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", expert authors Eric Tyson and Raymond Brown specified that the true value of the home does not only consist of the price. Since value depends on the individual,identifying the elements that you would want to have in your new home can make the search among the many homes for sale a lot easier. The true value of the home is based on what it is worth to you and the benefits that you will get from investing in that piece of real estate property.

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 step that a home buyer can take is to figure out how much repair work is needed and what the cost will be. Ask yourself a few questions like "If I move in next week, what has to be done to make it livable and lovable?" or "What needs to be fixed and how much will it cost?" Sometimes, the cost of repairs is factored into the asking price but if it is not, it is to your advantage to know what the add-on expenses you may be facing in the near future.

The third step in determining the value of the home is to project what it may be worth in three years, ten years or twenty years. Is the home located in a brand new subdivision or an historic part of town? What is the average appreciation value of the home year to year in that particular neighborhood? The appreciation value may be a powerful 'pull factor' for a particular property, especially if you are a first time homebuyer in a buyer's market.

When searching for your ideal home, make a studied assessment of the different homes for sale in the various neighborhoods. The true value of your new home is not just what the actual asking price is because of the things that have to be taken into consideration, like repairs, price history, the benefits you will get from living in the area, and what the property will be worth in the future. Find out more about the new homes for sale and what neighborhoods have good appreciation rates so you can make the most out of your investment.

Author: Alexandria P. Anderson specializes helping people to find and purchase Minnetonka homes for sale in Minnesota, as well as Minnetonka real estate for her home buying clients.