Steps to Buying a Home in Westmoreland County

Step 1

Work out what you can afford

Start with the monthly payment rather than the purchase price, because the price is only part of what you pay. A mortgage payment in Pennsylvania usually bundles four things: principal, interest, property taxes and homeowners insurance. If you put down less than 20 percent you will likely add mortgage insurance on top.

Property taxes deserve particular attention here. Westmoreland County homeowners pay county, municipal and school district taxes, and the school district portion is usually the largest of the three. Two houses at the same price in different districts can carry noticeably different monthly costs. Ask for the actual tax figures on any home you are serious about rather than working from an estimate.

Set aside a separate cushion for closing costs and moving expenses. Closing costs are paid at settlement and are not rolled into the loan unless you negotiate for that specifically.

Step 2

Get pre-approved, not just pre-qualified

These two words get used interchangeably and they are not the same thing. A pre-qualification is an informal estimate based on numbers you tell the lender. A pre-approval means the lender has actually reviewed your income documents, assets and credit and has committed to a loan amount in writing.

Sellers treat the two very differently. In a competitive situation, an offer backed by a pre-approval letter is taken seriously and one backed by a pre-qualification often is not.

Step 3

Choose a REALTOR® and sign a buyer agreement

Not every licensed agent is a REALTOR®. A REALTOR® is a licensed agent who belongs to the National Association of REALTORS® and has agreed to follow its Code of Ethics, which goes beyond what state licensing law requires. Read more about that difference here.

Following the industry practice changes that took effect in 2024, buyers now sign a written agreement with their agent before touring homes. That agreement spells out what the agent will do for you and how they are paid. Read it, ask questions about anything that is unclear, and understand that its terms are negotiable. Your agent should welcome those questions.

A good buyer agent knows which municipalities have which quirks, what recent comparable homes actually sold for rather than what they were listed at, and which inspectors and lenders return calls. In a county with as much variation as Westmoreland, that local knowledge is most of the value.

Step 4

Check whether you qualify for assistance

Pennsylvania runs one of the more generous first-time buyer systems in the country through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, and a surprising number of buyers never look into it. For most PHFA programs, a first-time buyer means someone who has not owned a principal residence in the past three years. That requirement is waived for veterans and for buyers purchasing in designated target areas.

PHFA offers fixed-rate first mortgages, then layers down payment and closing cost assistance on top of them. Two worth knowing about:

• K-FIT provides 5 percent of the lesser of the purchase price or appraised value toward down payment and closing costs, with no maximum dollar limit. It is a second mortgage that is forgiven at 10 percent per year over ten years, so if you stay in the home a decade you repay nothing.
• Keystone Advantage Assistance offers down payment and closing cost help at a 0 percent interest rate, and pairs with several PHFA first mortgage programs.

Programs, income limits and purchase price limits change from year to year, so confirm current terms with a PHFA participating lender rather than relying on any article, including this one. PHFA also requires homebuyer education for borrowers below a certain credit score, and it is worth taking whether or not it is required of you.

See current PHFA programs

Step 5

Start touring homes

Go in with a written list separating what you need from what you would like. Layout, number of bedrooms, commute and school district are hard to change. Paint colors, countertops and landscaping are not.

Visit at different times of day and on different days of the week. A street that is quiet on a Sunday afternoon can be a very different place at 7:30 on a Tuesday morning. Look at the things that are expensive to fix and easy to overlook: the age and condition of the roof, the furnace and water heater, signs of water in the basement, and the condition of the electrical panel. Ask what the utility bills have run over the last twelve months.

Step 6

Make an offer

Your agent will prepare an Agreement of Sale. Price is only one of its terms, and in a competitive situation it is often not the deciding one. Settlement date, the size of your deposit, which contingencies you include and how long you have to satisfy them all shape how attractive your offer looks.

You will put down earnest money, a deposit that shows you are serious. It is held in escrow and credited toward your purchase at settlement.

Contingencies are the conditions that let you walk away and recover that deposit if something goes wrong. The common ones cover mortgage approval, the inspection results and the appraisal. Waiving contingencies makes an offer more competitive and it transfers real risk onto you. Understand exactly what you are giving up before you agree to it.

Step 7

Inspections

A home inspection is not required in Pennsylvania and skipping it is one of the more expensive mistakes a buyer can make. The seller disclosure tells you what the seller knows about. An inspection tells you what they may not.

Attend the inspection if you can. A report is useful and walking the house with the inspector is far more useful, because you learn which findings are routine maintenance and which ones matter.

Beyond the general inspection, consider radon testing, which is worth taking seriously in Western Pennsylvania, along with a sewer lateral scope on older homes, a well and septic inspection where applicable, and a wood-destroying insect inspection, which many lenders require anyway.

When results come back, you generally have the option to request repairs, request a credit, renegotiate the price, or withdraw under your inspection contingency.

Step 8

Appraisal and final loan approval

Your lender orders an appraisal to confirm the home is worth what you have agreed to pay. If it appraises at or above the purchase price, the process moves forward. If it comes in low, you and the seller will need to renegotiate, you can make up the difference in cash, or you may be able to withdraw depending on your contingency.

Underwriting runs in parallel. Respond to document requests quickly, because delays here are the single most common reason settlements get pushed back. Keep your finances still until you have the keys.

Step 9

Title, insurance and the final walkthrough

A title search confirms the seller can actually convey clear ownership and surfaces any liens, easements or claims against the property. Title insurance protects you against problems the search does not catch. In Pennsylvania most residential settlements are handled by a title company rather than requiring an attorney, though you are always free to have one review your documents.

You will also need a homeowners insurance policy in place before settlement. Shop it rather than accepting the first quote.

Do the final walkthrough shortly before closing. You are checking that agreed repairs were completed, that nothing has been damaged during the move out, and that whatever was supposed to convey with the house is still there.

Step 10

Closing day

At settlement you sign the loan documents and the deed transfer, pay your closing costs and remaining down payment, and receive the keys. Bring government-issued photo identification and certified funds or a wire in the amount your title company confirms directly with you.

You will receive a Closing Disclosure from your lender in advance. Compare it against your Loan Estimate and ask about anything that has moved. That is what the document is for.

Once you have moved in, contact the Westmoreland County assessment office about the homestead and farmstead exclusion, which can reduce the school district portion of your property tax bill on your primary residence. It is not automatic and you have to apply.