Buying a home
How I Help You Buy a Home, Step by Step
From the first call to your offer, here is how I help you buy a home: pre-approval, a free buyer consultation, your home search and an offer that stands out.
The short version
I teach you the process as we go, so you always know what happens next. It starts with a phone call and a free buyer consultation. Once you are pre-approved, we start looking at homes, and when you find one you want, I help you write an offer that stands out.
The path has four parts: Ready, Educated, Aligned and Locked. Here is each one.
Book My Free Buyer Consultation
Ready: Know where you stand before we tour
On our first call, I ask whether you are already working with another agent or have signed anything with one. I also ask whether you have a lender and whether you are pre-approved. A pre-approval is when a lender looks at your finances and tells you what you may be able to borrow.
I like to have your pre-approval in hand before we meet for your buyer consultation. If you are not pre-approved yet, that is okay. Tell me where you are and we will go from there.
Since August 2024, buyers sign a written buyer representation agreement before looking at houses. We go over the documents you will see at your buyer consultation.
How I Help You Buy a Home, Step by Step
Educated: Learn how the whole process works
I like to meet new first-time buyers in my office first for a buyer consultation. It is free. It is a time for us to meet each other, go over the documents you will see, and walk through how the whole process works.
I also go over what happens after your offer is accepted, so you know what to expect.
Aligned: Tour homes and get new listings by email
Once you have met with me and you are pre-approved, we can start looking at houses that same day. I can also set up a home search that comes to your email automatically as homes come on the market in the area you are searching.
One tip I share at the consultation: many homes now have video doorbells, cameras and other devices that can pick up sound. Be mindful of what you say about a house until we have left.
Locked: Writing an offer that stands out
When you decide to write an offer, I do some homework on my end. Then I give you my thoughts on the amount and on how to make your offer stand out. There are different things we can do to make an offer very competitive, if we need to.
Once an offer is accepted, I walk you through what comes next. We go over those steps in your free buyer consultation.
This page describes my general process. It is not legal, tax or lending advice.
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