Buying a home comes with some additional costs that homebuyers may not know about or simply overlook amid the flurry of activity. Let’s get you focused on the upcoming important financial pitfalls by going over how to determine how much money you will need upfront when buying a home in Atlanta.
Inspections
When buying a home, after your offer has been accepted by the seller, it’s off to hiring a licensed home inspector to go over every nut and bolt of the property with you.
Inspections are important because they give you an opportunity for a professional to analyze the condition of the home from floor to ceiling while also going over how the different systems in the home function appropriately. Not all water heaters and furnaces are identical, and knowing what you’re dealing with when making one of the largest purchases of your life is incredibly important.
Home inspectors will charge different rates and you should inquire about them before giving the OK. Finally, your lender may require different types of inspections to be done before moving forward with approving your home loan.
Closing Costs
Depending on how negotiations went, you may find yourself paying none, some, or all of the closing costs when buying a home in Atlanta.
In a seller’s market, there’s always the possibility that you will end up in a bidding war since inventory remains low and demand is high. If that’s the case, offering to pay part of the seller’s closing costs could make a huge difference in winning the home over the other buyers.
Discuss the cost breakdown of your closing costs with your lender before making this part of your offer in order to avoid a nasty surprise, and you’ll be better off throughout the entire closing process.
Down Payment
Out of all of the major expenses involved in buying a home in Atlanta, your down payment is likely to be the biggest one under normal circumstances. The reason for this is that you should always try to put down 20% of the final purchase price of your new home at closing in order to avoid paying an additional monthly fee to Private Mortgage Insurance, or PMI.
For the buyer, PMI is a simple thing to understand but goes overlooked by a lot of buyers who feel they got away with putting less down on their home to save money in the short term. PMI is a policy taken out by your lender to cover them in the event you default on your mortgage payments, and the buyer is responsible for the premiums on this insurance policy.
If you don’t put that 20% down at closing, you will be paying the premiums for that PMI policy every single month until you cross the equity threshold. That means putting more money down at the time of closing could save you being nickel and dimed over the next four or five years.
Moving
Even after buying a home, you still have to get all of your possessions there in one piece, and moving can be quite costly.
For most of us, we don’t have access to the vehicles and equipment necessary to do one big slog from the old residence to the new, so contacting local moving companies or looking into renting a moving truck for yourself is absolutely necessary to understand how much the move itself will cost you.
If you’re in need of moving blankets or a dolly for heavier objects, ask about the added costs of renting these individual pieces of equipment. Keep in mind that you will be paying for the fuel used during the move as well, and that can add up quickly if you’re needing to travel a long distance or make a bunch of trips back and forth.
Professional Help When Buying a Home in Atlanta
If you’re thinking of buying a home in Atlanta and want professional guidance through the process, contact us today at (404) 977-5054!