Countdown to Your Move-In Day — A 12 Month Guide
Purchasing a home is a big and important milestone that can make for a very complex and overwhelming experience. But rest assured, we are here to break it down for you and help you know what you should be doing as you countdown to your desired move-in date.
This countdown is a 12 month breakdown of what you should be doing to prepare and meet your deadline. Starting a year from when you hope to move into a new home, follow these steps. Good luck on your journey to home ownership!
One Year Out — 12 Month Countdown
You have lots of time but purchasing a home is a big and important milestone and there are a few things you can do to prepare. The key at this stage is research!
Here’s what you can do to be ready to move into a new home this time next year:
- Find out how much home you can afford with your Nestiny Ready Report™
- Review this Infographic covering the steps of buying a home
- Prepare your questions for choosing a Real Estate Agent
- Understand how you will purchase your home
- Assess your credit standing
9 Month Countdown
Moving into a new home in 9 months may feel like forever from now but it will be here before you know it! Here’s what you can do to make sure you’re ready:
- Create your home wishlist
- Research neighborhoods to pick the best community for you
- Interview & select your Real Estate Agent
- Get familiar with your local market
- Research your local mortgage options (your Agent can help!)
6 Months
If all goes according to plan, you could be moving into your new home in just six months! But that means you have to follow the plan. From here on out, it’s important to make smart financial decisions — save as much money as you can, pay your bills on time and don’t make any big financial changes (be sure to read tip #2 below)!
In addition to making smart financial moves, here’s what you can do now to be ready:
- Get preapproved
- Avoid these 8 ways to kill your loan approval
- Gather documents for your home mortgage loan
- Once you’re preapproved, let the house hunt begin! Learn the 10 commandments of househunting!
3 Months
Remember, timing matters! To meet your goal of moving into a new home in 3 months, keep in mind the time it takes to find THE home, go under contract and apply for a loan. The loan application process takes 30–45 days to complete. This means that you will need to be under contract on your new home at least 30–45 days prior to your desired move-in date/closing. It’s a good idea then to consider searching for homes at least 30 days prior to that, which means if you haven’t started looking for homes yet, now is the time!
- Tour homes until you find the one!
- To meet your deadline, try to make an offer 1–2 months before your desired closing date!
- When you’re under contract, apply for your mortgage loan - be sure to avoid these common mistakes! 1–2 months before closing
- Line up your settlement company or attorney and insurance 1 month before closing (your Agent can help!)
- Transfer Utilities into your name
- Alas, a final walkthrough is the last step before Closing Day!
Want more advice about all things home — including homebuying or selling advice? Nestiny is a great place for homebuyer education and to help you gauge how ready you are to buy a home. Journey Homeward allows you to enter all your wants and needs while the True Affordability Tool will break down your budget, showing what you can comfortably afford. You will also receive a Ready Report that will give you a vital head start in the home buying journey, saving you valuable time and money.
