Buyers

How does one purchase a home? Following these step by step instructions is the best way to go!

Get Preapproved for a Loan
The first step towards buying a home is to get comfortable with the money side of the transaction. Being pre-approved for a loan by a local lender is very easy to do, and you’re going to need it in order to write a solid offer once we find the right home. I am more than glad to direct you in the way of a lender with a good work ethic and reputation.. Give them a call, get pre-approved, and we can start shopping.

Find a Home
There are many ways to find the right home.  About 9 out of 10 people start their search online, looking through listings in the MLS (which you can search on the home page of this site). Some people like to identify an idea area first, and then look for the right home in that neighborhood.

Write an Offer
Once you find the right home, we will write an offer to purchase that home. We’ll do some research together to decide what market value for the home might be, and then we’ll craft an offer based on how you want to negotiate. You’ll need to bring your checkbook so that you can write an earnest money check. The seller can accept, reject, or counter your offer, and you can do the same to the seller’s response. Negotiations continue in this manner until either everyone agrees or until someone rejects the response. Otherwise, we go back to the drawing board.

Inspect the House
Inspections are a vital part of buying a home. The length of this inspection period is negotiated in the contract, and during that time interval, you’ll hire inspectors and specialists to help you determine the condition of the home and get all your questions answered.

Negotiate Repairs
When we’re done inspecting, we’ll go back to the seller and ask for repairs, if any are needed. This is a second round of negotiations for the home. The Seller considers your repair request, and can accept, reject, or counter it. If the seller’s response is acceptable, then you stay in the transaction and move forward to closing. If the seller’s response is unacceptable, then you get back earnest money (in nearly all cases) and start again with finding a home.

Final Loan Processing
Once we’re through repairs, there’s usually about two weeks where everyone else springs into action. The loan officer puts the loan through final underwriting, reviews the appraisal, produces loan documents, and the Seller has any repairs done that were negotiated.

Walkthrough and Closing
The night before of morning of the scheduled closing we will go back to the house and do a final walkthrough, to make sure that it is in generally the same condition as when we went under contract. Then we’ll head to the title company or attorney’s office to the closing. You’ll bring in any funds needed to close- your down payment and closing cost monies. Make certain that your signing hand is all iced up and ready to go. You will sign all the mortgage documents and all the documents downtown to record, distributes the money to the appropriate parties, the keys are passed across the table and the property is yours. YAY!