- During a Home Buyer Orientation, we familiarize you with the process from start to the closing table. We meet you at our office and teach you the in’s and out’s and guide you through.
- It’s a smart move to get pre-approved for a loan early in your home search. A lender will help you determine exactly what you can afford and, therefore which houses you should be considering. And if you get in a multiple-offer scenario, being pre-approved may give you an edge because the seller will have more confidence that you will be approved for a loan large enough to purchase their home.
- Now comes the fun part: searching for homes that meet your parameters. Your agent will set you up with an MLS search that shows you EVERYTHING currently available for sale without offers and will email you new listings as soon as they become available.
- For most buyers, this is when the butterflies really show up. Once you’ve found a home you want, your agent will work with you to craft an offer. Remember, the listing price is only a starting point. Your agent will understand the market and help guide you to make the most attractive offer, whether it’s below, at or above listing price. Are there any contingencies to your offer? Will you require an inspection? These are all things your agent will help you with.
- Once you’ve submitted the offer you get to wait. It will seem interminable. You may get neither a simple yes or no but a counter offer to consider. It can be something of a dance. If you get a solid “no,” your search is back on. If you get to a “yes,” celebrate!
- If your offer called for a home inspection, this is a big day. Sure, you get to have a home inspector look over the home to make sure there are no unseen defects you want to negotiate to have fixed. But more importantly, this is the most time you’ll get to spend in your new home until closing. Go ahead and start measuring things and figuring out what goes where. This may be the last time you are inside the home until it is yours, several weeks from now.
- A final walk-through is an inspection performed anywhere from a few hours to a few days before closing. It's primary purpose is to make certain that the property is in the condition you agreed to buy -- that agreed-upon repairs, if any, were made, and nothing has gone wrong with the home since you last looked at it.
- You did it! Congratulations! This is the big day. You’ll sign read and sign papers and then read and sign some more. Even though you’re just sitting around a table, it can be exhausting. But it also means you’re nearing the finish line.
