Why Fall is the Perfect Time to Start Your Homeownership Journey

With the spring and summer months often busy seasons for home buying, the housing market often cools off in the fall. At Eastbrook Homes, we know October isn’t the most popular time to buy or build a home in West Michigan. Families are focused on back to school and the busy holiday season, and unpredictable weather presents its own challenges. But just because the housing market has cooled off, doesn’t mean your search for the perfect home should, too. 

In fact, if you want to be ready to buy a home in the spring, you should start researching what you want and preparing yourself financially in the fall. There’s no right or wrong way to prepare yourself to buy a home, but there are certainly a few ways you can set yourself up for an easy home-buying or home-building process in the spring or summer.

Read on to learn some of the things you can do in the fall to prepare yourself for a hot spring housing market. 

Start Here When Researching Buying or Building a New Home

Fall is a great time to slow down and do your research before the spring market gets busy. Follow these tips now to ensure success down the road. 

Ask the important, personal questions first.

• Decide whether you’re more interested in buying an existing home or building new. There are pros and cons to both!
• Think about your ideal location, what size home you need, and must-have features
• Start researching communities and home builders
• Begin creating a list of questions you want answered before spring

In the Eastbrook Interactive Home Building Guide, we provide a worksheet that asks those critical questions and helps you narrow down your wants vs. needs. 

Take a closer look at your homebuying budget.

Buying or building a new home is one of the largest investments you will make in your life. Now is the time to ensure you’re financially prepared. Focus on researching your costs now to avoid surprises after you’re ready to make an offer.

• Determine a monthly payment that feels comfortable
• Account for property taxes, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance, HOA fees, and other costs like PMI
• Use a mortgage calculator to experiment with different home prices, down payments, and loan terms

Our Interactive Homeownership Guide includes a mortgage calculator and worksheets to help you start putting real numbers to your homebuying goals.

Start saving for your down payment.

If you don’t already have your savings set aside, the time between fall and spring is when you should focus on strengthening this account.

• Determine how much you want to put down
• Identify potential additional sources of down payment funds
• Consider how your down payment amount affects your loan options and monthly payment

Many buyers believe they must have 20% to put down, but this is not always the case. Now is the perfect time to discuss real down payment options with a lender so you have a target. At Eastbrook Homes, our preferred lenders offer exclusive options to our buyers. Learn more about these offers in our Interactive Homeownership Guide. 

Meet with lenders before you need one.

Don’t wait until you’re ready to make an offer to talk to lenders. You don’t want to feel rushed into any decisions. Give yourself enough time to compare your options. 

• Talk to multiple lenders; you’re not locked into the first one you talked to
• Compare loan programs, interest rates, fees, down payment requirements, and terms
• Ask questions about what you can do between now and spring to become a stronger buyer
• Get pre-approved when you’re ready

Not sure what questions are important to ask a lender? Download our Interactive Homeownership Guide for a lender comparison worksheet and questions to consider.

Research where you want to live.

At Eastbrook Homes, we have dozens of gorgeous communities all across West Michigan and Greater Lansing. Take your time to research neighborhoods that fit into your lifestyle, personality and budget. 

• Explore communities and neighborhoods by touring model homes
• Consider your commute, schools, nearby shopping and recreation, and amenities
• Consult your list of must-haves vs. nice-to-haves when exploring your options
• If building, start exploring home plans and potential homesites

Explore all of our welcoming and beautiful communities. 

Ready to Make Your Spring Homebuying Goals a Reality?

Whether you’re planning to buy or build, fall is the perfect time to start laying the groundwork for your dream home. Once you’ve established your budget and financial goals, Eastbrook Homes can help you explore communities, home plans, and the next steps toward building a home of your own. With our interactive guides, we help take the guesswork out of buying or building a new home, supporting you throughout this process. That’s just another way Eastbrook helps you get more home for the money.