Choose a Realtor

You need a professional who puts your interests first... like us! :)

Choose a Lender.

Pick someone you've worked with before or who is recommended to you. This person will help you understand the loan process, check your credit for any errors, help you improve your credit if need be, and inform you of how much home you can afford. You may qualify for more than you want to spend on a home; that's good. You don't want to be a slave to your mortgage payments. Being pre-approved means also that the Lender will be able to write a letter on your behalf when you are ready to put in an offer on that special home.  At this time you will decide what kind of financing works for your situation and how much down payment you will be paying. 20% down will be the best scenario.

Search for a home.

We sit down with you to make note of what you want in a home, say 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1500 square feet, etc. Then we will develop a search just for you. As you consider the properties that show up, you can pick the ones you want to see. (Please note that if you see more than 5 or 6 in a day, they all begin to blend together and it's hard to remember each home.) We will call the Sellers and make appointments to take you through the homes you think you'll like.

Some Buyers find their home the first day we go out, others may take weeks or months to find what they’re looking for. It is no bother to us as real estate agents to take you to as many homes as it takes to find the perfect match for you. That's part of the job. Showing you homes is key for us to get to know what's important to you, and it's a learning experience for yourself. If we are working with a couple, it often happens that one person likes this house and the other likes the next one. Don't worry. It always happens that one day you will both get excited about the same home. There's no rush and what a satisfaction at the end!

Writing the Purchase & Sale Offer

Once you've found the property you want to buy, we come together to write an offer. There are several things to consider in an offer: price, closing date (usually 30 days off), home inspection, financing, amount of earnest money (usually $500 - $2000), the escrow & title company. After we write the offer, it's sent to the Listing Agent to present to the Seller. If at all possible, we will present the offer to the Seller ourselves with the Listing Agent present. If there is anything about the offer with which they do not agree, they make changes and send it back to us. If the changes are okay with you, we move ahead with the signed around agreement and start the process. If you are not happy with the changes, you can make your own changes. Then we send it back until all parties are in agreement, or you can simply decide you don't want to buy this property. The date for the final initials becomes the starting time, mutual acceptance, for the addendums associated with the transaction. Once the offer is signed around, your earnest money check needs to be deposited with the Escrow Company.

Timelines after Mutual Acceptance.

-         Sellers’ Disclosure - From whatever date you receive this disclosure you have 3 business days to rescind your offer if you find something unacceptable to you.

-         Insurance Binder - You have 5 days to find an insurer for your home and get a commitment (binder) from your insurance carrier to insure your new home beginning the day you take possession. You will make no payments until you take possession.

-         Financing - You have 5 days to get started on your financing, but you’ve already done that, so you are ahead of the game. You have 30 days to get all the Lender requirements completed. During this time if something unforeseen happens and you can no longer afford to buy this home, your Lender will write a letter to that affect and you can rescind your offer and get your earnest money back.

-        Home Inspection – You have 10 days to complete a home inspection (which normally costs between $350 to $450) and write a response to the Seller. Your response can be to accept the property “as is,” request the Seller to make certain repairs, or decide against this purchase and look for another home. The Seller has 3 business days to respond to your request, then you have 3 days to respond to his response. (You want to ask your Lender not to call for an Appraisal until this Inspection has been satisfied.)

The Escrow & Title Company

While we have been working on the timelines above, the Title Company has been researching the property history to provide clear title to you. The Escrow Company receives all documents and funds related to the transaction. When the Lender has completed all the work on your file, he submits the package to Underwriting for approval. Then the documents related to the final signing of the property transfer are sent to the Escrow Company. The person handling your signing will call you for an appointment and tell you how much you need to bring in. Be sure to take photo ID with you. The signed documents are then sent back to the Lender for final approval. When the Lender lets the Escrow officer know that they have approved everything, the escrow company is given permission to record title in your name at the court house and distribute the funds. This is closing and generally when you take possession of your new property!