Ready to take the leap into the world of homeownership? If you’re unsure about where to start when it comes to finding your perfect place, keep reading for our 6 key steps to buying a house.

Step 1: Secure Your Dream Team

No championships are won alone and a great home buying experience doesn’t happen solo either! To make sure you’re getting the best experience, find a qualified real estate agent and InterLinc loan originator to work with. Having a great team behind you makes all the difference!

Step 2: Get Pre-Qualified

Before looking at houses with your agent, you’ll need to be pre-qualified by your lender. Once you submit a loan application at www.interlincmortgage.com, your loan originator will perform a soft credit pull to determine the amount of financing you qualify for.

Step 3: Find the Home and Loan that Work for You

After you’re pre-qualified and pre-approved for a specific loan up to a specific amount, it’s time to find that dream home! Visit open houses, stalk Zillow, and use your agent to help you find the place you’d like to land.

Step 4: Make an Offer

Once you’ve found that dream home, you’ll need to make an offer, submit your required documents to your loan originator and sign your initial loan disclosures.

Step 5: Inspection, Appraisal, Insurance

Having a home inspection and appraisal performed comes next. Home inspections are not required, however, they give you insight into any defects that your potential home may have. An appraisal will be ordered by your lender to make sure the property value is accurate and homeowners insurance will also need to be purchased at this point.

Step 6: Final Approval & Closing

You’ve made it! Once your loan has gone through the final approval process, it’s time to sign, sign, sign! Get that John Hancock ready! Now it’s time to celebrate – you’re a homeowner!