From getting you access to view homes, to handling tough coversations, you need an agent who will fight for you and be on your side. After all, the listing agent is working for the seller, why wouldn't you want someone to work strictly for your best interests?
Check your credit but don't close any accounts without talking to a lender. Dispute any erroneous charges. Avoid applying for new credit including car loans until you have closed. If possible, avoid job changes. Save cash for a down payment and other expenses.
Meet with a lender to get a realistic idea of how much home you can afford based on your debt, income, expenses and credit. Once we have your pre-approval letter in hand, we can begin touring homes within your price range knowing that you could comfortably afford them.
We will talk more in depth about your must/must not haves in your new home and I will begin searching for homes that fit your specific unique criteria. Once we find something you like, we will then schedule a tour to take a look at it in-person.
Once you find a great home, we'll present an appropriate, fair, and competitve offer based off of recent sales in the area and current buyer activity. The offer will then be accepted, rejected or countered, which is when the seller presents a new offer with different terms.
During the inspection period, we will schedule an inspection with a reputable home inspector to do a thorough investigation of your home. Once this is complete, the inspector will provide us with a list of findings. I strongly recommend also getting plumbing, termite inspections.
This is where you will decide what issues you want to take as is, and which you would like to request be repaired. You can choose to ask the seller to give you a credit for the repairs, ask for repairs to be done by licensed contractors or simply walk away. Once the response has been sent to the seller, they an choose one of four options 1) Make all of the repairs 2) Give you a credit to make the repairs on your own 3) Repair or credit you for some of your requests, 4) decline everything and cancel the contract. You security deposit will be returned.
Your lender will arrange for a 3rd party appraiser to provide an independent estimate in the fair market value of the home you are buying based on the home's condition, age, location and features. The appraisal lets all parties know that the price is fair. The loan file then moves on to the mortgage underwriter.
Once we get within 5 days of closing, we will schedule the final walk through for you to get one last look at the home before you purchase to make sure it's in the same or better condition and that any repairs were completed. On closing day, I'll be sitting beside you as you complete the final step in your home purchase. You will be given a lot of documents to sign including the promissory note, deed of trust, etc. You will have to bring your closing costs to you in certified funds. Make sure you bring your government issued ID with you and smile for the photos as you recieve your keys.