Our Complete Home-Buying Experience: From Offers To Mortgages
Here are all of my posts on what we went through when buying your house. Those with no links are outlines for possible future posts. I know it’s a lot of information, but I hope it can help some others navigate these scary waters.
If you have any requests, please include them in this question post.
Should I Buy A House?
Buying a house isn’t necessarily the best choice for everyone. There are lots of different pros and cons.
- Famous Housing Bubble Graph (Different Version)
- Interactive Buy vs. Rent Calculator
- Another Buy Vs. Rent Calculator
- Intangible Advantages And Disadvantages Of Owning A Home
- Are Homes Actually A Horrible Investment?
Finding a Real Estate Agent
- Finding A Buyer’s Agent, Part 1: The Search Begins With Ourselves
- Finding A Buyer’s Agent, Part 2: Screening, Trial and Error, Signing a Contract, Offer Acceptance
- Home Buyer’s Agent Commission Rebates
- Guidance Received During The Escrow and Closing Process
- Looking Back: Things I Would Have Done Differently
Finding and Choosing A Home
If you do want to buy a house, what do you look for in a home?
- Our Criteria For A House (How Did We Do?)
- Housing Search Trade-Off: Price vs. Commute Time
- Condo Living: How Do I Find A Good Homeowners Association?
- Gathering Local Statistics About A Housing Market
- How Many Square Feet Should Our Home Have?
- Open Houses From A Buyer’s Perspective
Mortgage Basics: Choosing Loan Types
You found a home, so how are you going to pay for it?
- How Much House You Can Afford?
- Effect Of Credit Score On Mortgage Rates and Monthly Payments
- Choosing a Fixed-Rate Mortgage Term Length: 15, 30, or 40 Years?
- Loan Payment vs. Term Length
- Avoiding Jumbo Loans By Combining a Conforming Loan and Second Loan
Mortgage Practicalities: Choosing A Specific Lender & Interest Rate/Points
- Homeowners: Who Did You Get Your Mortgage Through?
- Getting Pre-Qualified For A Mortgage
- How Many Points Should I Pay On My Mortgage?
- Consider Upfront Brokers and Upfront Direct Lenders
- How I Plan To Shop For My Next Mortgage Loan, Part 1
- How I Plan To Shop For My Next Mortgage Loan, Part 2
Making An Offer, Inspections, Escrow, and Closing
- Making and reading the offer contract
- Ordering Inspections, Asking For Concessioins
- Snags and Delays
- Signing Day
Housing-Related Humor
Buying a house is a serious and stressful endeavor. Watching these videos is not. 
- Bikini Girls + Waterfalls + 90s Real Estate Guru = Tom Vu
- Renting Can Be Rough: The Landlord with Will Ferrell
- Find the Right Property For You…
