Buyers Guide
Home Buyers
Let me help you buy your dream home.
Guide For
Buyers
More often than not, individuals looking to buy property enter into the buying process unprepared, unorganized, and unaware of the critical requirements needed in order to successfully complete a real estate transaction. Whether you are a first-time home buyer or an experienced buyer, purchasing a home is a huge financial investment that should be meticulously analyzed.
As a rising, top-producing agent, I am unequivocally devoted to ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family while providing all of my clients with unmatched industry knowledge.
Below, I have put together a home buying guide that outlines and explains essential steps that must be executed within the home buying process. All information listed within the guide has been placed in sequential order for your convenience.
The Home Buying Process
Setting and Understanding Expectations
Investing in a home is among one the very best financial decisions a family or an individual can make, but navigating the complex transactional process is not always as straightforward as one may think. Although, as your Realtor, I will do everything in my power to minimize and/or prevent negative situations from occurring, there still may be times where things don’t necessarily go as planned. Real Estate transactions have A LOT of moving parts that all depend on each individual component being successfully completed independently. It only takes one issue among all of the parts to potentially derail the entire transaction. My goal is not to scare you because I have closed millions of dollars’ worth of transactions without any issues, but I want to prepare you for all of the possibilities that could arise that way you are not caught off guard. The Business Model that I have created for all of my clients ensures that my clients are exceptionally educated about the entire process and have complete and total transparency throughout the entire transaction. Hoping for the best while taking extensive proactive measures to prevent less than ideal situations allow myself and all of my clients, in the case of something not going as planned, to effectively handle these types of negative situations quickly because they were fully prepared for the moment.
Evaluating Your Finances with Multiple Lenders
Before you can put in that long-awaited contract on your dream home, you first need to secure a pre-approval from a lender of your choosing. A pre-approval helps show the seller and/or builder of your dream home that you are a willing, able and qualified buyer. Choosing the lender that is right for you and your family is an absolutely quintessential piece to the transactional process that cannot be overstated. Not all lenders are created equal so it is important to consult with up to 3 different lenders within a short amount of time (time frame can vary but I always recommend within a 14-day period) before settling on one to ensure that the one you choose can help get you into the home of your dreams. For recommendations for what types of questions you should be asking the lenders you are considering, please feel free to reach out for a no obligation consultation as I will be more than happy to assist you and your family in any way that I can.
The Search for Your Dream Home Begins
With your finances analyzed by a reputable lender and with your pre-approval in hand, you are now ready to start the fun part of searching for your dream home!! Within my website, you have direct MLS access granting you the ability to search through all active and coming soon properties on the market. Also, if you decide to allow me the pleasure of representing you, I will directly send customized listings based upon your home specifications. Once we locate acceptable properties that you would like to view, we can immediately start putting in showing requests to view any and all homes at your earliest convenience.
Decide on What Title Company You Want to Use
In between looking for properties, it is important to start thinking about what title company you may want to work with upon the acceptance of a future offer. As a buyer, this task is lower on the totem pole than it would be if you were selling a property because if no specification is made, the contract will typically default to the title company the seller has specified for simplicity. Nonetheless, this is still an important step that should be carefully considered as you are not obligated to go with the title company that the seller is using.
What is a title company responsible for anyway? Most would say they are just responsible for title insurance and, yes, that is a component of what they are responsible for going over with you as the buyer but they actually service and deliver much more than that. In addition to title insurance, title companies:
- Serve as an unbiased third party to the real estate transaction that will collect, cash, and hold on to your earnest money deposit check
- Pull all recorded documents connected to the property (also known as a title search) to ensure that you will be able to take possession of the property free and clear of any defects
- Uncover any deed restrictions or easements that convey with the property
⁃ Collect and disperse final closing numbers that tell you exactly how much money you will need to bring to closing. - Present your closing disclosure package that contains tons of pertinent information in regard to your loan that is needed to close.
Writing The Contract
Once you have located and viewed a property that you love, it is now time to secure the property for you and your family by submitting an offer to the seller and/or builder. If given the honor of becoming your Realtor, we will then start substantial conversations about how to move forward in putting in a contract on your dream home and discussing the best way to move forward regarding the terms and conditions the contract should contain. This includes home inspection contingencies, number of days needed to close, and much more. Once we solidify all of the details, I will then submit the offer and wait for a response from the seller or builder. One of three things can now happen after this step: 1) the seller or builder love the offer and accepts the terms in which we specified within the contract, 2) the builder or seller submit a counteroffer to our original contract, in which we can review the changed version to see if the new terms are acceptable for you and your family, or 3) the contract could be declined due to the seller or the builder already accepting an offer from another party or due to unforeseen circumstances. Don’t get to stressed out here though, as I will guide you through the entire process and I will always ensure that your best interests are always kept at the forefront of any negotiations!
Home Inspection and Negotiations
Upon your offer being accepted, congratulations, as you now have an official ratified contract. You are now one step closer to closing on your dream home. When purchasing a new home, I always recommend having a home inspection completed by a certified professional to avoid missing catastrophic issues within the home that could cost you hundreds if not thousands of dollars to repair. When this needs to be done by will be specified within the contract, but typically I recommend having this done within the first 5 days after contract ratification. During this timeframe, the buyer and seller have the opportunity to go back and forth in regard to repairs, if applicable. If both parties can come to an agreement, the contract will be amended with the appropriate addendums or the home inspection contingency will be removed due to nothing of concern being found.
Closing on Your Dream Home
Now it’s time to close on your dream home and begin your new life within its walls, making priceless memories that will last forever!! The title company and I will let you know well in advance where to go for closing and what to bring with you. After closing, you will be given the keys to the property and will be allowed to finally take possession of the property as its new owners.