CC Sunscreens has been in the business of helping Arizonans live more comfortably since 1992. We are proud to be a family-run, locally-owned business. All of our employees are committed to honesty, service, and integrity to our neighbors here in the Valley of the Sun. We serve the entire Phoenix metropolitan area and beyond from Queencreek, Sun City, Buckeye, to Cave Creek and all the surrounding areas.

Get Financially Organized

While part of home buying is finding a space that will help you realize your dreams, before you start browsing real estate listings, it is important to have a solid picture of your finances in order. A big part of securing a mortgage and finalizing a sale will depend on you being financially organized. Lenders are looking for a good credit history, as well as steady, stable income. Before you shop for a home, do what you can to repair credit damage and get your income records in order.

You will also want to spend time saving for a down payment on a home. If homeownership is your goal, build your monthly budget around an aggressive savings plan for the purpose of accumulating a significant down payment. While different lending programs can offer home mortgages with greatly reduced down payment requirements, the standard for a conventional mortgage is having 20% of a home’s cost up front.

While you are going through the homebuying process, you’ll also want to avoid making other major purchases to avoid dips in your credit history. Mortgage offers can fall apart at the last minute due to sudden credit fluctuations before you close on a home. The safest path to a successful closing is to focus on buying your home and put off other major purchases until after the process is complete – after doing the work to find the home you want, you don’t want it to slip through your fingers.

Have a Mortgage Plan

Finding the right mortgage for your needs will involve some work but taking the time to compare your options could save you a lot of money over the course of your loan. Once you’ve put your finances in order, your income and down payment savings will help you determine your budget. Be cautious when planning your house buying budget – you don’t want to come up short when it comes to covering the extra expenses involved in a new home, like closing fees and moving costs.

When you know how much you can spend on a home, shop around and compare mortgages. Going with the first option you find or with an establishment you bank with may not give you the best deal, so it always pays to compare interest rates and terms. Lenders will want to see your financial picture, so be sure to keep it available and organized. Once you’ve compared several options, you’ll want to seek a mortgage loan pre-approval letter from the establishment offering you the best rates – even small differences in a percentage point can save you thousands of dollars over the course of your loan.

Being pre-approved for a mortgage is different from being “pre-qualified”. Pre-approval comes with a lender’s commitment to an offered amount and interest rate, provided your financial information remains stable. “Pre-qualified” holds no commitments or set terms. While a mortgage pre-approval letter is often required to put in a serious offer on a house, “pre-qualified” holds no such weight.

Shop Smart

Once you know how much you can spend on a home and you have a pre-approved mortgage offer in hand, it’s time to start shopping. Don’t fall in love with pictures on a website – you will need to see a house in person to understand the location and condition of the house, as well as whether or not you would like to live there.

It is also important to stick to your budget when shopping. Remember, if a home you like is out of reach, there is still the potential you can negotiate with the seller for a lower price. A personal letter submitted with your offer can explain what you like about the home to show the seller your interest. Many homeowners want to find buyers who will love and maintain their house.

You’ll also want to have any home you make an offer on professionally inspected for potential structural problems or oversights. An inspection can give you a thorough picture of the state of the home. If something fails inspection, it can either save you the repair cost or be a bargaining chip in your favor when negotiating the price of the house.