Home Buyers Guide & Checklist
We want to take the stress and worry out of the home buying process, by making it easy to understand with a clear path to follow. Our Buyers Guide & Checklist is just one of the tools we use to help you every step of the way.
Steps to Buying Your Home
01
FIRST MEETING
Welcome to your home-buying experience! In this step, we will meet with you to discuss your goals and timeline and will go over what your vision looks like. The clearer your vision, the more likely it will be that we make it come true!
02
PRE-APPROVAL
Arguably the most important step, this is when we connect you with a lender to determine what type of loan you would qualify for, and how much house you can buy. Oftentimes home buying obstacles will arise, so it is important to get pre-approved before looking at houses to make sure you are truly able to buy. The lender will collect documents such as tax returns, pay stubs, and bank statements, so take a deep breath and know we will be there to help you every step of the way.
03
WIDE NET | SMALL NET
Once we have your vision and budget in place, it’s time to set up the search! Our team specializes in the wide net/small net approach. We cast a wide net of homes on an automatic search that goes to your email. We never over filter because sometimes houses will surprise you! 1-3 times per week we will text you the small net of handpicked homes based on our initial consultation. The more feedback you provide, the better we can serve you!
04
TOUR HOMES
This is the fun part! We get to look at beautiful houses! Any time you see a house you like on one of our reports, send it to us to book a tour. We try to do 1-2 tours per week with no more than 6 houses per tour. We always work with your schedule and are able to get you in the door quickly so you never miss an opportunity.
05
MAKE AN OFFER
At this point in the process, you’ve been on a few tours and really know what you like. You may have edited your parameters a few times, and maybe even surprised yourself. You’ve found the one! You are ready to make an offer! We will guide you on how to offer in every type of market, and have a variety of strategies in place to make sure your offer stands out above them all!
06
OFFER ACCEPTANCE
Congratulations! The seller has accepted your offer! At this point, we will hold your hand and guide you through the contract through the close phase which includes hurdles like inspection, appraisal, and underwriting. Fear not, we do this every day and will make sure you don’t miss a thing!
07
INSPECTION
The first week under contract is called “attorney/inspection review.” You will drop off or mail earnest money, hire an attorney (we have a few!), secure your financing, and schedule a professional inspection. The inspection is your chance to look over the house with a professional and make sure you know exactly what you are buying. No home is perfect so do not get intimidated, but definitely ask as many questions as possible to make sure you understand the condition of the property as well as how to schedule maintenance going forward. On most deals you can ask the seller to repair or give a credit for issues found during inspection, but they are not obligated to do so.
08
APPRAISAL
The appraisal is when we find out the “true market value” of a home. If you are using a mortgage loan to buy the house, the bank will not finance more than what the house is worth (appraised value), so this step is very important. If the value is lower than the purchase price, either the buyer has to bring the difference in cash (not financed), or the seller has to drop the price.
09
FINAL WALKTHROUGH
You made it to the finish line! Your loan has been approved by underwriters, the inspection period is over, and the appraisal has been completed. Both the buyer and seller agree on all terms and are ready to close. The final walkthrough is your last chance to check the house before officially buying it, so make sure the sellers did not damage anything during their move and that all mechanicals are in working order.
10
CLOSING DAY
This is a happy day! We will join you for the walkthrough, bring gifts, take pictures/video, and make sure you feel like royalty! The closing takes place at a title company where your attorney will walk you through all of the documents to sign. You will walk out of the closing with the keys to your new home! Congratulations!
