Hit The Road. Once you've gotten your financial house in order and selected a Realtor®, it's time to start shopping for your new home. Make sure that you have taken some time to select criteria and features that you simply must have in the home you are buying. And don't forget to make sure you jot down things that are absolute "deal breakers". These checklists will help you stay focused on the right home and keep you from letting your emotions get the best of you!

Your lender’s pre-approval letter will keep you focused on homes you can afford. Keep in mind that a good real estate agent will help you negotiate, so take a peek at some properties 2%-5% OVER your pre-approval for comparison purposes.

Know What's On The Market In Your Area. Visit online resources to see what properties are currently on the market, how long they have been on the market and what price they are going for. Click Here to search online for current properties.

Familiarize Yourself With The Neighborhoods. Take some time to drive through a number of neighborhoods that you are interested in so that you have a realistic idea of what kind of home your money will buy. Let us know your top 2-3 neighborhoods so we can take you on a tour and get you in to several homes in each. We will use this process to really narrow down our search for you and enable us to find homes best suited to your wants and needs.

You might even consider taking a list of homes in several neighborhoods on your own. This way, you can really drive around and get a feel for the neighborhoods. We are happy to provide you with a list of properties and directions to help you navigate.

Choosing Your Homes And Making Appointments. Choose your top 5 homes for sale and have your real estate agent set up appointments to go inside. We personally go through 100s of properties each and every year and can help point out some of the features and strengths as well as point out some of the weaknesses of each home.

On our home buying tour, we provide you with a printed sheet for each home including any pictures that we can access as well as a note sheet to keep track of the homes you've seen and the things which you did and didn't like. We'll then take the top properties and help you analyze and decide which home is right for you. And... not to worry, if your first trip doesn't find you your dream home, we'll continue the process with you until you find the right home.

Making The Offer. The asking price is just that — asking! We'll provide you with a comparative analysis of other properties in the area to help you determine what price you'd like to offer (and what the seller is likely to accept.) We can also help you understand costs associated with closing and repairs and prepare an offer with any necessary concessions.

Getting The Offer Accepted. Once the offer is accepted, the clock starts ticking and you are on your way to buying a home! We can help you select an escrow company to hold your deposit and a title company to ensure that you have "clear" title. We'll also keep you on track with inspections, loan contingencies, appraisals, etc. Since this can be an emotional time, it is especially important to have your real estate agent negotiate on your behalf with the seller and watch the process through to closing.