BUYING PROCESS


BUYING PROCESS

Once you've found the home of your dreams and you're ready to make it yours, the real excitement begins. If you don't already have a real estate agent, now is the time to find one. Although the seller's agent can help you, their job will be to look out for the best interests of the homeowner, so it's wise to have an expert to make sure you're getting a fair deal too. Your agent may recommend that you retain a real estate lawyer as well, and in some cases, it's mandated by law. Each region can have additional stipulations and regulations, but this quick guide will help you understand how the overall process of buying a home works.

Getting Started

You have decided to start the process of buying a home and achieving the American dream. Deciding what kind of home you wish to buy is the first step when trying to buy a home. Consider:

  • What area you wish to live in?
  • How close is it to parks, shopping, work, transportation, etc?
  • How many bedrooms, bathrooms, and garage stalls you need?
  • What style of home you wish to buy?

Choosing Your REALTOR®

Hiring a professional REALTOR® is the most important step when buying a home. Your agent represents you, working in your best interest, educating you about the real estate home-buying process, and providing their negotiating experience to get you the best home. There are many relationships you can have with a real estate agent.

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Get Started

What Can You Afford?

Rule of thumb: you can afford a home that costs about 2½ times your yearly income. Some other factors that will help you determine how much you can afford are:

Qualifying for a loan: do not confuse loan qualification with loan approval. Even before you begin looking for a home, meet with a lender to determine how much you qualify for. Keep in mind that prequalifying with a lender does not bind you to that lender. Do not sign any paperwork that would obligate you to a lender at this point.

Viewing Homes

One of the most exciting aspects of buying a home is looking at different properties in your price range and seeing houses in all sizes, conditions, and styles. It's the best real estate education of all. Finding homes to see has never been easier; you can:

It is recommended to always try to schedule showings 24 hours in advance. Last-minute showings are possible but should not be the norm.

Preparing An Offer

You will work with your agent to create a formal offer to be submitted to the homeowner or their agent. If you're happy with the home as-is and are willing to pay the full price, creating an offer is fairly straightforward. However, you may request a lower price, ask for changes to be made, and add specific stipulations to the deal. A typical offer contains many of the things detailed below:

Approval and Negotiation

Once you've submitted an offer, the homeowner usually responds in one of three ways. They may accept it, in which case you can move on to the next step. On the other hand, they may also deny your offer or provide you with a counteroffer. In either of the last two situations, there is often room to negotiate. Your agent will help you sort out what's fair, and will have a good idea as to what the homeowner may negotiate further on, though you ultimately have total control over what alterations you're willing to accept.

Once You're Approved

Getting your home ready for closing is very important. There are many steps that still occur behind the scenes, and many agents will play a role in closing the sale of the home. Again, your real estate agent will likely introduce you to each of these individuals and monitor progress for:

Steps Before Closing

Each of the aforementioned agents will play a role in closing the sale of the home. Again, your real estate agent will likely introduce you to each of these individuals and monitor progress for:

Sign and Make It Yours

Although it takes a lot of work to get to the final signing, it's worth it. The documents needed to buy a home may be 100 pages or more, so plan to spend some serious time at the office reviewing them before you sign. All payments usually come out of the payment made to the seller, so after signing, you can accept the keys.

Once you've signed, the house isn't yours just yet. You'll have to wait until you reach the occupancy date to move in. However, you can use this precious time to prepare to move into your new home and schedule services to start. Congratulations, you're a homeowner!

Who's Involved?

Your agent will be able to introduce you to key players and will help keep track of where you are in the chain of events. Oversee the various agents and entities, as they handle the tasks that will lead to a successful closing: