Ready to begin your home search?

If you haven’t already done so, you need to get pre-approved for a mortgage. You’ll need it when you want to submit an offer on a home. And in those moments, time can be of the essence. If you need to rush to get pre-approved, you may lose the home if you can’t get it in time. 

Now that you're approved, we know what you can afford! That doesn't mean you need to buy a home for as much as you're approved for! In fact, it would be great if we can find you a great home for less! We have the systems in place to streamline the home-buying process for you by:

-Previewing homes in advance on your behalf 

-Personally touring homes and neighborhoods with you 

-Keeping you informed of new homes on the market 

-Helping you preview homes on the web 

-Advising you of other homes that have sold and for how much so you know the true value of the homes you are seeing

Once you have found the property you want, we will write a purchase agreement. While much of the agreement is standard, there are a few areas that we can negotiate: 

 -Price

 -Move in Date

 -Additional Property

 -Contingencies with the home you might need to sell first

The approach we take to negotiate the best deal for your home will depend upon: 

• The seller we’re dealing with.
• The agent we’re dealing with.
• The overall situation (how many other offers there are, the current pace of sales, etc.).
• Your personal situation. (Are you in a position to “lose” the home and keep looking? Can you take time negotiating the deal? Or, is timing critical?) 

However, negotiating is our specialty! Our goal is to get the very best terms for YOU that benefit YOU the most!

Within a week or so after being under contract, you should get a home inspection done. We will review the report together and determine what action needs to be taken as well as negotiate any repairs or costs of repairs needed for the home.

By definition, you and the seller have determined the fair market value of the home you are purchasing...which is: the amount a ready, willing, and able buyer is willing to pay and that a seller is willing to accept. However, the mortgage lender wants and needs to make sure that the amount they are lending is justified and protected. They assess this by having an appraisal done. 

If an appraisal comes back low, we have strategies in place to either negotiate to lower the sales price or appeal the appraisal if we feel it is unfair.

Many people wait until the last minute to get their homeowners (and other) insurances lined up. We recommend taking care of this at least a few weeks ahead of the closing date. That way you can make sure you get the best coverage, at the best rates, for your needs. 

About a week before the closing, you’ll want to notify all of the utility companies that service the home and let them know you’re buying it. They’ll transfer the bills into your name, starting on the day you’ll close on the home. Don't worry, we also send you reminders so you don't move into a home without electricity! 

Before you head to the closing table, we’re going to make sure that the home is in the same condition it was when you agreed to purchase it. We’ll be looking to make sure that:

• There was no major damage done since you first agreed to purchase it.
• The owner has entirely moved out and hasn’t left anything behind that you don’t want. (Like bags and bags of trash!)
• The home is in “broom clean” condition.
• That everything the owner contractually agreed to leave behind is still there. That all of the major appliances are in working order. 

If there’s anything wrong with the home, or they’ve left junk behind, or the home is disgustingly dirty, we can bring it up to the owner (through their representatives) before the closing. 

Closing day marks the end of your home-buying process and the beginning of your new life!  We will send you reminders of where to go and what to bring, then you get to hold the keys to your new home in your hand for the first time as official homeowners!