Thinking about buying a house? It’s not that hard…

Hello South Florida, it’s cold today but never compared to the -19 degrees in Chicago, so thank God for our beautiful weather!

Buying or renting? That is the question everybody asks, well it depends on your current situation but there is no argument than buying a property is the best decision for any person. Many things are to be considered before buying a house like if you are planning to live in the area for a short period of time, but if you are planning to live in that area for a long time, it’s the moment to start thinking about buying, specially in South Florida where the prices go up everyday!

Renting is South Florida is almost a mortgage payment since even apartments are over $1,400 x month.

The benefits of Tax deductions are also a big influence in the decision of buying a house.

If you are thinking about buying, here are a couple of tips you should follow to get ready:

• Check your Credit Score- you can request a free credit report score from AnnualCreditReport.com you have the right to get a free credit report per year on their website. Check all the information you see in your report and fix everything that looks bad before starting the process of buying your home.
• Start collecting papers – yes, buying a house will require a lot of paperwork, but if you are prepared it’s going to be easier. You need at least the last 12 canceled checks for your rent, the last w-2 and last 2 years of Federal Taxes, copies of your Social Security Card, Drivers License or Official ID, last 4 pays tubs from work.
• Reduce your Credit Cards debt – you should not have more than 30{dc5489bdca85a085d3f6bfcd450d6636123c977912f186ddd5551fdc273c79b8} of your credit card total line of credit in use.
• Make all your monthly payments on time – don’t let your payments become delinquent, you need the best credit score you can get, it will lower the interest rate on your mortgage and that means $$$!
• Find a Broker – you can always go to your bank, but a broker knows how to play with numbers and they will make sure that everything is OK before submitting your case to the underwritter.
• Search for Insurance quotes – by Law, you have the right to choose your own insurance, search, it will pay off.

Miami-Dade County has a program where you can qualify for an assistance of $4,750 up to $7,000 for your down payment, ask your broker or realtor for more information.

Look around, search where you want to live and be realistic on the monthly mortgage payment that you can afford, you want a home to live happy, not a property that makes you unhappy.