Below are buttons with resources that you can download to give to your clients to make them feel as prepared as possible. Please click the buttons below to download a list of what to bring to the first meeting with a mortgage specialist, as well as a list of key terms that they may hear when purchasing a home:
The HGTV Effect
Twenty years after it first premiered on September 30, 1999, HGTV’s House Hunters continues to offer an idealized glimpse into a far from the truth process of purchasing one’s first home.
On House Hunters we tend to see either the classic nuclear family that is looking to move onto bigger and better things compared to their first family home or the newlyweds looking to move into a house that reflects their respective parents’ homes. In summary, shows like House Hunters create an on-screen utopia that far from mimics the current housing market; as well as, perpetuates many of the classic myths about first-time home buyers.
More often than not, shows on HGTV have a first-time home buyer couple with a very modest budget accompanied by what can be imagined as a very modest income. While at the same time, this couple wants a granite counter-top, a pool in the back yard, a walk-in closet and finally, enough bedrooms for their growing family — all within their modest budget.
However, this is not the reality for most first-time home buyers today. While speaking with a mortgage specialist from TD Bank, he argued that first-time home buyers today have normalized expectations because of the stress test. Although first-time home buyers are used to living in their parents’ homes, they understand the importance of not being “mortgage poor.”
As REALTORS®, it is important to continue to de-bunk myths perpetuated by the media. A great way to accomplish this is to help your client be as prepared as possible when going to their first meeting with a mortgage specialist.