You've picked a great time to buy your first home. Despite steady increase of home prices, lower interest rates have kept the costs of home ownership at near historic minimum. You can enjoy peace of mind working with your Prudential Orchid Isle Properties agent, an industry leader in experience and service.

Here are some tips to help you with the process:

Get prequalified for a mortgage
Being pre qualified for a mortgage determines how much house you can afford. It also allows you to move more swiftly when you find the right house, especially in this active market when you aren't the only interested Buyer.

Shop around for mortgage rates and terms
A difference of even half a percentage point can make a huge difference in how much you pay over the life of a loan. For example, the difference in the monthly payment on a $100,000 mortgage at 8 percent vs. 7.5 percent is about $35 per month. Over 25 years, that's $10,500. Well worth shopping around.

What helps or hurts the resale value
An example is, In some areas, a swimming pool actually detracts from a home's value and makes the home harder to sell. Another example is in neighborhoods with two-car attached garages, a single-car or detached garage may impact the home sale and future value. Your Realtor® can point out features that hurt, as well as those which help, the resale value in the future.