IS IT TIME TO BUY?

Are you ready to buy a home?

Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime.

Transactions today usually exceed $100,000. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a CPA? If you had a $100,000 legal question, would you deal with it without the help of an attorney?

Considering the small upside cost and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider a deal in real estate without the professional assistance of a Realtor®.

Determine your buying power

This is your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. If you give us some basic information about your available savings, income and current debt, we can refer you to lenders best qualified to help you. Most lenders offer limited choices. We can help you in understanding different financing options and in identifying qualified lenders.

The right way to search for a property

In our first step we show you what properties are available in the exact size and location that you want. For example, if you are looking for a four bedroom two bath house, then we will be able to narrow that search to those specific types of properties to see what is available right now.

We'll also look at properties that have sold that match your parameters. Even better, we'll try to find homes that were sold in your preferred neighborhood, if possible, so we can research property values. This is all great information to have when we actually get to the negotiation stage of the process.

We'll give you a comparative analysis, and work with you to submit an offer that will likely be accepted by one of the owners selling their home.

Going outside the box

Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation to find all available properties. We have access to more information about homes than the general public and give you the opportunity to see those homes much sooner than you could find them on your own.

Making the selection

We provide objective information about each property. Including local community information on utilities, zoning, schools, etc. There are two things you’ll want to know. First, will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell? We save you time by researching homes on your behalf and showing you only the homes that have the features that you are looking for.

Negotiating your purchase

There are myriad negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs and furnishings or equipment. The purchase agreement should provide a period of time for you to complete appropriate inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. We will advise you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.

Inspecting the property

Depending on the area and property, this could include inspections for termites, dry rot, asbestos, faulty structure, roof condition, septic tank and well tests, just to name a few. We can assist you in finding qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations and provide you with written reports. You will also want to see a preliminary report on the title of the property. Title indicates ownership of property and can be mired in confusing status of past owners or rights of access. The title to most properties will have some limitations; for example, easements (access rights) for utilities. We advise you through the contract process. We have risk management training and can alert you to issues you need to consider carefully.

The closing

We manage the transaction for you from the Effective Date of the contract through to a successful Closing. We will be the liaison between the lender and all parties involved. We are there to consult throughout the entire transaction. And we'll know what to do to solve any unforeseen challenges that may arise.

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