Are you finally ready to stop renting and buy a home in Bozeman? You’ve been renting for a while, but
now you’ve settled into your life. Have you been working for the same great company and moving up
the ranks since high school? Did you put that awesome idea into practice and now you have your own
thriving business? Maybe you graduated from college recently and started a career in your field of study.
Either way, you are living life how and more importantly where you want, and you feel you are
ready to settle into a home of your own for the first time.
It’s the American Dream: Owning your own home with the picket fence, the kids, and maybe a dog or
cat. But do you know all that goes into buying and owning a home? Do you know what your credit looks
like? Do you know what and how much money you need to save to pay for up front, for closing costs
and down payment? Have you even thought of budgeting for the expenses you’ll have after you buy the
home? Things like furnishing the home, maintenance and repairs, taxes and insurance, and utility bills
like water and sewer, gas, electric, trash, and maybe HOA dues.
This all can be a lot to take in, especially on your own. There are many great resources out there for
first-time buyers that will help you to answer these questions and more. One of those resources is
through the HRDC. In these courses, you’ll be taken through the steps of
the home-buying process, as well as getting some financial education on what owning a home can
entail. These classes also provide education on how to budget for the many variables involved in owning
a home. First, on purchasing the home and how to save the adequate amount of money for both down
payment and closing costs. Secondly, on how to budget and save for the expenses that go into owning
and maintaining your new home. You’ll learn about credit, what it means, and how it is used in decision
making and the minimum requirements needed for different programs. They cover why having a realtor
can be beneficial in both how they help you find a home that meets both your needs and price range,
and how they help with what can be a complicated contract process to make offers on homes you like.
The classes also talk about choosing a lender and the available loan options.
Your lender will also be a wonderful resource, and Caroline at GoPrime Mortgage has been in the
industry here in Bozeman for 13+ years now. She has experience with both first-time buyers and folks
that have gone through the process several times. Caroline can help you understand everything you’ll
experience during your Bozeman homebuying process and everything you need to know before you
start. Caroline will go over your credit with you and cover the details of what makes up your cores as
well as ways to improve if possible. She also goes over the steps of the home buying process that include
the following:
- Getting pre-approved and the documents you will need to give to your lender
- Finding and offering on the home you want
- Going through home inspections and appraisals, what these are, and how they benefit you
- Shopping for and choosing the appropriate homeowner’s insurance
- The closing process and getting your funds to closing.
At GoPrime Mortgage, we will work with you from start to finish. For us, the old adage of “no such thing
as a dumb question” really is true. We will work with you every step of the way to make sure you feel
comfortable and knowledgeable about the choices you have and the direction you should pursue. At
GoPrime, our top priority is to make sure we build that relationship so that we can be a resource for
your first, second or 10th home over your lifetime in real estate.
