The 9 Steps to Home Ownership

Step - 1 Make the Decision to Buy

It seems obvious, but it's good to note that the first step to buying a house is making the decision to buy. Consider the reasons you want a new house and write them down. Determine how long you want to live in the new house - does buying still make good financial sense? Can you afford a house that will meet your list of requirements? A good rule of thumb is your mortgage payment should not exceed 1/3 of your net monthly income.

Step 2 - Seek Professional Guidance

We’d like to schedule a time to meet with you to hear the reasons you want to buy a house and your plans for the future. We'll talk about neighborhoods, schools, economic factors liable to affect the market today and tomorrow, as well as how you would like your house and neighborhood to grow with you.

At this time, we will also help you get pre-qualified for a mortgage loan. Pre-qualification is a written statement from a loan officer indicating his or her opinion that you will be approved for a mortgage loan up to a certain amount. The fact that you are pre-qualified will help us when we are negotiating the deal.

Step 3 - Begin the Hunt

After our initial meeting, we’ll search all our resources for houses on the market that fit your criteria. We’ll preview these houses to eliminate the duds. Then, we’ll schedule appointments to tour the houses at times convenient to you.

As we tour houses, we’ll point out positive features and negative features. We’ll ask you to tell us what you like and what you don't like. You'll probably amend your "wish list" as we tour houses, some things will become more important and others less important. With this new information, we’ll refine our search criteria to narrow in on the house of your dreams.

Step 4 - Know the Market

Our knowledge of the local market is an essential factor in the house search. We’ll let you know when the market in a particular neighborhood is "hot" and requires immediate action or when the market is "cool" and allows for thoughtful consideration.

As we tour houses, we’ll let you know when the asking price has negotiating room and when the house is "priced to sell". Our unique market knowledge will keep you a step ahead of the "house hunting competition".

In a "seller's market". It is not unusual to see multiple offers on a property, full-price offers and even above-price offers. On the flip side, during a "buyer's market" there are more houses for sale than buyers. This gives us more negotiating room as houses are taking longer to sell.

Step 5 - Find Your Dream House

We’re confident we'll find your dream house. When we do, We’ll put together the purchase offer tailored for your needs including appropriate contingencies (such as obtaining financing, favorable home inspection, clear title, etc.).

The offer is normally presented with an "option fee" that is approximately .1% of the offer amount. This fee is paid to the home seller for a period of time where you have the unrestricted right to walk away. The option period is typically 5-10 days. If you decide to "walk", the seller keeps the option fee, if you go forward with the purchase, the option fee is credited to you at closing.

The offer is also presented with "earnest money" which is approximately 1% of the offer amount. This is a cash deposit made to a title company acting as an third party escrow agent with the purpose of securing an offer to buy the property. The amount is applied to closing costs. If you "walk" during the option period, you will get the earnest money back in 2-3 weeks.

If the seller accepts the offer, generally closing is held 30 to 45 days from the offer date (generally dependent on the turn around time of your mortgage financing).

Step 6 - Negotiate the Deal

It is not uncommon to receive a counter offer when the initial purchase offer is submitted. Don't let this discourage you. We will discuss the counter offer and decide whether or not to accept the counter offer, submit our own counter offer, or reject the counter offer and move on.

Market conditions will play a role in how aggressively we negotiate the deal. We will also work within your limits. Emotions can lead to buyer's remorse. It is better to set limits prior to negotiating an offer and stick to these limits.

Step 7 - Get an Inspection, Get Insurance, Get a Loan

It is imperative that you get a licensed inspector to examine the home during the option period.  The inspection is sure to find many things "wrong" with the house.  We are not concerned about general maintenance items (see “What to Expect from a Home Inspection” on this site); however if something major is discovered, we will need to either re-negotiate the contract or walk away.

It is also critical to begin the step of obtaining insurance on the home.  Ask your agent to run a Clue report to identify previous claims.  This information will impact the insurability of the home.

During this closing period, you will be working with your mortgage lender to close the loan. Since you pre-qualified for the loan before starting your home search, you will be that much closer to the end. We’ll gather the necessary property information your lender will need to close the loan.

Step 8 - Close the Deal

You will receive a "Good Faith Estimate" of closing costs at the time the loan application is submitted to the lender. The estimate is based on the loan officer's past experience and may not include all the closing costs. We will be glad to review the "Good Faith Estimate," answering questions and highlighting missing costs and estimates we believe to be low.

Step 9 - Move In

Congratulations! It's time to move into your new house and make it your home. Enjoy this exciting time. We’ll give you a checklist to help you remember the numerous details that will make your moving day a pleasure.