Buying a home is one of the most significant purchases in a lifetime. It is essential to have an experienced agent in your corner, always looking out for your best interest. A buyer agent’s fiduciary responsibility is to represent the buyer and to ensure that they are protected.

After all, a seller has someone in their corner. A listing agent has an allegiance to the seller. Their goal is to get the seller top dollar for their home. There is incredible value in having someone working for YOUR best interests when buying a home.

Mortgage lenders recommend you do not buy a home that is more than 3 to 5 times your annual household income. If you are not purchasing a home with cash, you will need a mortgage pre-approval provided by your mortgage lender. A lender will work with you to get a loan that meets your needs. Some buyers are concerned with keeping their monthly payments as low as possible, others want to make sure that their monthly payments never increase.

Being pre-approved, unlike being pre-qualified, means you've actually been approved by a lender for a specific loan amount. You will need to provide documented financial information (income, statements, assets, debt & credit reports etc.) to be reviewed & verified by the lender.

Time to start shopping! We will take notes on all the homes we visit. It can be hard to remember all the details of each home, so take pictures or videos to help you remember each home and review the notes you have written. Once we have found THE house for you, we will present an appropriate offer based on recent sales and current buyer activity in the area, as well as the value of the property in its current condition. Negotiations may take place after the offer is presented.

So, you have found THE house! Congrats! In today’s market when the demand is higher than the number of homes available it is important to act fast! We will sit down and look at recent sales and current buyer activity in the area, as well as the value of the property in its present condition. With the knowledge of all this information, we will determine the price that you would like to offer.

During the inspection period, we will schedule an inspection with a reputable home inspector to do a thorough investigation of the home. Once this is complete, the inspector will provide us with a list of their findings. You can take the issues as-is or request the seller to address some or all of the findings. We will be mindful and reasonable on smaller items while being very cautious and vigilant of potentially significant issues.

Issues typically arise after the home inspection, and those issues tend to result in another round of negotiations for credits or fixes. Keep your poker face, we have solutions and will further discussions and negotiations with the seller's agent.

Our lender will arrange for a third-party appraiser to provide an independent estimate of the value of the house you are buying. The appraisal incorporates all parties to inform that the price is fair. The loan file then moves on to the mortgage underwriter. We will then discuss Property Title and Homeowner's Insurance.

The final inspection takes place a day before or the day of the closing. We visit the property to verify that all is in working order, everything is the same as when you last viewed the property, that there are no extra items left behind, and that everything included in your purchase is still at the property. We also check on those repairs in Number 6 .

Closing is when you sign ownership and insurance paperwork, and you receive your new home’s keys! Typically, closing takes four to six weeks. During this time, purchase funds are held in escrow, where your money is held safe until the transaction is complete.