There is a big difference between mindlessly scrolling through Zillow and perusing what’s out there on the market and sitting down to figure out how much house you can really afford. Making the steps to actually save for a house and begin to search in earnest for your new home in NC are two very exciting checkpoints on the way to home ownership. Somewhere in between all of the saving, planning, and looking is the actual number-crunching that will tell you how much house you can actually afford in NC.

What often starts with casual musings, a glance at your bank statements, and maybe a casual conversation at the dinner table quickly changes to logistical and strategic thoughts about how to swing a mortgage payment in NC. After you’ve got a number in mind that’s feasible — then it’s time to decide if you can truly afford that monthly payment or not and still maintain a lifestyle you enjoy.

Luckily, working with a great loan officer, like Michael Frazier and figuring out what your interest rate could be is a great starting point. Once you have that, your loan...

How To Stay Upbeat When Your Offers Aren’t Getting Accepted

Hearing “no” again and again can be really challenging — especially when it comes to trying your hardest to purchase a home in NC. The defeat many buyers feel when it comes to bidding wars and the likes is one of the hardest things about looking to buy a house in NC.

Between increased home prices in NC and decreased home inventory; buyers can find themselves downtrodden in their dreams of becoming a homeowner (even if it’s for the second or third time). In fact, many buyers who already own homes get frustrated more quickly because they’ve gone through the process before and are ready to upgrade.

Houses are often put on sites like Zillow and Redfin and by the next day; they’re pending sale. This can be heart wrenching for hopeful prospective buyers that weren’t quick enough. There’s also the homes that last longer on the market and people have been able to go see through a showing or an open home and perhaps get attached to — only to enter a bidding war or see the home sold outright...

When going into buying a home in NC, there are a lot of mistakes that can be made by all parties involved. Home Lending Pros LLC want to make sure that you, the buyers, are aware of some of the largest ones in order to best serve you and streamline the buying process. While this list could go on for quite some time — we’ve decided to focus on five of the most common/easily avoidable mistakes that can make buying a home in NC as painless as possible.

Your real estate agent and loan officer should walk you through all of your options and have your best interests at heart when it comes to making such a large purchase — and in almost all cases — they will. But, it doesn’t hurt to have your own education going into the process, or maybe you just need a refresher!

Just Getting Started

First and foremost, it’s vital to really try to not get too attached to a specific home or neighborhood before you’ve figured out how much house you can afford in NC, applied for at least a pre-qualification, and begun to really look for homes with an agent. The reason being, besides...

You’ve rented all your adult life to this point and you’re finding yourself thinking: What now? It sounds like you’re looking to buy your first house in NC. Diving into homeownership looks different for everyone. Maybe you’re just thinking about thinking about it or maybe you’ve already contacted an agent — either way, the journey starts here. The trickiest part is that there is no formula for perfection and definitely not for ease. The path of least resistance rarely leads you to the mountaintop and it certainly won’t lead you to the hallowed grounds of homeownership. The qualms surrounding the leap from renting to owning are enough to scare anyone away. Waiting for the electric or cable company to show up between 4-8 PM is even less enthusing when you’re footing the bill. When you don’t get to call your landlord anymore to fix the leaky faucet or the running toilet — you’ll grumble your way through calling a plumber and searching for a wrench. These are realities of owning any home; not just your first. It just so happens your first home is where you learn the ropes...