Meet with me and do a face-to-face Buyer Consultation. Tell me what you’re looking for and a few other important things: what is the most you’d think you’d like to spend on a home (the bottom limit will be determined by this as well), what is comfortable to spend per month on housing including taxes and any homeowner fees, and how much are you considering putting as a down payment?
Get a mortgage pre-approval. It’s not as scary as it sounds – it can be done over the phone with no obligation. I’ll give you advice on a few people you can call to get this done.
Based on your buyer consultation, your I’ll put together a properties that may interest you. You take a look at them, and decide which ones are at the top of the list. You may have some properties that you’ve found online or seen to add to the list. I’ll schedule the appointments, pick up the keys, and guide us around on our tour. This step often repeats a number of times, including going to revisit some of the best property.
We make an offer via a preliminary contract of sale based on your feelings and a comparative market analysis.
The offer is negotiated. I’ll handle this part of it, and negotiate a price in consultation with you.
The contract is sent to your attorney. This “attorney review” period involves some adjustment to the contract as negotiated by your attorney in consultation with you.
You officially select a bank and apply for a mortgage. The bank provides you with a “Good Faith Estimate” as to how much the closing costs will be based on our selected closing date.
You get a homeowner’s policy dated to be effective on the day of closing. This closing date does drift – make sure you adjust the start date of the policy as the closing date is confirmed by your attorney.
We schedule and inspection of the home to verify that it is all in working order. You should attend! If any issues come up, I will help negotiate the resolution to them.
An appraisal is scheduled by your bank – I’ll handle the scheduling and aid the appraiser when they come to appraise the home.
A mortgage commitment is issued by the bank.
A “clear to close” is signified by the bank to your attorney.
Your attorney schedules closing and prepares the HUD-1, which will tell you exactly what funds you will need to bring to closing.
A pre-closing walkthrough is done either the day of or the day before closing.
The closing: you sign the papers and get the keys!
