While buying a new home is an exciting time, it can appear to be an uphill battle. It is a process with lots of moving parts & emotions attached. However, it can be simplified into 4 steps:
1- Getting your Financials in order:
Are you paying cash or do you need a loan? Do you already have a loan or need my advice on who to contact to get one? Will your purchase be contingent upon you selling your existing home or is this a 2nd home? These are the type of questions and issues a solid agent will ask and help you solve. It is absolutely imperative to have your financials in order. Without this step complete, any offer you make is considered null. It is a waste of everyones time. However, this doesn’t mean we can’t start looking while we sort it all out.
2- Search for new Home:
Working with buyers takes patience, persistence & solid listening skills. Depending on the situation, it could possibly be a long process before a buyer settles on a property. Or perhaps they need to move quickly. Either way, a solid agent adapts to your needs by asking a lot of questions & LISTENING to your feedback. Conversely, I am also here to answer your questions, inform you on specific aspects of different neighborhoods of interest & discuss your concerns. Starting with a broad search, together we can narrow down options, find your dream home & implement a strategic offer.
3 – Offer & Acceptance
Are you sure this is The One? If your agent does not ask this question, they probably do not have your best interest in mind. I am not just looking for a house to sell you, we want to find a HOME that you can be happy in…. It’s been a process to get to this point, now is not the time to get lazy. Whether you are paying cash or not, a solid “offer strategy” should be something you and your agent discuss. Regardless of your situation, paying all cash or with a loan, asking for contingencies or waiving inspections, we want to put our best foot forward and be as attractive as possible to the seller while protecting your best interests.
4 – Escrow (Closing process)
It is never a done deal until the deal is done. While it is negotiable, most closings are a 30 day process & along the way are a few critical steps, that if not met, could absolutely kill the deal. To begin with, a “Title” company is put in charge to organize all the paperwork involved & finalize the transaction. The paperwork includes a host of things like loan documents, bank account records, deeds from the county, inspection docs, HOA transfer & disclosures, etc etc…. Our main concern and focus are Earnest money deposited, Appraisal (if a loan), Inspections & Contingencies met. It is a busy 30 days that we will discuss & get prepared for. I will monitor the entire process and provide updates along the way.
Contact me and let’s get started.
