Buyers
The Home Buying Process
Buying a home is a big step! Whether you're buying your first home, your dream home, or your tenth investment property, yours will be a big investment. We know how important this is to you, and we have an army of experts to make sure we find the perfect property for your unique circumstances. We know the market and love real estate, and we'll educate you throughout the buying experience.
Finding the perfect property is just one way we can help you with your real estate purchase. As real estate agents, we have ongoing access to experts in every related field from lending to relocation.
- Initial Meeting and Consultation
- Timing analysis
- Your dream home
- Get pre-approved by a lender
- Set up a search on the MLS
- Look at properties on the online portal
- Go tour properties that you like
- Run CMA on potential winners
- Put it an offer
- Go under contract
- Make initial escrow deposit
- Begin the inspection process
- Negotiate repairs/credits
- Appraisal
- Review title and lien search
- Get final loan approval
- Final Walkthrough
- Close!
Home Buying Process
Buyer Consultation:
- Introduction to the buying process.
- Timing analysis to align with your needs.
- Discussion about your dream home and essential features.
- Financial aspect overview with lending partner recommendations.
Searching for Homes:
- MLS search set up for personalized home listings.
- Daily email updates with property listings.
- Initiate pre-approval process with necessary documents.
Touring Homes:
- Set up tours for selected homes.
- Use a survey to track likes and dislikes.
- Narrow down top choices and continue the search.
Making an Offer:
- Evaluate comparable home sales for a fair offer.
- Discuss and determine offer terms (EMD, closing date, inspection period, loan approval period, additional terms).
- Craft a competitive offer aligning with your needs.
Offer Terms:
- EMD: 1%-2% deposit for a serious buyer.
- Closing Date: Typically 30 days with financing, 15 days with cash.
- Inspection Period: Usually 10 days for property inspections.
- Loan Approval Period: 21-30 days for final loan approval.
- Additional Terms: Discuss and consider other contingencies or terms.
Under Contract:
- Officially under contract after offer acceptance.
- Initiate earnest money deposit (EMD) with the title company.
Inspection Period:
- Conduct inspections, negotiate repairs/credits.
- Contract cancellation option within the inspection period.
Loan Approval Period:
- Work closely with the lender for final loan approval.
- Appraisal to ensure the home value aligns with the contract price.
- Obtain home insurance and flood coverage if necessary.
Title and Lien Search:
- Title search confirms legal ownership.
- Municipal lien search recommended.
- Survey ordered to check for property encumbrances.
Closing:
- Receive closing disclosure (CD) and ALTA statement.
- Review and wire transfer final funds.
- Complete paperwork, become the new homeowner, and enjoy your new home!
