Buyer's Guide

Your goal is to find a home that meets your needs and budget. As your agent, it’s my goal to make that happen. Here are some ways I back my clients:

• I'll meet with you to understand your goals, so we can create a plan for finding the right home at the right price.
• Buying a home involves a lot of paperwork. Let me navigate the real estate contracts and educate you along the way so you know exactly what you are signing
• Being in the industry comes with expert neighborhood knowledge and insider secrets about properties going on the market before they hit MLS® (Multiple Listing Service).

A pre-approval is an official document that says that a bank or credit union is willing to lend you a specific amount of money based on your income, assets and liabilities. A pre-approval means that the bank has reviewed your financial information (income and assets) and decided that it's safe for them to give you a loan for at least as much as they have approved for your purchase.

You can start your search knowing how much house you can afford—not just in terms of its price tag but also in terms of monthly payments. You will be able to compare listings with this knowledge at hand and avoid wasting time or money on homes that are outside your price range.

Once you’ve found the home of your dreams, it’s time to put things in motion. The next step is to make sure that your offer is competitive. When it comes to making offers on homes here are some things to consider.

OFFER PRICE

This is how much money you are willing to pay for the home. This can include fees and any other costs associated with buying a home (closing costs). You should also factor in taxes if they aren't included in your purchase price or monthly payments.

AN EARNEST DEPOSIT

This is a down payment which shows that you're serious about buying the house; usually around 1 percent of its value.

OFFER TO CLOSE QUICKLY

Offer to close quickly. Try to shorten the inspection period to 10 days or less to speed up the process. Most sellers want to close within 21 days.

THE SELLER WILL THEN:

Accept, reject or make a counter offer. A counter-offer is when the seller offers you different terms. If this happens, you can accept their offer, reject it or negotiate it with our assistance.

ACCEPTED

If your offer is accepted, you will sign the purchase agreement. Then you are officially under contract!

A home inspection is a fairly common practice in the real estate industry. We will schedule an inspection with a professional home inspector. It can help you identify issues with the house.

You should use this information to NEGOTIATE with your seller if there are any problems that need attention, especially ones that could be costly to fix. This gives you an opportunity to make sure you don't end up with a home that has structural issues. Be reasonable on smaller issues. If there's minor wear and tear on appliances or carpeting, consider giving it a pass unless there's something seriously wrong with them (like mold on window frames).

The pre-closing stage is the period between signing and closing day. It’s time to make sure everything is in order before you move into your new home.

We will complete a title search. This ensures that the seller truly owns the property and that all existing liens, loans or judgments are disclosed.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED DURING THIS PHASE:

• CLOSING DISCLOSURE - Lenders are required to provide you with a closing disclosure, at least three days before closing. This will include your final loan terms and closing costs. You will have three days to review the statement.
  
  
• SECURE HOME WARRANTY AND SUITABLE HOME INSURANCE
  
  
• REVIEW OFFER - Your real estate agent will have already reviewed this document with you, but always review it again.
  
  
• REVIEW MORTGAGE DOCUMENTS - You'll also want to check out whether or not there are penalties if you miss payments.
  
  
• FINAL WALK THROUGH - We will do a final walk through the home with you 24 hours before closing to check the property’s condition and make sure any repair work that the seller agreed to make has been done.