The Buyer Experience

A home is much more than the sum of its parts. It's not about room dimensions, fixtures and wall colors. It's about that feeling you get when you walk through the front door, that almost tangible sense of rightness that comes from being able to imagine your life unfolding in the spaces before you. It's more than just real estate, it's your life and dreams – and sometimes you need a little help in making your vision of your future come true.  Because of that, we make sure that you understand each of steps that we take make the process as easy and painless as possible. 

Needs and Wants

Let’s get to know each other, and let’s focus on your search and determine what your wants and needs are in a home.  Need to move for a job?  First-time buyer?  Getting married?  Need to upgrade or downsize?

 

We’ll cover it all!

Pre-Qualification

We can introduce you to a mortgage expert, who can help you determine how much you can borrow and thus a sales price range.  Be prepared to dig into paperwork during this part of the process such as pay stubs, W-2’s and tax returns.  The lender will do a thorough review of this paperwork and then will tell you what he/she can get you approved for, and may suggest different loan options.

 

This is a really important part of the Buying Process.

Listing Alerts

At this stage of the process we’ll send you notifications of listings that meet your search criteria in real time when they come on the market.  Be sure to let us know if one (or more) of these jumps out at you.

 

Let’s schedule some showings!

Schedule Showings and Attend Open Houses

We’ll attend open houses together and schedule showings of the homes, you’ve loved from the listing alerts.  We’ll make sure we find you the perfect home, based on the budget and guidelines the lender suggested.

This step is really fun!

Write an Offer

We will present to the seller a written offer when you are ready to move forward.   Everyone loves getting their offer accepted right away, but that may not be the case.  The seller will either accept our offer, counter our offer or reject our offer all together.  We will walk you through all of these possibilities and offer suggestions on how to best handle them.  We have an accepted offer, yeah!

 

It’s time to get your financing in order and it is time to move on to the next step!

Acceptance, Inspections and Appraisal

The seller has accepted your offer, and now it’s time for the inspection and appraisal.  The inspection makes sure that everything in the home is functioning properly and there are no major issues.  The appraisal makes sure that the agreed sales price and value of the property are in line, according to the best comps available. 

 

These are the last steps before you go to closing and get the keys.

Let’s go to the closing and get the keys!

The closing is where you go through all of the paperwork and sign your name (many time!).  Please bring your VALID driver’s license as proof of who you are and a cashier’s check payable to the Title Co or an electronic wire to the Title Co. covering your down payment and closing costs provided by your lender.

Get excited cause it’s time to close on your new home!

Celebrate!

The keys are yours when the loan funds and it is time to celebrate!!!!

AFTER CLOSING

Don’t be a stranger

We are always striving to deliver value after we’ve officially finished working together. If you ever have a burning question, need advice or are looking for some local expertise, we're still here for you. Don't ever hesitate to reachout, we love hearing from our clients for life!

Buyer FAQ’s

  • Don’t spend more on a house than you can afford! It can be tempting to try and push the needle, especially when competition is high, but being patient will be better for your finances in the long run

  • Get pre-approved for a loan so you have a better sense of what you can afford. That’ll help you better understand what’s within your budget and where to start your home search. Some seller will not even look at your offer unless it is accompanied by a pre-approval letter

  • Right now, it’s a great time to sell! However, the economy, inventory, areas and price point will drive the best time for buying and selling. These can all change quickly and go in opposite directions. A strong economy equates to a lot of purchasing and low inventory equates to a great time to sell if properties are not sitting on the market for too long. Central areas such as the inner loop

  • The 20% rule for down payments is definitely a myth! Some loans have a down payment of less than 5% and you can even ask for a seller contribution to help offset your buyers closing costs. All financial advice is predicated on your credit. Give me a call or send me an email, so we can talk about your options!

  • The services to the buyer are free! When a real estate agent represents you in purchasing a property, he or she earns a commission from the seller only if there is an executed contract.

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