If you’re planning on buying a home, there’s a vast range of online resources available at your fingertips.
Contrast today’s virtually endless resources with 25 years ago — homebuying research was mainly limited to home listings in newspapers, books / magazines (which needed to be purchased or checked out from libraries), brochures, and word-of-mouth.
With all of today’s resources, the hardest thing can be knowing which resource to use. To help you know where to start, here are five essential resources for homebuyers:
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
For factually accurate information on all aspects of homebuying, we strongly suggest viewing the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website. This information is useful whether you’re a homebuying expert, or want to teach a younger family member about buying a home.
myFICO
Everyone entering the homebuying process is going to need good credit. myFICO is allied with three national credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) used by mortgage lenders, and provides great information about all aspects of credit. A must-read for anyone who wants a higher credit score (this should be everyone).
The Mortgage Reports
Great articles on homebuying from real estate experts who are also great writers. You’ll learn about strategies and loans for buying homes, helpful tips from realtors, how to succeed in competitive housing markets, and ways to prepare.
Investopedia
Branded as the world’s largest financial education website, Investopedia offers a range of great information about homebuying. You’ll get content such as tutorials for first-time homebuyers mixed with more advanced information on real estate investing.
This blog
Open Mortgage’s blog provides information and tips on mortgages, reverse mortgages and refinancing. Whether you’re planning on buying your first home or are a long-term homeowner, you’ll gain valuable knowledge by regularly reading our blog.
When it comes to buying homes, learn as much as you can
Homebuying has many different components, is tied to our constantly changing national economy, and also can change due to government regulations. Because of this, it’s important to read a wide range of homebuying websites and perspectives
If you’re ready to enter the homebuying process or have specific questions, contact one of Open Mortgage’s friendly loan originators today.