Get Prequalified: We can’t stress enough how important this short process is. In just as little as a half hour with a lender, you can pinpoint exactly how much you are able to spend. They will do a credit check and analyze your income and payment abilities. It will help you narrow down your choices when it comes to area, square footage and number of rooms you desire in a home, and what you can afford. It’s an indispensable reality check. Once we know what you are prequalified for, we can search the right homes for you based on your wants, needs and financial capabilities. Prequalification also makes any offer you make on a home more serious to the seller.

Search for homes: Knowing your spending limit, you can now give your broker an idea of what area you want to live in, how many square feet you desire and all the other details that are important to you in your next home. We search and keep searching for all the properties that meet your personalized criteria, and then narrow it down to a selection of homes that you want to see. We aren’t in the business of wasting your time so we work closely with you to decide exactly which homes you want to go see. Then our broker will pick you up in one of our Executive showing vehicles and as you ride around in comfort from home to home they will confidently answer any questions you may have about the homes you are touring. It’s our gas your time and our pleasure! When you look at homes, you will notice that our brokers will say very little to sway your decision one way or the other. After all, this is your future, not a used car. We don’t own the inventory, so there’s no need to SELL it. We will be happy to offer our opinions or expertise at your request. You can sell yourself on a home by visualizing it as your own.

Making an offer:  When you’re ready to stop looking and choose a home to buy, we will make recommendations as to what a good offer might be. You always have the final word on what to offer, it’s your money. We will draw up a contract, stating how much you are willing to pay for the home, listing any concessions you want the seller to give; like pay your closing costs or clean carpets etc. We will establish when you are able to close or take possession and go over every part of the offer to make sure you are satisfied with the terms. Most offers require some earnest money, a deposit to ensure good faith in the pursuit of the home. The amount is usually around 1% and can ultimately be transferred over to closing costs or down payment at closing. On occasions there will be a counter-offer from the seller. It could be a dollar difference or negotiation of other terms outlined in the original contract. Your broker will explain everything to you and act according to your wishes. Again, our recommendations are second to your desires and capabilities.

Timeline to closing:  Once your offer has been negotiated and accepted, your broker will be working behind the scenes to arrange for all the documents needed in order to make your choice your home.

Your lender will arrange for an appraisal to verify the value of the property. Our brokers will arrange for and meet with a home inspector if you choose, to make sure that your future home is free of any major problems or concerns prior to signing any final documents. Any issues found in the inspection must be resolved by the seller, whether it’s fixing a problem or compensating you for the issue. Once everything has been satisfied we will schedule a walk-through for you to inspect everything for yourself. With your approval we are ready to head to the closing table and get your keys.