Time to go Shopping

Take a Drive

Location! Location!  Location!  Most buyers want to be in a certain area, city or neighborhood so getting to know the neighborhoods which interest you is the best first step in the search phase.   Some buyers like to do test drives from a potential area to places they frequent such as shopping, dining, worship, work, sports arenas or the airport.

Narrow Your Search.

Once you target an area or areas that interest you, we will look at the homes that best meet your criteria with regard to basics such as number of bedrooms, bathrooms, living area, garages, pool and amenities. It’s normal for your criteria to be a little fluid throughout the process.  Each home is unique and sometimes the least likely home turns out to be the perfect home.

Time to Buy

Once you have picked out the property you want to purchase, I’ll help you structure an offer that the Seller will accept. There are a lot of factors that go into writing an acceptable offer and we will discuss all of those in great detail.  I’m an expert in writing winning offers.

Once all of the terms are agreed to by the Buyer and the Seller and as soon as all parties have signed and initialed the offer, we will execute the contract.  Once the contract is executed the clock starts ticking for all of the critical dates. A copy of the contract will go to your lender and another copy goes to the title company.  The Lender, the Escrow Officer and I will be keeping an eye on all of the critical dates to ensure that the contract is not breached and nothing slips between the cracks.

The Closing Agent.

Either a title company or an attorney will be selected as a closing agent. The closing agent will hold the earnest money in escrow and will research the complete recorded history of the property to ensure that the title is free and clear of encumbrances.  Some properties are subject to restrictions which limit various activities such as building or parking restrictions. There may be recorded easements and encroachments, which limit the rights to use your property.  These items are typically discovered in the survey, title work or HOA documents.

How to Hold Title.

You may wish to consult an attorney or tax advisor on the best way to hold title. Different methods of holding title have different legal, estate and tax implications, especially when selling or upon death of the title holder.