Are you thinking about buying a home? Unlike most purchases, buying a house can be quite an involved process that can take up to six months to complete, depending on how long you search for a home. If you’re thinking of buying a place, here are the steps involved.

Decide What Payment You Can Afford

One thing you don’t want is to buy a home you can’t afford. If the monthly mortgage payment eats up too much of your income, you may find yourself defaulting on the loan and losing your house, so sit down and come up with a realistic budget. Make sure your mortgage payment doesn’t take up more than 30 percent of your take-home pay. Use a mortgage calculator online and decide what price house you can afford.

Contact a Lending Institution To Get Prequalified

If you can’t get a mortgage, there’s no point in looking for a house, so contact your bank and other lending institutions to see if you can qualify for a loan.

Find a Home

Secure the services of a good real estate agent and look at as many homes as you can to make sure you find the right house for you in a price range that you can afford.

Have a Home Inspection Done

You’ll need to have the home inspected to make sure the house is structurally sound. Also, have the roof inspected. Contact roof certification services Huntersville NC to find out if the roof is sound.

Attend the Closing

It typically takes up to a month to close on a home, so be patient. At the closing, you’ll sign all the required documents and then receive the keys to your new home.

Then it’s time to move in and enjoy unpacking and decorating your new dwelling. Once you’re settled, you’re bound to find the process was worth it.