Getting ready to buy a home can be stressful and complicated. With so many details and decisions to make, it's no wonder why potential buyers often feel overwhelmed. This spring season, don’t let the high demand of the residential real estate market cause you stress or prevent you from landing your dream home.

Here are 5 tips to help you navigate the buying process.

Tip #1: Work With Real Estate Agent Early On

A real estate agent will be an invaluable resource throughout every step of the buying process. They have quick access to listings before they hit major online listings, and they can also explain how the bidding process works.

Tip #2: Prioritize Your Needs

Before you start shopping, it’s important to know what your priorities

While house hunting, you might have seen some listings of homes sold “as is.” Home buyers might find these types of homes attractive because they’re typically priced lower than similar houses. Before you purchase an “as is” home, you must be able to decipher if the home is sketchy or not.

Here’s what to watch for if you plan to purchase a home as is.

Potential Foundation Problems

Correcting foundation problems is one of the most expensive repairs you can do to your property. The foundation of a house is one of the most, if not the most important, part of a house. Purchasing a home with a faulty foundation can cause you thousands of dollars to fix the problem.

All poured concrete foundations will crack sooner or later, but hairline cracks

If you are looking to buy a home but are worried that you can't afford monthly payments, why not consider a foreclosure as your first home?

A foreclosed home is usually owned by a bank or lender and sold at prices way below its market value. Who knows, you may just hit the jackpot by purchasing a residence that would have been out of your price range. 

Here are the top reasons you should consider foreclosed properties as a first-time buyer.

How Buying a Foreclosure Works

A foreclosure happens when a borrower fails to pay their monthly payments. The lender then exercises his right to seize the property and resell it to recover or reduce its financial losses.

Foreclosed properties are usually put up for auction, which means that lenders

In many regions of Tennessee, residents definitely need a vehicle to get around. Sprawling cities, patchy sidewalks, limited public transportation, and a lack of proper pedestrian infrastructures can make walking a challenge and a potential safety hazard. However, given the personal and environmental benefits of walking daily, it’s well worth it to dedicate some extra time when house hunting to find a home in a walkable neighborhood.

Why walk when you can drive?

Walking often reduces body weight, elevates the mood, improves balance, strengthens muscles, improves bone density, and develops coordination over time. Walking can fend off heart disease, reduce high blood pressure, and improve our body’s response to insulin, which, along with lowered

When it comes to home buying it feels like there are already limitless decisions to comb through of wants, needs, hopes, and budgets. While it can feel like there isn’t an easy way to start narrowing down what you are going to prioritize looking at or searching for, there is one important distinction that, if an obvious choice comes to you, you could easily mitigate a lot of time-wasting in the process. That decision is whether or not you are interested in a new construction home, or a resale home. Below we’ve laid out some of the biggest benefits about each type of home-buying. We hope this helps make your decision even a tiny bit easier! 

Perks of New Construction Homes

The “Green” Aspect

Whether it’s more on a cost basis or an

Millennials, you’re buying your first homes! Congratulations: it’s exciting to see so many of you settling in. If you’re a millennial who is trying to decide when you’re ready to buy your first house, Parks has you covered with our First Home Purchaser’s Readiness Checklist. 

Financial Readiness

Financial readiness is, without a doubt, the most important factor in successfully purchasing your first home without experiencing the pangs of buyer’s remorse that are felt by a reported 81% of millennial homeowners. 

Take the following steps to prepare yourself financially for homeownership.

• Reduce or eliminate all other debt.

High-interest consumer debt, student loans, and sizable car payments will all affect your ability to