Inspira Group Orange County Real Estate Blog

Getting a home inspection is an integral part of the home buying process. A home inspection is a detailed examination of the present condition of the home for sale and is intended to identify any components or systems that could be deficient or unsafe. By identifying these components during a home inspection, the potential home buyer can determine the integrity of the home.

Knowing what to look for during a home inspection is extremely important for homebuyers so that what they think that they are buying and what they are actually buying matches in reality. There are three main categories that should be evaluated during a home inspection:

There are many intricacies within the home buying process, yet it seems that most are related to obtaining the right home loan.  Many first time buyers have a preconceived notion that a 20% down payment is required for a home loan, which is not true.  You can, in fact, obtain a home loan with less than a 20% down payment, which typically would have mortgage insurance. However, there are a couple of ways to avoid mortgage insurance when you put less than 20% down.

First-time home buyers often turn to Google to answer the multitude of questions like “How do I buy a home?” “How do I get a home loan?” “Where do I start if I want to buy a home?” The opportunity with Google is that it can lead you to reliable resources like blog articles, news articles, and more, however, there is also some inaccurate and misleading information out there.

A specific topic that first-time home buyers may be misinformed on is, “How much do I need as a down payment for a home?”. I often see posts that say that a minimum of 20% (of the home price) is required for a down payment when purchasing a home. Is this really true?

No, it’s not! In fact, there are many ways that you can buy a home with less than 20% down.

You’re there – you’ve done it! Your offer has been accepted, and now that you’re going through the loan process, the concept of an escrow/impound account will be brought up (not to be confused with escrow, which means the company that is a 3rd neutral party who coordinates the closing of a real estate transaction).