For Buyers

Preparation, education, and of course, excitement, are all important steps in the home buying process. A great real estate agent will patiently guide you through each step, address your needs, and answer all of your questions to create a smooth and enjoyable path to home ownership. Below are some common questions we hear from prospective home buyers.

• Are there any benefits to renting vs. buying?
• Can I afford a new home?
• What are the first steps in the home buying process?
• What is involved in financing?
• What is a pre-approval? Does it make a difference?
• What kinds of home loans are there?
• I know I can afford to buy a home. What do I do now?
• How do I find a great real estate agent?

Don’t worry if you don’t have all of the answers. Whether you’re a first time home buyer or a seasoned professional it’s an agent’s job to ask the right questions and get you the information that you need.

Have more questions? Don’t be afraid to drop us a line.

What to Expect: The Home Buying Process

Congratulations! You’re pre-approved, and you’ve found the perfect buyer’s agent. What now?

Did you make a needs/wants list with your agent? Do you know what your dream home looks like? Take out these lists again and let the house hunting begin.

What to Expect in the Home Buying Process

The Search

Before you start your home buying process, you should know what you can expect from us:

• Once you have your vision of home, we search matching available properties and see them in person.
• You’ll be set up for custom tailored, automatic notifications that send new listings to you the day they come on the market. You’re always one step ahead of buyers that don’t have an agent.
• After a few showings, we can narrow down your search even further. Have you decided that you like old and charming homes, or do you prefer newer homes built with the latest trends in mind?
• We will help you identify the pros and cons of different styles of homes and neighborhoods, point out expensive updates that may be needed at the moment or in the near future, and be a valuable resource in your decision-making process.
• Once you find the right home, we will sit down with you to write an offer using similar, recently sold properties to determine the right price to offer.
• If your offer is accepted, we will carefully guide the rest of the process.

My Offer Has been Accepted. Now what?

Finding a home and having an accepted offer isn’t the last step–there’s a long way to go until closing day, but our job is to get you there stress-free and with an understanding of every step along the way. Here are some of the remaining steps in the home buying process in which we play a major role.

The home inspection

We’ll suggest reputable, experienced inspectors, arrange for inspections, and attend the inspection with you to explain your options. 

The inspection may turn up items that need to be repaired or inspected further by licensed contractors–we  arrange for any necessary bids or inspections with licensed contractors in the time required by the purchase agreement

Expensive repairs may be needed, and these will have to be negotiated with the seller through their listing agent–we handle these negotiations for you with your best interests in mind

Once the inspection is complete and all repairs are negotiated between buyer and seller, we let your loan officer know that we’re ready for the appraisal to be ordered. We order the appraisal after the inspection because the buyer pays for the appraisal–if you cancel the purchase agreement because of negative items found in the inspection, the money spent on an appraisal is wasted.

The Appraisal

The appraisal is ordered by the bank. The appraiser will view the home to confirm that it is worth the sales price.

If there are any problems with the appraisal, there are still many options for financing for the purchase. We guide you through these options and navigate solutions with the appraiser, listing agent, and loan officer

Getting to Closing

The title company also needs to be kept informed of ongoing paperwork. They are working behind the scenes to check property ownership history and make sure that the property is ready on closing day.

We get them everything they need in a timely manner so that closing and home financing go according to plan.

Closing Day

With closing day comes the final walk-through, where we’ll walk through the home with you and make sure that it is in the same condition as when you made your offer. Appliances should be tested, faucets run to check for leaks, window treatments present, A/C and furnace run, and a thorough visual check for any new issues that need to be addressed before paperwork is signed and any problems become yours. 

What to Expect: Moving In and Beyond

One of the best quotes we ever heard from a sellers was, “You start to sell your home the day you buy it.” The day you move into your home is one of the most exciting days of all, and it’s easy to forget that someday you might be ready for a different home.

We maintain availability to all our clients beyond closing day. Perhaps you need a plumber five years from the time you bought your home, help picking out paint colors, or you have questions for the previous owner. Our previous clients know that they can call us anytime for anything. We remain your resource for everything home-related as long as you may need it.