Buying a Home in Maryland & Pennsylvania

Finding and purchasing a home that will meet your needs is a significant and often stressful time. Our goal is to make this transition as smooth as possible. We are experts in the area, and once we learn what it is that you’re looking for, finding your ideal Maryland or Pennsylvania home is a much simpler process.

Check out these homebuying tips that will help make your purchase of a home in Maryland or Pennsylvania successful

Start by Asking Yourself What Exactly You are Looking for in Your Maryland or Pennsylvania Home

Just the thought of shopping for a new home is very exciting, but before you go out and look at homes it is very helpful to ask yourself a few questions about what you want in your next home. The thought of going out and looking at available homes for sale is exciting but it can quickly become stressful and overwhelming if you have not thought out the type of home you hope to find.

As you begin your home shopping process it is a good idea to sit down with a piece of paper or in front of a computer and list out all of the items you need and want in a new home. It is good to make sure you are doing this with anyone else who will be purchasing the home with you if applicable. Ask yourself, or selves, what it is about your current living situation that needs to improve, and start your list from there.

One of the easiest ways to write down what you want in a home is to make a list with columns that include needed features, wanted features, and maybe even dream features. This will help you to decipher what items your next property must have that are non-negotiable and what items are important but not necessarily deal breakers as well as other items that would be really exciting to find in a home.

This will help to narrow down your home search and also help when you hire a professional real estate agent.

Do Extensive Research on Areas You Want to Live

If you are planning to move into a new neighborhood from the one where you currently live it is always helpful to make sure you are doing in-depth research on every area that you were interested in. The more research you do about an area the better. This will help to prevent buyer's remorse as much as possible. You want to make sure you know as many details as possible without actually physically living in an area before you move into it.

To find more information about the areas where we provide expert real estate service in Pennsylvania and Maryland you can check out our community guide with links to individual pages about specific areas in Maryland and Pennslyvania. These pages will give you a deeper insight into the cities and neighborhoods that we focus on. If you would like more in-depth insight into a particular area of Maryland or Pennsylvania please contact us anytime with your questions. If we are unable to answer a specific question you have within our parameters as ethical realtors we can help direct you to where you may be able to find the answers you are searching for.

Determine Your Personal Affordable House Budget

One of the most important aspects of purchasing a home is being able to comfortably afford it. Purchasing a home is the largest investment most Americans make in their lifetime. Making an investment in real estate is a great step to building dependable wealth, but you do not want to invest too much of your money and tie it all up in housing costs. Spending more than your personal comfortable budget on a home could make homeownership uncomfortable or regrettable.

A majority of financial experts advise that when you budget for a home your housing costs become no more than 1/3 of your monthly take-home income. This should include not just your mortgage payment but also insurance payments, property taxes, and having some money set aside for maintenance and repairs.

It is a good idea to go over what your monthly income is and subtract all other mandatory living expenses that you pay currently. This will help you to arrive at the amount of expendable money you have left. From this amount you should determine what a comfortable mortgage payment would look like. Again you want to be able to afford your home as well as your other payments and still have some left over to be able to enjoy day-to-day life.

Hire the Right Realtor

Employing the help of a local trustworthy real estate agent that is an expert in their field of focus is key to helping you find available Maryland/Pennsylvania in a shorter timeframe and making a strong offer while staying within your budget. 

You want to hire a reputable Maryland/Pennsylvania realtor that knows the area extensively. Someone that knows the unique attributes of each city and neighborhood in the area. It can be a great idea to ask for references, but you also want to make sure you are asking anyone you are thinking of working with important questions. 

Great "interview" questions to ask potential realtors include what area instantly comes to mind when you describe your ideal home, examples of homes they have sold recently, examples of entering into negotiations on their client's behalf, and how they put their client's best interests first. 

If you would like to get started on your Maryland or Pennsylvania home buying experience today please contact us using the form below. We also have links to available properties where you can start looking at homes right now..

We are here to listen to your thoughts on what your ideal home looks like and the  community you hope to settle into. We are ready to answer all of your questions and can get you started on a customized home search that will find properties that meet your specific Maryland or Pennsylvania home wants and needs.


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