The steps involved in purchasing a home. Are you thinking of buying your first home? Getting comfortable with the steps involved makes the whole process less intimidating and far more pleasant.
1. Bobbie Files | Success! Real Estate
First Time Home Buyers
I’ve been in Your shoes before and completely
understand what You may be feeling and
thinking…
You want Your own home.
You want additional freedom.
You’re tired of paying rent and your landlords mortgage.
But You also wonder…..
Can I afford my own home?
What about a downpayment?
How does the home buying process work?
Where do I begin?
You’re reading this here and You are moving in
the right direction now.
You want a Realtor You can Trust, who can assist in meeting Your needs.The home buying
process should be enjoyable and A Positive Experience You Remember!
As Your Realtor, I will…..
Represent You and Your best interests
Listen to Your needs and expectations
Guide and oversee You throughout the home buying process
Provide advise, information, and answers to any questions You have
Ensure You are fully informed when making important decisions
Be accessible at all times via cell phone, email, and in person at your request
Meet Your expectations every step of the way
Make the process of acquiring Your new home smooth and comfortable as possible
for You
Save You time and money by proactively searching for the perfect home for You
Call Me Today at (508) 521-9480 or Email by Clicking HERE to
Schedule a no obligation consultation to discuss your needs,
Questions You have about the process, or anything else on Your mind.
You are here: Home / First Time Home Buyers
2. As a courtesy, I have provided a high level overview of the Home Buying Process below for
your review. Please understand I can further explain the process at the time of our
consultation so that You fully understand each step and are most prepared for Your home
search. I look forward to hearing from You!
The Home Buying Process – An Overview
1. Finding a REALTOR – Your Agent Matters. Not all real estate brokers are created
equal. You want a full-time agent;
Who is devoted to You
Who listens to Your needs
Who is prepared to answer Your questions, and
Who will guide You through all aspects of the home buying process
Who is available when You need them and will return your calls and emails in a
timely manner
Who will make You feel comfortable and enable You to enjoy the process – the
home buying process should be “A Positive Experience You Remember”.
2. Become Pre-approved for a specific loan amount – You will consult with a loan
officer (either over the phone or in-person) to review Your income and debt, Your
Credit Report, and discuss financing programs and options available to You. I can
recommend loan officers for You that my clients have had great success with in the
past, and can make it a priority to attend this meeting if You wish. The meeting will
help You understand what You can afford to pay for a home, and where You are
comfortable with for monthly payments. Further, the meeting will assist with helping
You prepare Yourself financially down the road. Perhaps You will determine during
this meeting that You need to delay Your home search while You work to improve
Your credit (which Your REALTOR and loan officer can consult with You on) or save
up additional downpayment funds, if necessary.
3. Analyze Your Needs / Wants Consultation – You will let me know what You
absolutely need in a home (e.g., three bedrooms, located within 30 minutes of
Boston), as well as features You would like (e.g., a good size yard for the dogs). Our
“Needs / Wants Consultation” will save You a great deal of time and energy, as I do
the searching for You. At this point, You don’t need to be searching Realtor.com over
and over again, and wasting countless time looking at the same homes. After I listen
to Your needs and wants, I analyze the homes meeting your criteria and narrow down
the inventory on the market to only homes that I feel You will appreciate and fit Your
criteria and price range. Trust me, You will thank me for the time You have saved.
4. Set You up on MLS Notification and Select Properties – You will receive notification
of properties meeting Your specified criteria as soon as they become available to
market, so that You can review the property details, pictures, and perhaps do a drive-
by of the property. The set up saves You the time and energy of scanning every listing
out there. You will only be notified by email when a home meets Your criteria and You
can then rule the property “in” or “out” from Your search. Trust me, You will thank me
for the time saved here too.
5. House Hunting / Previewing – You now have found homes that You would like to
preview and You let me know when You would be available to preview them. At this
3. point, I schedule the private showings of the property for You and I to take a closer
look at Your convenience. We take our time previewing the homes to ensure they
meet your needs, are in a suitable condition for You, and represent the value You are
looking for in a home.
6. Writing an Offer – You have previewed some homes and found the one You feel is
Your New Home – I will work with You to understand the true value of the home,
using the comparative sales and current properties on the market to ensure You are
most prepared to make a great offer and receive the best deal possible. Together we
will prepare the offer, as I guide You through the areas of a purchase and sale
agreement, including; offer price, financing terms, down payment amount, earnest
money deposit, inspections to be performed, any personal property included, the
closing date, as well as other conditions unique to each property.
7. Negotiations / Counteroffers – Once we have presented Your offer to the Seller,
there may be some terms or conditions that need to be negotiated or modified to
come to an agreement between You the buyer and the seller. To work towards
contract acceptance there may be some “gives and takes” between You and the
seller. As a Negotiator on Your side, I will strive to deliver Your needs, meet Your
expectations, and ultimately work on Your behalf to come to agreement between
both parties for contract acceptance. Once both parties agree to terms we are
considered under contract and can move forward with inspections of the property.
8. Inspections – You the Buyer have the right to hire a third-party professional Home
Inspector to inspect the home upon contract acceptance at Your cost. Having the
home inspected is extremely important to understand whether the home is right for
You. Note: the inspection may uncover items that were not visible upon our original
preview of the property. You now have the opportunity to consider Your offer null and
void if there are concerns uncovered during the inspection that are not acceptable to
You, or You can return to negotiations with the Seller to remedy inspection issues /
contingencies (i.e., request that the Seller pay for major items to be resolved). Note: I
can recommend home inspectors for You that my clients have had great success
with in the past.
9. Complete Mortgage Application – Assuming all inspection issues / contingencies
have been removed, and both You the Buyer, and the Seller have accepted the offer,
You now will work with the lender to complete Your mortgage application. Your lender
will review Your credit report again, order an appraisal of the property, and verify the
information you provided during the pre-approval meeting through documentation
You provide (employment history, W-2, rent checks, etc.). Further, behind the scenes
the lender is working to secure underwriting and obtain loan approval for You to
purchase Your home.As I will remind You during the process, it is very important to
provide information requested from Your loan officer in a timely manner so that
paperwork can be reviewed and processed in a timely manner and the timeline of the
home buying process can stay on track.
10. Schedule the Closing – Once underwriting is secure, the Closing Attorney will notify
You and I of the scheduled closing, and provide a HUD-1 Settlement Statement for
review prior to close, which will advise on the final amount due at closing to purchase
the home (if applicable). About a week before closing, You will contact the utility
companies to ensure the utilities will be in Your name upon closing and that there will
be not disruption in service.
4. 11. Final Walk-through – Twenty-four hours prior to closing, You the Buyer, have the
right to perform a final walk-through of the property with me, to ensure the property is
“broom clean” and has remained in the same condition as when You submitted Your
offer to agree to purchase the home.
12. CONGRATULATIONS! You close on Your New Home – (I can already see You
smiling with excitement!) The keys are yours and you can now move in!
After the Transaction – As Your dedicated REALTOR for Life, I will be there beyond the
closing of Your home with any questions, advice, or assistance You may need.
You can trust that I will remain in contact should You require further assistance with Your
current or future housing needs. Thank you!
Please give me a call today (508) 521-9480 should You have any questions or wish to
discuss the process but do not feel quite ready to begin looking at homes.
I am always more than happy to advise on the process now so that I know You are most
informed when You ultimately are ready to begin house hunting!
Do you want the ULTIMATE First Time Home Buyer’s
Guide??? CLICK HERE
About Bobbie
When it comes time to make one of life’s most exciting decisions, experience
matters. And I have experience ~ almost 20 years of it. Read More…
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