5 Home-Buying Myths to Ignore |

Real estate is full of myths, particularly when it comes to buying a home. Check out these five home-buying myths it’s safe to ignore in 2022.

5 Home-Buying Myths to Ignore

If you’re like many people, you don’t buy homes every day. that means you may not be incredibly familiar with all the ins and outs of the process, so check out these five common home-buying myths you should ignore:

Your credit score needs to be high to buy a home.
The highest offer always wins.
Waiving a home inspection might be a good idea.
It’s cheaper to rent than to own.
You need a 20 percent down payment.

Scroll down for a closer look at each.

$1,200,000

5 Bedrooms
6 Bathrooms
5,748 Sq Ft
8.870 Acres

1700 N Newton St. Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Larry Carpenter III from Carpenter Realty LLC.

$596,000

4 Bedrooms
4 Bathrooms
5,029 Sq Ft
2.295 Acres

515 N Weisheit Drive W Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Stacey Thieman-Wright from THIEMAN REALTY.

$469,000

4 Bedrooms
5 Bathrooms
3,849 Sq Ft
0.557 Acres

4288 W Anya Court Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Linda Schroering from CENTURY 21 SCHROERING REALTY.

$425,000

6 Bedrooms
4 Bathrooms
3,780 Sq Ft
0.570 Acres

4807 Killarney Court Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Jake Mauntel from American Dream Mauntel Realty.

$400,000

4 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
3,490 Sq Ft
0.353 Acres

307 Newton Street Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Tama Stemle from RE/MAX Local.

$279,900

3 Bedrooms
5 Bathrooms
2,867 Sq Ft
0.800 Acres

4180 Timberpoint Court Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Melody Faulk from RE/MAX Local.

$274,900

3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
1,365 Sq Ft
0.490 Acres

1443 Dexter Court Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Adam Boyd from BOYD REALTY & DEVELOPMENT LLC.

$244,900

3 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
2,564 Sq Ft
0.440 Acres

3422 Lakeside Dr Drive Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Diana Feuerbach from Key Associates of Rockport IN.

$237,000

4 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
2,577 Sq Ft
0.900 Acres

1486 3rd Avenue Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Steve Lukemeyer from F.C. TUCKER EMGE.

$219,000

4 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
2,100 Sq Ft
0.110 Acres

214 W 9th Street Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Ruger Kerstiens from F.C. TUCKER EMGE.

$199,900

2 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
1,266 Sq Ft

903-3 Reyling Drive Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Kara Hinshaw from Key Associates Signature Realty.

$199,500

4 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
2,280 Sq Ft
0.130 Acres

610 E Fourteenth Street Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Ryan Craig from RE/MAX Local.

$197,000

2 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
2,568 Sq Ft
0.190 Acres

1031 DORBETT Street Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Connie Thewes from HOFFMAN & MULLEN REALTY INC.

$195,000

3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
2,440 Sq Ft
0.920 Acres

1766 W State Road 56 Highway Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Linda Schroering from CENTURY 21 SCHROERING REALTY.

$189,000

2 Bedrooms
1 Bathrooms
1,146 Sq Ft
1.130 Acres

6142 N Old Rd. 45 Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Larry Carpenter III from Carpenter Realty LLC.

Home-Buying Myth #1: Your Credit Score Needs to Be High to Buy a Home

You don’t need an exceptionally high credit score to buy a home. In fact, many people are approved with credit scores in the 640 range. However, you do need to know that the higher your credit score is, the lower your interest rates are likely to be. Lenders are typically more willing to offer favorable terms to people with higher credit scores.

Home-Buying Myth #2: The Highest Offer Always Wins

contrary to popular belief, the highest offer doesn’t always win. In fact, some sellers aren’t only interested in money; sometimes they simply want someone who can close according to their schedule or who will love and care for the home the way they did. Naturally, you should always put out your best offer – but don’t count yourself out if someone comes along and offers more.

Home-Buying Myth #3: Waiving a Home Inspection Might Be a Good Idea

Sometimes buyers believe that if they waive their right to a home inspection, a seller will be more likely to accept their offer. However, it’s almost always a mistake to waive your right to a home inspection. That’s because the inspection is your one chance to get a good look at everything that may be wrong with the home before you buy. If a home has issues, you can ask the seller to repair them, give you a credit so you can repair them, or lower the asking price. Without an inspection, though, you’ve lost any recourse you had – and you likely won’t find out about the home’s issues until you’re all settled in.

Home-Buying Myth #4: It’s Cheaper to Rent Than to Own

Although sometimes it’s cheaper to pay rent than to make a mortgage payment, over the long term, it’s usually better to buy. If you plan to live in a home for a couple years or more, you may be better off buying. You should talk to a real estate agent and a lender to find out how much house you can afford.

Home-Buying Myth #5: You Need a 20 Percent Down Payment

Although a 20 percent down payment is the gold standard, you don’t necessarily need that much to purchase a home. In fact, there are loan programs that allow you to buy with as little as 3 percent down – and some with nothing down (such as the VA loan program).

You do need to know, though, that if you put down less than 20 percent (outside some government-backed loan programs) your lender may require you to purchase private mortgage insurance.

Are You Thinking of Buying a Home in Dubois County?

Use our site to search homes for sale in Jasper, Dubois, Spencer, Martin and Davis counties, as well as all the surrounding communities. Unlike the “big name” sites out there, at Sell 4 Free Welsh Realty, our site is directly connected to our local MLS. We update it with new homes every hour.

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