Currently, there are 125 homes on the market in the city of Walnut, California. Prices range from $319,000 for a 2 bedrooms, 1 bath condominium of 878 square feet to $2,188,888 for a home with 6385 square feet, 7 bedrooms and 6 baths. Walnut is a suburb about 30 miles outside of Los Angeles. Homes here are desirable because Walnut Valley Unified School District schools are sought after by parents with children. Also, the homes are newer, with homes built in the 1980's and 1990's. The older neigborhoods are homes built in the 60's and 70's. People who live here like the neatness of the tract homes. However, if you to see a variety of home styles, Walnut's uniformity will not impress you.

We are finally at the last step of the home buying process! It has been a long road. There were probably several obstacles that you had to overcome. You may have had problems with the loan process, or the home inspection, or with coordinating the move. Problems during a transaction are normal. It is rare to experience a transaction that went perfect. There is always something unanticipated that comes up. Do not lose sleep over these problems. There are always ways to solve it.

In this last article on the buying process, I want to talk about moving into your new home. If you are purchasing a resale (not a brand new development), I can guarantee you there will be something wrong with the house. It may be something minor like a dent in the wall or stain on the carpet you did not see before. It may even be a more major issue such as a plumbing or electrical problem. Do not panic!

Remember, you are buying a used house. It is like buying a used car. Anything that goes wrong can be fixed. If a home warranty plan was purchased, be sure you call the home warranty company first. If it is covered by the plan, you will only have to pay for the service fee of about $50.

If you discover a problem within the first few days, and it looks like a pre-existing condition that was not disclosured by the seller, contact your agent and see if it is something the seller should be responsible for.

Do not assume that the seller should have the house in perfect condition for you, and anything that goes wrong is the responsibility of the seller. As I said, you are purchasing a used house. I've seen incidences where everything worked fine at the final walk through, but when the buyers moved in, the air-conditioning stopped working. In my own purchase, the pool filter went out within a month after we moved in. That is a normal part of homeownership.

You will experience many more such challenges (or headaches!) owning your own home. But remember, the benefits of home ownership outweighs all the problems. Don't let the fixing and cleaning overwhelm you. Sit back and enjoy your home. Reflect on how fortunate you are to be one of the few who can actually hold a title deed to your own home.

As you begin your search for your house, there are three cautions:

1. Do not make any changes in your financial status or your employment status.
I've had clients charge new furniture on their credit card in anticipation for the move, and thus affected their loan qualification. Another buyer of mine lost his job and failed to tell me because he expected to get another job fairly quickly. Such information, even if it is a positive change such as a pay increase or promotion, need to be communicated to the lender and agent. You want to make sure the paperwork is current, and everyone who is working for you have accurate information. You do not want surprises during escrow.

2. Do not try to find the perfect house. There will be things in a home that you like, and that you will not like. Even if you built your own custom home, you will find things you don't like after you lived there for a while. If the house meets your basic requirements and is in the location you want within your price range, do not be afraid to make an offer.

3. Do not be afraid to ask questions. As a agent who has done hundreds of transactions, I sometimes assume my clients know what I mean when I use real estate terms such as title, escrow, deposit, etc. I rather my clients ask me than be confused. If you want more information about such things as the neighborhood, the schools, the homeowner's association, your agent may not know all the answers, but he/she should be able to direct you to the proper sources.

Once you've determined your location and your price range, the next step is to choose an agent.

As a buyer, you are not obligated to any agent. However, it is best to work with one agnet exclusively. Calling different agents is like going to a dfferent dentist every time you need to see a dentist. Your real estate agent is a professional with whom you build a relationship. The agent should be someone who is well-acquainted with the area you want to buy, has strong experience in the field, is trustworthy, and a personality that you feel comfortable with. A recommendation from a friend who has had experience with the agent is usually the best way to choose an agent.

While you may begin your house search on the internet, finding a house you like is only 10% of the house buying process. Eventually you will need to agent to represent you. So I suggest you choose an agent first, and he/she will provide the expertise that you need while you can still do your own homework of searching on the internet.

In determining the location you want to buy in, a primary consideration is the proximity to your workplace.

You may want to buy in a neighborhood that is affordable and desirable, but if it is demands a long commute to work, would you have time left each day to enjoy the amenities? Check out carpool options, public transportation, and working from home possibilities before you buy a house where it requires a long drive during rush hour. During inclement weather seasons, it is not only frustrating but downright dangerous to drive a long ways home. I've had clients who said they don't mind a longer commute if they can get a nicer home further from work. But after a few months, they are ready to move or find another job. Make sure you are realistic in determining the location of where you want to buy your home.

Now that you are prequalified for a loan, we can start talking about looking for a house.

The first step in looking for a house is to determine the location. One of the top reasons in determining a location is the school district. Most people who do not have children do not consider this factor. However, I have many clients who sell their houses with me tell me that they are selling in order to move to a school district they prefer. Inevitably they will tell me that had they researched the school systems when they bought their house, they would have bought in the district they preferred in the first place. "We didn't know," they say. "We were just looking for a house we liked."

So I am telling you so you will know. Check out the school districts. Ask your friends with children and see what they say about the schools. Even if you end up not having children to take advantage of the school district, don't forget that resale value of your home has a lot to do with the value of the location within preferred school districts.

When should you start actually looking at houses? Not yet.

When you are prequalified with a lender, they would have told you the price of home you can afford, and what your monthly payment will be. Are you comfortable with that monthly payment? For some, what they can qualify for is higher than what their budget allows. For a full documentation loan with good credit, a lender will qualify you with a debt ratio of 48%. That means all your monthly debts payments combined - house payment, property taxes, homeowner's insurance, plus any other monthly obligations that you have such as car payment, credit card payments, etc - do not exceed 49% of your monthly gross income. This doesn't take into consideration what you might need to spend on other essentials, such as car insurance and food! Some lenders will even qualify you with a debt ratio of over 48%. I've seen buyers qualify for loans with a 60% debt raio because of their good credit.

The price of home you should look for is the one with the payment you qualify for or the one with the payment you feel comfortable with, which ever is LESS. I may qualify for a loan amount of $600,000 with a monthly payment of $4000, but I may only feel my budget allows a monthly payment of $3000. So the loan amount I should get is $450,000.

Now that you know what loan amount you can get, add on top of that the amount of cash investment, or down payment, and you will arrive at the price of home you should be shopping for.