Buying a home is exciting but it can also be a little stressful. Most first time home buyers find the home buying process intimidating because there are many decisions to be made, and the lending process (if you plan on financing your home purchase) can be a little unnerving.
Like any decision that requires investing a large sum of money, home buyers should to do their due diligence to make sure the house they want to purchase is a good investment and that it will fit their needs for years to come. This is important to keep this in mind especially in a hot real estate market like the one in Charlotte where home buyers are waving all contingencies and paying a premium for the right to own a home while making buying decisions in matter of hours.
Having a Realtor who has helped hundreds of home buyers purchase their homes in the metro Charlotte NC area is the best kind of assistance to have and someone you will want on your side to help you succeed with the purchase of your first home.
Most first time home buyers have watched TV shows about buying a home, read some articles online and talked about it with friends and family so they have some sense of what to expect. However, every home buying experience is unique and purchasing a home is a lot more complex that it appears on the surface. To avoid making mistakes that could derail your home buying process, lead to a financial loss or buying the wrong home, you should, as a first time home buyer, get expert guidance from a qualified real estate professional when purchasing your home, whether it’s a new home or a resale.
Cornerstone Realty Carolinas is pleased to offer excellent real estate services to first time home buyers in the Charlotte NC area . Stephan Saillant, Broker and Realtor at Cornerstone Realty Carolinas, is a first time home buyer specialist. He has earned the highly sought after Five Star Real Estate Agent award for Charlotte NC for many years in a row. You can reach him directly at (704) 837-4672 or by email at info@nc-homeownership.com .
Our goal is to help individuals and families determine if they are ready to purchase a home and make the home buying process home as easy and stress free as possible.
When you choose Cornerstone Realty Carolinas to help you, we’ll tell you about:
At Cornerstone Realty of the Carolinas, we provide home buyers with expert guidance throughout the entire home buying process to help them find a great home with the best financial terms possible.
Buying a home is one of the best decisions you could ever take. The pride of ownership is the driving force behind people’s desire to own their home. Owning a home brings about a great sense of achievement in life and a feeling of stability and security. A home is a wealth builder that can build generational wealth, an investment for the future, an asset and a tax write off.
Buying a home is a multi-step process. Each of the steps have to be completed successfully in order for a home buyer to become a homeowner. Because most first time home buyers lack knowledge about the process of getting a mortgage and purchasing a home, they are often unaware that there are up front costs that come with buying a home, specifically down payment and closing costs.
A down payment is the amount of personal funds a lender requires a home buyer to pay in order to get a mortgage loan. Unless you are using a 100% financing loan such as a USDA loan, you will need to come up with some cash as required by the lender. Depending on the type of loan you select, the down payment can be as high as 20% of the purchase price and as low as 3.5% with a FHA insured loan.
Closing costs are settlement charges such as the loan origination fee (usually 1% of the purchase price), appraisal fee, home inspection fee, attorney’s fee, escrows, etc… Usually closing costs add up to be between 3.5% to 5% of the purchase price. When combining the down payment and closing costs, the upfront costs of buying a home will be at least 7.5% of the purchase price (using FHA financing). So for example, if you are buying a $250,000 home, you will need to bring a minimum $18,750 of your own funds if you are not using any down payment assistance program or gift funds from family and friends. For many first time home buyers, that’s a lot of money and it is often a road block to home ownership. But there is a way to have most, if not all of those costs paid for on your behalf by using city, state and federally sponsored down payment assistance programs.
Down payment assistance programs help first time home buyers with the upfront expense of purchasing a home by providing funds to pay for the down payment and/or closing costs. There are many programs to choose from, each with its specific requirements, limits and benefits. Cornerstone Realty Carolinas has realtors who provide their clients expert level guidance with down payment assistance programs. If you are interested in qualifying to receive free funds to help you with the upfront costs of purchasing a home, call Cornerstone Realty Carolinas today at (704) 837-4672 for more information.
Most almost all first time home buyers, the search for a home starts on the internet. You can find listings of homes for sale just about everywhere. However, if you are looking for the most up to date listings, with accurate information only Realtors® with direct access to the MLS (Multiple Listing System) can give you up to the minute changes in listing status (active, under contract, sold, expired, withdrawn). By registering on our website with MLS-Touch or contacting us at (704) 837-4672 so we can setup a specific search for you, you will be automatically notified when a new listing that fits your criteria becomes available.
It is really important in a competitive market like Charlotte’s market to be the first one to know about new listings. As a home buyer, you are competing with other home buyers who are also looking for a home to buy. A great home that is priced right usually goes under contract quickly. We can setup property alerts for you so you can be made aware of new listings on the markets minutes after they are listed and can quickly book appointments.
Whether you’d like buy a home or sell your home, we’d love to help you. We respond to all inquiries quickly. Simply fill out the form below with all your details or for immediate assistance, call our office today at (704) 837-4672. For office visits, an appointment is required. We are a Charlotte-based real estate company that provides assistance to home buyers and sellers in the Charlotte NC region.
Cornerstone Realty Carolinas is Real Estate Company serving the metro Charlotte NC area. We work with individuals, families and investors who are interested in buying or selling real estate in the Charlotte region and anywhere in North Carolina.
The down payment assistance programs discussed in this website are based on a 30-year fixed rate loan. Interest rate is the current market rate. Please call for details.
The information contained herein this website is not meant to replace the market knowledge and expertise we provide as local real estate professionals. For expert guidance with buying or selling your home, please call Cornerstone Realty Carolinas today at (704) 837-4672.
Your inquiry will be answered by a Realtor® licensed to practice real estate in North and South Carolina.
Address: 317 Matthews Mint Hill Road, Suite 201 Matthews, NC 28105
Office: (704) 837-4672
Email: info@nc-homeownership.com
Visits to our office are by appointment only. Please call to setup an appointment.
Monday-Friday: 9am-6pm
Saturday & Sunday: 9am-8pm.
By appointment only.
