So, you’ve decided to bite the bullet and go for it. You’ve worked hard and saved up. You’ve been really strict with your spending habits and made some serious efforts to curb that impulse for immediate gratification. It’s time to stop renting and and make that life changing step of owning a home. Congratulations! This is where I come in.
Certainly, shopping for a home can be a lot of fun. But, first things first:
- Let’s get you situated with a mortgage lender right away to get Pre-Approved
- So we can shop for the right home
- Then, we can make an offer
- Negotiate the terms of the sale
- And close the deal!
Pre-Approval
For sure, you’ve got a number in your head of what you think you can afford. And you’ve thought about all the expense that go along with home ownership. Things like home owners insurance and maintenance and property taxes and all that fun stuff. Let’s get you connected with a lender that’s local. I can recommend several to choose from that who know the neighborhoods like I do. That’s key to knowing the real market value of your specific area of interest. They’ll work with appraisers that know the area as well. Once you’ve met with a mortgage lender and given them all the necessary pay stubs, W-2’s, tax returns and part of your soul, they’ll give you the key to unlock the vault of homes on the market: a Pre-Approval Letter. This gets us the leg up on step two; Shopping for the Right Home
Shop for the Right Home
Getting Pre-Approved by a mortgage lender gives you many things. Most importantly, you have a very precise number of your borrowing power. This is indeed what you can afford and now you have the letter from a lender to prove it. Together we can find the home of your dreams while staying in reality. And sellers can be confident that you not only have the desire but the means as well to negotiate the best possible outcome for everyone. Again, this is where I come in. We’ll find the right house at the right price and make The Offer.
Offer and Acceptance
Once we’ve found it, we’ll offer on it, inspect it, negotiate it, get it appraised, negotiate it, get repairs done, evaluate it, and negotiate it some more. When it’s all said and done you’ll sign documents (until your arm falls asleep) that turn your desires and responsibilities into a reality. And I’ll be with you every single step of the way.
I’ll put us on a schedule that starts with “Hey, I’m Mike” to “Congratulations! You own a home!” Oh, and did I mention you don’t pay me anything? You don’t. My services are free to you. My pay is covered in the commissions that the sellers pay to their listing agent. The listing agent (who works on behalf of the seller) pays me a portion of what they collect from the seller once the deal is done and the transfer of ownership is completed at the closing table. It’s weird, I know. But, it’s a great motivator for me to work hard on your behalf. I get paid when you’re happy, and you’re happy because you don’t have to pay me.