To make or sell your home in Gwinnett County, Georgia,

Buying a House in Gwinnett County

These proven steps on the path to successful homeownership give homebuyers the peace of mind they need when buying a home for sale in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Viewing homes for sale online and judging the homeowner's decorative choices might be a great pastime - until things get real for you, right? When they do, fear not. While the process involves far more than just searching MLS Listings of Homes for Sale, it is exactly why I am here. You don't need to be intimidated by the process when you have the right resources in place. I welcome the opportunity to speak with you about the steps involved in buying a home for sale in Gwinnett County.

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Recommended Steps along the Path to Homeownership

Get pre-approved for a Mortgage Home Loan.

In many cases, the initial steps toward homeownership involve evaluating income sources and getting pre-approved for the right mortgage. The local mortgage community offers a variety of options to help you buy a home in Metro Atlanta, including first-time homebuyer loans and profession-specific loans. A strong pre-approval letter from a well-respected local lender will strengthen your offer. Use this handy amortization calculator to estimate the total monthly payment for a property of interest and determine the ideal loan amount before contacting a lender. Please call me today at (770) 271-2156 for a list of local lenders and the items lenders typically require for fast mortgage pre-approval.

Share Your Preferred Lifestyle

You're buying a house and the local lifestyle, and essentially locking into them both for a period of time, so it is important that the right choices for the entire household are kept top of mind. How does school performance factor into the purchase decision? Are natural gas choices an important consideration, or is one provider OK for the right property? Gwinnett County spans roughly 436 square miles, so the availability of senior services, healthcare, sports, parks, recreation, the right shopping districts, and easy access to frequent destinations matters. Please call to schedule an initial discussion about your household's homeownership goals and lifestyle preferences.

Let the Home Search Begin

That property saved to your favorites may present well online and actually be the right one for your household. You'll still want to make sure it is in good condition, priced right, in an area that meets your requirements, and within your budget. If it passes all these tests, the next step may be to make the right offer, one that protects both parties' interests. In many cases, the seller of the properties I send you pays your agent's fee, but the buyer ultimately bears the responsibility. Whether you're considering existing construction or building a new home and need guidance on new home builders, please call me today for properties that may or may not be in the Metro Atlanta MLS.

Buying a House from Your Landlord

Has your landlord offered to sell the house where you live to you? Please call me to learn how my past credit-eligible (not low-income) clients have successfully bought their rented homes from their landlords with far less money required to close.

Safe Closings

You know so much more about your profession than I do, having experienced it from the inside for so long. I may not be familiar with best practices in some disciplines, but local professionals are. You see, my business focus since 2006 has been in Metro Atlanta Residential Real Estate, keeping informed of industry changes nationwide, the Atlanta Market, compliance with the rules of the Georgia Real Estate Commission, tactics to protect against rampant fraudulent activity such as deposit and earnest money theft, ways to protect my clients, and more. Apply my years of training, experience, and other resources in the safe pursuit of your homeownership goals in Metro Atlanta.

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770.271.2156

Write to Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, Solomon Greene

Frequently Asked Questions about Buying a House

How much house can I afford?

The lender will consider the applicant's credit score and debt-to-income ratios when assessing affordability. They'll determine the applicant's gross monthly income over the past 24 months using submitted pay stubs and tax returns and then calculate how much of that gross income will go toward housing expenses. This "front-end ratio" is calculated by dividing the total estimated monthly principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and HOA payments by gross monthly income. For conventional mortgages, a ratio of 28 or less is ideal; for FHA and VA Loans, it is usually a maximum of 31, and for USDA Loans, 34.

The lender will also divide the sum of the principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA, and all other monthly debt obligations by gross monthly income to arrive at the "back-end ratio." The lender will look for a back-end ratio at or below 43 for conventional and FHA Mortgages, and at or below 41 for VA and USDA Mortgages.

Please don't be dismayed if your ratios exceed these limits for a property of interest. Underwriters can often approve borrowers with better credit scores, higher incomes, or other circumstances for higher ratios. Please call or write me when you're ready to discuss this confidentially with a local mortgage lender.

How do I figure out the mortgage payment on a property of interest?

The MLS listing should include the list price, property taxes, and information on homeowners' association dues. The Mortgage Calculator Page also displays the latest national interest rates, which you can use to estimate your monthly mortgage payment, including principal, interest, and taxes. Insurance rates, however, vary widely, often by area, property, and more. Contact an agent for more information on typical insurance rates in an area.

Where can I find real estate listings of historic homes for sale in Gwinnett County, GA?

Buford, Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Norcross, GA, are among the oldest in Metro Atlanta and great starting points for finding historic homes for sale, with designs that may include Cape Cod, Levittown, and split-level styles. Unfortunately, there is no menu choice for the term "historic" in Georgia MLS, so a little research may be required. The Buford, Central Gwinnett, Duluth, Discovery, and Norcross High School Clusters serve some charming older areas of the county, but, of course, your best resource for such an endeavor is a Gwinnett County-based real estate agent.

Where can I find real estate listings of houses with basements for sale, foreclosure homes, or land lots for sale in Gwinnett County, GA?

This Georgia MLS Real Estate Search Tool allows visitors to choose "Land and Lot" as the search type in the lower-left corner, "Foreclosure" in the second column from the right, and "has basement" in the third column from the right at the bottom to search and browse properties throughout Metro Atlanta.

Where can I find real estate listings for luxury homes for sale in Gwinnett County, GA?

Many luxury homes for sale in Gwinnett County are outside neighborhoods. While neither MLS system has a "luxury" menu option, this query returns listings of luxury homes for sale in Gwinnett County priced above $1,000,000.

Where can I find real estate listings of ranch homes for sale?

Many of the ranches for sale can be found on some of the Gwinnett County City Pages, the Master-Planned Communities Page, and they'll be added to other pages soon.

"Please call or write me today to get your Gwinnett County Home Buying Search underway."