First time homebuyers can save a lot of time, money and effort by being organized and prepared for all the steps in the home buying process. When you are choosing any of the homes for sale, one of the most vital steps to take is the valuation of the home or being able to determine what the home is worth by making your own assessment.

In the book, "Home Buying for Dummies", authors Eric Tyson and Raymond Brown specified that the true value of the home does not only consist of the price. Since value means different things to different people, there is a need for the individual home buyer to be able to identify what are the most important elements that they would like their new home to have. What the true value of your new home is based on what it is worth to you and the benefits that you will get from making the investment.

When you begin the valuation process of any of the homes for sale, the first step that you can take is to review its actual dollar cost and compare it to the other homes for sale in the same neighborhood. This can be done by studying the MLS listings of the area and discovering how much the seller had paid for the home, if possible. Finding out how much was paid will give you a baseline amount to use in your assessment, whether or not it is lower or higher than the seller's current asking price. Other factors that you have to take into consideration is when the seller had bought the home because if more that 3 years has elapsed, an estimate based on the purchase price will no longer be accurate.

The second thing a home buyer must find out is if there are any repairs that need immediate attention and how much it will cost. The cost of repairing the home may have been factored into the asking price. If it was not, a home buyer needs to be aware of what they may have to spend for when they buy that home for sale.

The third step would be to project how much the property can be sold for in 5, 10, or 20 years after your purchase. This is when the location of the home becomes vital. Find out what is the average appreciation value of the real estate property of the neighborhood that you are interested in. If the trend of the property prices show that it is stable and in some years, you can make a good return on your investment, it would be to your advantage to make such an investment.

There are several factors to consider when you are looking at different properties and exploring various neighborhoods as a first time homebuyer. The true value of your home goes well beyond the asking price because you need to take into consideration how much of the home needs to be repaired, what the biggest benefits of living in a particular neighborhood are, and what the property will be worth in a few years. Take the time to learn about the price history and general market appreciation (or deprecation) rates in your neighborhood so that you can make a well-informed financial investment as a first time homebuyer.

About the Author: Alexandria P. Anderson is a Lake Minnetonka Real Estate agent that helps people to find and purchase Lake Minnetonka homes and other properties in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Being a first time home buyer and hunting for your dream Lake Minnetonka homes can be quite exciting, and it is possible to eliminate any stress from to the several things that you would have to be keep track of and the factors needed for the several important decisions to make. It is of vital necessity to spend some time searching new neighborhood and looking at the various homes for sale. You might have to do your own research work to find out if the new neighborhood will suit your needs.

One important thing that a first time homebuyer can do is to explore at least a five-block radius of their ideal neighborhoods to see all the available homes for sale. You can choose to drive around the area or use an online mapping tool to navigate around the area. This will greatly aid in identifying the areas you would like to purchase any of the homes for sale and give you a relatively large inventory to work with.

A first time homebuyer must also be aware of where the nearest gas stations, grocery stores, public libraries are and the access points to interstate or major highways of the new neighborhood under assessment. Try to imagine what it would be like to live in that specific neighborhood. Keep mental notes of the locations of the various stores, service centers and roadways so the you can easily navigate around the area and commute to work if you decide to buy in that area.

You may also want to learn about zoning laws in your particular neighborhood, especially if you're considering moving to an entirely new area. While some first time homebuyers are satisfied with the layout and structure of their new home, others are determined to start remodeling within months of moving in. Make sure you understand basic zoning laws and regulations for building pools, decks and extending your home out into the garden or yard so you can make the best decision for your needs.

It is best to find out in order to be prepared to budget for expenses like that of association fees, taxes, and other fees that have to be paid before deciding which among the homes for sale to purchase. Local county tax collectors usually have a website from which you can get tax information by entering an address. For association fees and other fees related to the purchase of any of the homes for sale, contact a local lender or a licensed real estate professional for an estimate.

Doing your homework about the prospective neighborhood is an important step as a first time homebuyer. You can uncover some important details about taxes, zoning laws and fees associated with a property purchase by doing some basic research online and making a few calls to local real estate or mortgage professionals. Compile all of this data and organize it in a way that you can reference later. You will need this information to be available at your fingertips as you start narrowing down your decision for your new home!

Author: Alexandria P. Anderson searches the Lake Minnetonka real estate to help her home buying clients to find Lake Minnetonka homes of Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN.

Selecting the right mortgage package as a first time home buyer can be a confusing process, and working with a mortgage loan officer isn't always the best way to get the mortgage loan that you can afford. One of the biggest mistakes that first time is to sign on the loan that they qualify for, instead of taking a smaller loan that they can actually afford.

This can be achieved when the basis set to qualify you is not your income ration and not exactly how much you are prepared to pay monthly. Borrowing the entire loan amount you qualified for can most probably exhaust your monthly resources which nobody would want to happen.

Setting your own limits for the loan will help you resist the temptation to just borrow up to the limit that your loan officers offer s and help you stay within a comfortable housing expense range based on your income level. Here are some more tips for selecting the mortgage for your new home purchase:

1. Be informed about the tax benefits. 'Interest only' loans are those that allow deducting the entire payment from your taxes on a particular year. There are also other loans with negative amortization that won't permit deduction of interest from the monthly payment.

2. Think long-term. If you're planning on staying in the home for 30 years or more, you will be a good candidate for a fixed-interest rate loan. While these types of loans may have a slightly higher interest rate than ARM loans and other loan products, they will protect you from changing market conditions. Still, there are some drawbacks of the fixed interest-rate loan. Barron's Smart Consumer's Guide to Home Buying points out that the demands of the escrow account associated with the fixed interest-rate loan may cause your payments to increase.

3. Ask about other home payment options. Flexibility in your mortgage loan's payment can help you maximize your funds. For instance, there are mortgage loans that allow making extra payments toward the principal balance without worrying about a penalty. You may inquire about this type of loan so that you would not be problematic of your debts in the future.

4. Discover some other techniques to pay affordably. Keeping your loan payments manageable means making necessary adjustments on the loan amount such as when the lender offers you a huge loan. An example of this is keeping your payments only within your budget level through a low interest rate, longer payment terms for the loan, and a good plan to make interest only payments.

5. Apply for mortgage insurance. Most first time home buyers do not have a lot of money available for the down payment, which can make a big difference to the loan amount and monthly payments. Mortgage insurance can provide for your down payment, or in some cases, allow you to apply for an attractive loan product without having to make any type of down payment.

Alexandria P. Anderson helps people to find and purchase Lake Minnetonka Homes, real estate, and Lake Minnetonka homes for sale in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.