What you should expect from the home buying process
Over the years of working in real estate, I have had a multitude of conversations with people where they share experiences, either their own or those of loved ones, with realtors that were below expectations, downright sketchy or honestly I’ve noticed times when people's expectations are too low!
So I thought it would be helpful to go over the level of service you should expect as a buyer (I can do one on selling at some point as well) by giving a rundown of the typical experience I provide.
Buyer consults: To start we meet and go over the full home buying process. I give you a detailed rundown of everything you should expect, from the pre-planning, the home search, the home buying transaction, closing, etc so you are fully prepared and empowered in the process.
We then go through in detail, what you want in a home, neighborhood, everything so we are on the same page of what the end goal and dream home will be.
After the consult, I send you a list of my top loan officers so you can begin the process of getting pre-approved. The loan officers I recommend are all able to sit down with you and go over their side of the process as well so in the end you feel educated and empowered to find your dream home.
I also will start to send you potential homes (even if you are a year or two away from buying) and ask you to share what you like, dislike or love about the homes. By communicating this early we get a really good idea of what you want in a property for when we start the search.
Home search: Once you have loan pre-approval and we have a good idea of what you want in a home we start to go look at properties.
Typically we look at 5-7 homes at a time, and I am always available to show the properties promptly as you have to act quickly in this competitive market.
The homes we view are typically ones I have sent based on your preferences (sent out weekly based on what's available). Or ones you have found yourself since highly motivated buyers tend to always be on the home search apps and find things quickly.
I then set up the showings, send you an email with the organized showing schedule, the mls info for each property, and any additional information I learned from the listing agent.
At the home showings, I make a point to show you areas of the home that could use some work, opportunities for interesting updates, and general things you should pay attention to.
By knowing your wants, dislikes, and things you desire in a home often I’ll point out how the properties measure up to your wants so you don’t get distracted by flashy home staging or cool features.
Writing an offer:
Once we find a property you are interested in I will immediately call the listing agent to get all the information we need on other offers, property questions, seller history, etc.
Then I will do a home value analysis pulling information from the property and recent sales in the area to make sure we are making an informed decision on your offer price.
We then will write up your offer using a multitude of strategies to ensure we are putting our best foot forward.
Transaction:
During the transaction, we will be in constant contact, especially in the beginning.
I will immediately start to schedule all inspections, meetings with contractors, and send you detailed information on the necessary steps you need to take in order to keep the transaction going (earnest money instructions, documents to review and sign, etc).
You should expect to hear from your realtor every few days, and even more often at the beginning of the process.
I’m doing my best work if your question is answered before you even ask it.
You should expect that your realtor is in constant contact with the agent on the other side, the loan officer, the title company, and any other vendors and is keeping you updated to these conversations when necessary.
Closing:
When you close on your home it should always feel like a celebration. It took a lot of hard work for you to get the keys to your new home so it should be a momentous occasion.
You should expect a personalized gift, some bubbly, and a shared moment of celebration!
Post-closing:
After you close on your home, we don’t become strangers. You can always count on me to be there for you if anything comes up, you need a recommendation for a home update you are doing, want to grab a beer and catch up, or need anything at all.
General expectations you should have:
Throughout the process I will always be available to respond to texts/calls/emails within a day, typically I respond within 2-3 hours.
A solid agent will be updating you with new homes, market updates frequently asked questions on a weekly/monthly basis based on where you are in your timeline and personally checking in with you frequently.
