Abilene Texas, Home to over 117,000 residents is one of the fastest growing cities in Texas. The areas of Abilene that see the most growth are southwest, along Southwest Drive, the Winters Freeway, and the Buffalo Gap Road corridor; the southeast, along Loop 322, Oldham Lane, Industrial Drive, and Maple Street; and in the northeast near the intersection of SH 351 and I-20. Many developments have begun in these three areas within the last few years. There are three lakes in the city, Lytle Lake on the western edge of Abilene Regional Airport, Kirby Lake on the southeast corner of the US 83/84 & Loop 322 interchange, and Lake Fort Phantom Hill in Jones County in north Abilene.

While Abilene is a wonderful place to live and call home with all our parks, zoos and activities, now is a great time to consider buying or selling your Abilene home.

When buying you need to know some tips and tricks to make the process much more smooth. Buying a home right is a little like extreme couponing. You need to find the right deal at the right time as long as you are ready to buy.

How do you know you're ready to buy?

Make sure you have your finances in place ahead of time. Knowing how much you can afford before you look will give you that jump on your competition that may need to apply for a loan before making an offer on a home. When the right place does come along you want all your ducks in a row. The right house may only be on the market a day or two before it's snatched up and you want to be that lucky buyer!

Make sure you have some extra cash for earnest money deposits, inspection costs and anything the may be unexpected. Depending on the amount of home you want to buy it's helpful to have about 1-3% of the purchase price in cash if you can. Sellers like buyers that have a little extra and are prepared and your offer will be taken more seriously.

Don't let your emotions get in the way of the right home. Remember, the right home may not be the first home you offer on or even the second. There are many steps to the home buying process until closing and any one of those could bring the entire transaction to a halt. It's easy to get emotionally attached to a great home but try to keep calm throughout the process. The inspection may prove that this is a home not worth the work or that the sellers want too much for the market value. Regardless it helps not to let your hopes get too high until you are actually handed the keys.

This is not to say that you shouldn't be excited. Home buying in Abilene is a great adventure and with the right agent can be an easy and fun process.

The right agent can make all the difference!

Once you have your finances in place make sure you enlist the help of a qualified and experienced buyers agent. Knowing the process and the area can really make a world of difference when buying Abilene homes. You will know what's for sale, what it should be priced at, and how to best negotiate with the sellers. And remember, using a buyers agent is always FREE!

So get started today in applying for a home loan, shopping for rates and browsing Abilene listings. At Coldwell Banker we are dedicated to our buyers and sellers for their best interest and priorities. Contact us today at: Office: 325-690-4000 / Toll-Free: 800-473-4663 | info@CBabilene.com  or send us an email below for anything Abilene real estate related.