7 steps to find your perfect home
Buying a home is no small decision, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. Armed with the right knowledge and proper planning, you can make buying your dream home a reality.
1. Write your wish list
Make a list of all the things you’d like to have in your new property, including your ‘must have’ features, such as location, number of bedrooms or parking. Be realistic, and know where you are willing to compromise.
2. Get your finances ready early
It’s a great idea to get your finances organised as early as possible – being pre-approved for a loan is a big advantage and will help you negotiate with vendors. This is especially important if you’re bidding at auction, as you’ll need to pay the deposit straight away.
Talk to a bank, lender or mortgage broker (or more than one!) to find out how much you can spend and what your repayments will be. If you aren’t sure where to start, please let us know and we can give you some suggestions.
3. Organise your lawyer/conveyancer
Make life easier by having a conveyancer or lawyer that you can engage as soon as you take out a contract on a property. If you’d like advice about finding a lawyer we’re happy to recommend some of our reliable contacts.
4. Think about additional expenses
As well as understanding the costs of your loan repayments, mortgage insurance and stamp duty, always consider the other expenses and ongoing costs. Investigate costs for maintenance, land tax, council rates, home insurance and strata fees (if applicable) so that you know exactly how much to budget for.
5. Do your research!
Understanding the market helps you decide exactly what you want, as well as giving you an idea of local selling prices. Spend some time inspecting as many properties as possible to see what’s available, helping you recognise a bargain or an overpriced property and putting you in a better position to negotiate.
6. Sign up to property alerts
Property alerts let your perfect property find you – sometimes even before it’s advertised to the general public. Our email alerts let you know about Nest Property listings, and major property search sites, like realestate.com.au also have alerts you can sign up for.
This will give you a jump-start on the market and saves considerable time. For all of our latest listings, sign up for our property alerts on the home page.
7. Get a building inspection
Professional building inspections can save you thousands of dollars by avoiding nasty surprises and giving you bargaining power. There are lots of high quality building inspectors in Tasmania – for advice on who to talk to, ask our team.
