house and are trying to close your loan.

If you know that there are a few blemishes on your credit, let your lender know what they are, why they are there, and why you are a still good credit risk. Lenders look at your credit to determine how likely you will pay back the loan. If you had extenuating circumstances - like a loss of a job or medical bills - let them know so that they understand that it is not likely to happen again in the future.

2. Get approved before you buy.
An approval means that a lender has reviewed your credit history, verified your assets and employment, and has approved your loan before you have found a home to purchase. As long as the home in Daphne, Fairhope, Malbis, Mobile, the Mobile Metro area, Montrose, Point Clear, Saraland, Satsuma, Semmes, Spanish Fort or West Mobile, Alabama appraises for at least the purchase price, the loan should close.

Getting approved also gives you an advantage over other buyers. Your firm approval makes it easier for you to negotiate on the price of a home, than a person who is not approved or is pre-qualified. In the case of more than one offer, the buyer who has been pre-approved or pre-qualified moves to the top of the list.

While getting pre-qualified may sound official, it is really just getting an idea of what you can afford. It's having a person plug in a few numbers that you give them -- your monthly income and your monthly debt -- and calculating an approximate payment. From the payment, the calculator can approximate the house price range that you can afford. No information is verified. Because your assets, income or credit are not verified, a pre-qualification has little value when purchasing a home. The best option would be to get pre-approval, which means that the lender has verified all the information you have given them and the chances that you will close are very good.

3. Find a great buyer's agent.
Traditionally real estate agents represent the sellers in a transaction. When you are not working with a buyer's agent, they are less likely to negotiate the best price or contingencies for you. Remember that the sellers agent is working for the seller, so if you call the phone number on the sign in Daphne, Fairhope, Malbis, Mobile, Mobile Metro, Montrose, Point Clear, Saraland, Satsuma, Semmes, Spanish Fort or West Mobile, Al the person on the other end of the phone is obligated to get the best price for the seller. The best option for you as a buyer is to have your own buyer's agent. Barbara S. Reeves has earned the ABR, Accredited Buyers Representative designation has had extensive education to help you get the best price and contingencies possible.

A buyer's agent's job and fiduciary responsibility (meaning legal duty) is to you, the buyer. Before working with an agent, establish if she is a buyer's agent or a seller's agent. After spending a lot of time with a REALTOR®, it's natural to feel like you're a team. But if she is not negotiating for you, then she is not on your team.

For the remaining 3 steps, simply download the full report and they will be emailed to you immediately!