Prepare Before Buying Fairfax County VA Homes for Sale to Get the Best Deals
You’ve finally decided you want to buy one of the Fairfax County VA homes for sale. What do you do now? Here are a few tips for getting the best deal for your money:
Check Out Your Credit
The first thing you’ll want to do is order a copy of your FREE annual credit report from the three major credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Look for inaccuracies in:
- Name
- Address
- Creditors
- Late payments
- Delinquencies
After you’ve reviewed your credit report and know your credit score, you’re ready to make improvements to your report, if your credit score is too low. Send a written “Notice of Correction” to the credit bureaus. It can be up to 200 words. If needed, you can explain why you fell behind on a particular debt, and every time a lender accesses the report, they’ll see your explanation.
It can take several months to for your credit score to go up. However, it’s well worth the effort to get a better interest rate. It can save you thousands when buying one of the Fairfax County VA homes for sale.
Get Pre-approved
Before you start looking at properties, it’s a good idea to get a pre-approval letter from a lender. The lender takes into consideration your income and credit history. Then the lender determines the loan amount for which you qualify.
Most pre-approval letters list the maximum amount for which you are approved, not necessarily the amount you can afford. Look carefully at your budget so that you don’t get too excited about the number and get into more house than you can afford.
There are several benefits to getting pre-approved. It allows you and your Fairfax County Virginia real estate agent to narrow down the house search. That way you won’t waste time seeing properties you can’t afford. Also, sellers will give your bid more weight if you’re pre-approved.
Are you a first-time buyer? You have just made a fabulous decision for your future. You’ll find tons of great buys when looking for Fairfax County VA homes for sale. I’m a specialist in this community and would love to help you buy the home of your dreams. Call me now at 703-909-3939 or email me at Steve@HomeSearchWebsite.com.
Steve Hawkins
Long and Foster REALTORS®
Springfield, Virginia
www.HomeSearchWebsite.com
Steve@HomeSearchWebsite.com
703-909-3939
