The first and most important step in buying a home is to get pre-approved by a lender for a mortgage. This can be directly from a bank or credit union you do business with or through a mortgage broker. Getting pre-approved will let you know how much house you can afford or, better yet, how much of a house you feel comfortable with. The lender or mortgage broker will give you an idea of what your monthly costs will be and will give you a TRID form, which gives you an idea of closing costs to let you know how much money you will need to bring to the closing table to finalize your purchase.
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