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One of the biggest hurdles people face when looking for a home is applying for a mortgage. While applying for a mortgage is relatively straightforward, finding favorable terms might be more challenging. Many buyers are surprised by how broad the terms of a mortgage might be. With this in mind, it is critical to understand the most common mistakes people make when looking for a mortgage.

Not Looking Locally First

The most common mistake people make when looking for a mortgage is not looking locally first. Many are tempted to use the internet to seek out a loan. While there is nothing wrong with looking around (in fact, this is encouraged), don't forget to head to the traditional bank or credit union a few miles down the road. There are professionals who are interested in building a relationship with the local community often providing more favorable terms.

Assuming All Mortgages are the Same

Don't assume all mortgages are the same. This is far from accurate. Applying for a mortgage can be an involved process that people rarely want to do this more than once. You may assume the next lender will offer similar terms. In reality, some lenders might be willing to wave origination fees or points on the mortgage. Some might even offer a lower interest rate, be sure to ask what special offers may be available.

Not Locking In the Rate

One of the common questions people face when applying for a mortgage is whether or not they would like to lock in the rate. The fear of locking in the rate is that, if the mortgage rates drop, they might miss out on the opportunity to save money. On the other hand, people also forget the alternative. The rate might actually go up. The downside to this is that their monthly mortgage payments may not be affordable anymore. Go ahead and lock in the rate.

Not Putting Enough Money Down

Lastly, many try to save money by not putting enough cash down. When you don't put enough money down, you may end up with a higher interest rate and a higher monthly mortgage payment. Additionally, you may have to purchase Private Mortgage Insurance, also known as PMI, for the lender making the monthly payment even higher. To prevent this from happening, make sure the down payment is large enough to satisfy the lender, usually between 10 and 20 percent.

If you want to list your home, it generally is a good idea to address any house selling concerns right away. That way, you can alleviate these concerns before they slow down the home selling process or prevent you from accomplishing your desired home selling results.

Now, let's take a look at three common home selling concerns, as well as tips to help you resolve these issues.

1. Meeting Your Home Selling Timeline

If you want to sell your home by a specific date, it often helps to establish house selling milestones. Then, once you have these milestones in place, you can determine the steps you'll need to take to stay on track with your home selling timeline.

Of course, it typically helps to maintain flexibility relative to your home selling timeline. If you can quickly adjust your house selling timeline as needed, you may be better equipped than ever before to enjoy a seamless home selling experience.

2. Determining the Right Initial Asking Price for Your Home

How you price your residence can have major ramifications on your house selling experience. If you conduct a home appraisal, however, you can gain the insights you need to establish a competitive initial asking price for your home.

A home appraisal usually won't take long to complete, and the evaluation enables you to obtain a property valuation. Once you have this valuation, you can use it to price your residence competitively – something that could help you speed up the home selling journey.

3. Optimizing Your Home Sale Earnings

As a home seller, your goal is likely to earn as much as you can from your house sale. Yet optimizing your home sale earnings may be difficult, particularly if you fail to promote your residence effectively. But if you learn about your target buyer, you could boost the likelihood of getting the best price for your residence.

Think about your home and why a buyer may want to purchase it. Next, you can craft a home listing to highlight your house's amenities and features to the right groups of buyers.

Take a look at the local housing sector, too. If you find out how your residence stacks up against comparable houses in your city or town, you may discover innovative ways to differentiate your home from the competition. And as a result, you could reap the benefits of a fast, profitable home selling experience.

Lastly, if you require extra help during the home selling journey, don't hesitate to contact a real estate agent. This housing market professional can offer tips and recommendations to help you identify and address home selling hurdles before they get out of hand. Best of all, if you ever have concerns or questions at any point in the home selling journey, a real estate agent is happy to respond to them.

Want to add your house to the real estate market? Address the aforementioned home selling concerns, and you can enter the housing market with a plan in place to achieve the optimal results.

Buying a house should be a fast, simple process. However, problems sometimes can arise that prevent a homebuyer from discovering his or her dream residence.

Ultimately, there are many factors to consider before you purchase a house to ensure you can avoid myriad homebuying hurdles, and these factors include:

1. Your Home Needs

No two houses are identical, and much in the same vein, no two homebuyers have the same definition of the perfect residence. As such, a homebuyer should consider his or her dream home demands prior to kicking off a home search.

Making a checklist of home "must-haves" and "wants" is paramount. With this checklist in hand, a homebuyer will be able to refine his or her home search and map out the property buying journey accordingly.

It may be helpful to consider your day-to-day activities as you evaluate where you want to live too.

For example, if you work in the city, you may want to find a house that is located near public transportation. Comparatively, if you have kids, you may want to consider houses that are located close to top schools.

2. Your Budget

You know that you want to buy a house. On the other hand, you still have no idea how much money is available to ensure you can make your homeownership dreams come true.

When it comes to buying a house, it pays to meet with banks and credit unions. With pre-approval for a mortgage, you'll know precisely how much you can spend on a house.

To get pre-approved for a mortgage, set up consultations with several potential lenders. Then, you can learn about all of your mortgage options and select a mortgage lender that matches or surpasses your expectations.

3. Your Homebuying Timeline

Are you looking to buy a home as soon as possible? Or, can you afford to take a wait-and-see approach throughout the homebuying journey?

Examine your homebuying timeline and plan ahead as much as possible. By doing so, you can boost your chances of finding a terrific house and minimize stress as you browse the real estate market.

Regardless of your homebuying timeline, it always helps to work with a real estate agent. This housing market professional can take the guesswork out of searching for a residence and ensure you can discover a stellar house at a budget-friendly price.

Typically, a real estate agent will keep you up to date about new residences as they become available. He or she also will provide honest, unbiased homebuying recommendations and respond to any homebuying concerns and questions.

Let's not forget about the support that a real estate agent can provide during homebuying negotiations, either.

A real estate agent is happy to negotiate with a home seller on your behalf. That way, he or she can help you secure a great house without having to worry about paying too much.

Streamline the process of acquiring your ideal residence. Consider the aforementioned factors, and you can keep things simple as you proceed along the homebuying journey.