🏠 You’re “Buying a Home”: A Guide From Start to Finish
✅ Your Checklist for Buying a Home
🔲 Step 1: Hire a Real Estate Professional (That’s Me!)
🔲 Step 2: Decide What You Want in a Home
🔲 Step 3: Get Pre-Approved for a Loan
🔲 Step 4: Start the House Hunt
🔲 Step 5: Make an Offer
🔲 Step 6: Get a Home Inspection
🔲 Step 7: Get an Appraisal
🔲 Step 8: Close on Your Home
🔲 Step 9: Move In and Celebrate!
🔲 Step 1 When Buying a Home: Hire a Real Estate Professional (That’s Me!)
The first thing any Home Buyer should do is hire a trusted real estate professional. This hire should be someone you can trust to guide through the whole process, from preapproval, to house hunting to handing you the keys. Set up a consultation with the agent you are considering hiring (Me…That’s me!) and make sure you are comfortable with the way they address your concerns and answer your questions. You want someone that will go the extra mile to protect your interests, and help you avoid costly mistakes.
🔲 Step 2: Decide What You Want in a Home
When you have decided it is time to consider Buying a Home, talk to your agent about what features you need and want in a home. Things like: How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Subdivision lot or acreage? What location works best for you? Don’t be shy with the details. It is the agent’s job to help you think through your needs and find homes that match what you want.
🔲 Step 3: Get Pre-Approved, Be Prepared when Buying a Home
Before you start scheduling showings of the homes you like, talk to your agent’s preferred lender about your home purchase. You can choose to work with any lender you want. Just keep in mind that there is a reason your agent prefers to work with the lender(s) they recommend. The top reason is that the lender does a good job and is an important of the team. Getting your preapproval helps you know your budget and also shows sellers you’re ready to buy. In a fast moving market, it is best to be prepared when you find “the one” so you don’t waste time while someone else gets it under contract.
🔲 Step 4: Get Serious about Buying a Home and Start House Hunting
It is time for the exciting part of Buying a Home! Your agent can give you direct access to the
MLS where you will have the most accurate, up-to-date listing information. You will get to look through your options and choose which ones you want to go see. Your real estate agent will take care of all of the scheduling, access details and information gathering. When working a great agent, they will explain what to look for in the homes, both good and bad. When you find “the one,” and you get that look in your eyes, it is time to move on to the next step…
🔲 Step 5: Make an Offer
When you have found the one, it is time to consider a lot of variables and make a written offer. Your agent will handle all the paperwork needed and they should run a market analysis, make sure you’re well informed on market conditions, include any special requests or requirements. After submitting your offer, a great agent will talk with the seller’s agent on your behalf and get updates on the seller’s response.
🔲 Step 6: Get a Home Inspection
Upon having your offer accepted and going under contract, the next step to Buying a Home is to hire a professional home inspector. If you don’t know who to hire, your agent should have a few recommendations. The inspector you hire should check the house from top to bottom, looking for safety hazards, structural issues, major system failures and so much more. A full report will be provided for you to read over and decide what repairs are needed, if any. Before the end of any Due Diligence Period that is negotiated into the contract, your agent can prepare an amendment asking the seller to address any issues you request. There may be some negotiations back and forth, which is when you will really appreciate having hired a strong, knowledgeable agent (Thats Me!).
🔲 Step 7: Get an Appraisal
Most contracts will have a financing contingency. During the timeframe of the contingency, the lender you chose will make sure the house is worth the purchase price by ordering a third party appraisal. The appraiser will study the details of the home under contract and compare it to similar local homes that have recently sold. This helps them form an opinion of value that is finalized in the appraisal report. If the home does not appraise for the purchase price, there may be some additional negotiations or you may decide not to move forward with the purchase.
🔲 Step 8: Close on Your Home
The closing attorney is simultaneously working on everything needed for closing while the lender is working on getting your loan approved. The attorney runs a title search, orders title insurance and prepares the documents the parties will sign at the closing. The lender verifies all of the information on your loan application and makes sure they have the paperwork showing your income, employment, debts, etc… Once the loan underwriter is happy that all of the details are provided, the loan will be cleared to close. This means the big day is almost here! Your agent and lender will communicate with the parties on a time to meet with the closing attorney to sign the papers, get the keys, and make it official. Choose a real estate agent that believes it is important for them to be right there with you to ensure all goes smoothly and to help if it
doesn’t.
🔲 Step 9 of Buying a Home: Move In and Celebrate!
Woo-hoo! Now it’s time to move in and make your new house a home. If you need help finding movers, handymen, or anything else, ask your agent for recommendations.
💬 Let’s Get Started!
As a long-time local real estate agent, I am here to help you every step of the way. When you are ready to start your home-buying journey, make your first call to me. It is my pleasure to guide you the whole way to making your home ownership dreams a reality!