Buying a home is the largest investment most of us will ever make. Whether you are thinking of buying your first home or your seventh, the experience will always be new and different.
So what is the process for buying a home usually like? For my clients it starts with getting pre-approval for a loan. I always have a few industry leading lenders I recommend to my clients. The lender will help you determine what type of loan you’ll want, what your overall loan approval is, and what your monthly payment will be. They are also experts at helping you fix any issues you might discover with your credit to ensure you qualify for the best interest rate available.
Next, I hold a buyer discovery meeting. We sit down, usually over a cup of coffee or adult beverage and discuss what it is the buyer wants. We paint a mental picture of their dream home and from there we discuss how this home fits in their budget. This is one of my favorite parts of the process as it’s where I get to learn what they value the most. It is always so much fun to hear people share their dreams and watch their eyes light up as they share the parts that are the most important to them.
Once we have a budget and know what we are looking for, I start sorting through hundreds of homes and sending my clients only the very best. Once they select a few to see, we have our first home tour day! This is another one of my favorite parts of the process because again, it’s an aspect where I really get to know my clients and what makes them tick. When we find the right house, there is a special look almost all buyers get when they know they are home. I love that look!
Now it’s time to write the offer! This is where my negotiation skills come in handy and I go to bat for my clients, ensuring ours is the winning offer. Just having the winning offer isn’t enough though. I also want to make sure my clients are getting the best deal possible on their home. There are a number of tactics I employ to achieve this.
Once our offer is accepted, my job gets truly busy. It is at this point I become a project manager of sorts, coordinating the efforts on home inspectors, transaction coordinators, title officers, escrow closers, lenders, appraisers, underwriters, and of course continuing to work with my clients and the listing agent. There are lot of details and processes that all have to be executed precisely and in a specific timeline. I thrive in this environment! Throughout this process I’m coaching my clients and helping them avoid any potential pitfalls, especially when it come to any transfer of money to escrow.
Finally, it is the week of closing and we conduct a final walkthrough of the home, the buyer signs a whole bunch of paperwork, the escrow closer distributes the funds appropriately, and the title officer sends the updated title to the County Recording Office. Once the transaction is officially recorded by the county, I get to hand the buyers the keys to their new home!
