OKC Is One of the Best Cities for First-Time Homebuyers

We already know the value of living in the Oklahoma City area, but the rest of the country is cluing into our previously best-kept secret. For people who are looking to buy a home, here’s one more reason to move here (and into a Homes By Taber home). OKC is one of the best cities for first-time homebuyers. In fact, it’s #2 on SmartAsset’s Top 10 list! 

In its 5th annual study, SmartAsset ranked OKC second for the third year in a row. Why is our city so consistently a great choice for first-time homebuyers?

“Oklahoma City ranks better than any other top 10 city in the metric of value per square foot. Oklahoma City also has the lowest level of market volatility of any city in the top 10. Market volatility was at 0.70% from 2013 to 2018.”

SmartAsset looked at a list of criteria to determine the top cities:

• The number of lenders approved to offer HUD loans, which allow for zero down payment in rural areas, a definite plus for buyers who haven’t saved up enough for a conventional home loan.
• Loan-to-funding ratios, which show the number of loans that are funded by the number of applications submitted. A lower ratio means lenders are doing more to help buyers along the path to homeownership.
• Average price per square foot, using Zillow data
• Housing affordability, a comparison of median household income to median housing costs within the first 5 years of ownership—a great way to see your total cost of owning a home
• Homeowner stability, or how long homeowners keep their homes combined with those having negative equity (homes are not increasing in value and/or owners are taking out second mortgages)
• Home price volatility, a measurement of price changes from one quarter to the next
• The number of negative quarters over the past six years, showing a pattern of falling home prices, which isn’t happening in OKC!

Are you thinking about buying your first home? With mortgage rates so low, now is a great time to buy a home. A good start is to talk to a lender or to one of Homes by Taber’s Community Sales Managers. You might be more prepared than you expected. A mortgage lender will review your situation and show you the loan programs that might be best suited for you. FHA loans require only 3.5% down if your credit score is 570 or above. You could still get an FHA loan if your score is between 500 and 569, by paying a 10% down payment—still well below a conventional loan! There are SO many loan programs out there that you owe it to yourself to learn more. We recommend Great Plains Bank because they’ve been reliable, professional, and hard-working for Homes By Taber’s homebuyers and give our homeowners a $2,000 lender credit to use towards their purchase.

Imagine buying a new construction home as a first-time homebuyer. You get everything exactly the way you want it—100% move-in ready! No weekend projects to do or costly remodeling. And everything is covered by our builder warranty, which used homes do not have. 

Start by talking to Frankie Lewis and he’ll give you all the details you need. Look at our communities and floor plans, including the interactive design feature on each one so you can change it around. If you’re ready to move soon, check out our selection of move-in ready homes for sale right now.

Living in OKC is great for so many reasons. If you’re a first-time homebuyer, we hope to show you how much you living you can experience here.