Bill Whetzel

Tips For Buyers

The best way to make sure that you choose the right home is to properly prepare yourself. The purchase of a home is a tremendous investment, both monetarily and emotionally. The purpose of this page is to in provide you with some tips that will help your transaction progress smoothly and result in you being a happy homeowner.

Remember, if you have any questions I am always just a phone call or email away.

• Get help. Your home is likely to represent one of the largest investments in your life. In order to make sure that the transaction goes smoothly it is of vital importance that you choose the right agent to represent your interests. The right agent will be someone whose experience and personality makes you feel comfortable. You should try to find an agent that is familiar and knowledgeable about the area you plan to move into.
• Get pre-approved. Do you already know how much home you can afford?  Speak with a lender to learn about the different financing options available to you. When you find the right lender get the paperwork processed so that you will be ready to buy when you find the right home. Local lenders are the best way to go in the Prescott area.
• Avoid major purchases. In order to determine the amount of home you can afford a lender uses your debt-to-income ratio. This ratio is the percentage of your pre-tax income that you spend on debt. Your debt ratio will include: monthly housing costs, car payments, credit cards, student loans, and any other installment debt. If you take on more debt right before buying a home it is going to have an impact on the amount of the loan that the lender will finance.
• Sign up for Property Watch. In order to make an educated decision you need to know what is available and how much it is going for. You can browse all the active listings from my website. Once you have found some homes you like save those searches and sign up for property watch so that new listings will be emailed to you. The best homes move fast so you need to make sure that you are on top of the available inventory at all times so you do not miss out.
• Ask Questions. No one knows the home better than the seller of the property. If you find out the seller's motivation for selling you might be able to negotiate a better deal on the home. Try to find out the last time service was performed on the roof, furnace, and water heating. Asking the right questions now can end up saving you a lot of money in the long run.
• Get inspected. Always get a Certified Home Inspector before you purchase a home. A home inspector will give you peace of mind when you are