Buyer Guide

Buying a house is a series of decisions with deadlines attached. This guide is the order they come in, what each one asks of you, and what I am doing in between.

01. Talk first

Before we look at anything, we talk. Where you want to live, what you can spend comfortably, and when you need to be moved. If you have not spoken to a lender yet, that is the first call. A pre-approval letter tells us the real budget and makes your offer credible when the time comes.

We also sign a buyer agreement. Since August 2024 that is required before touring, and it spells out what I do for you and how I am paid. How agents are paid has the detail.

02. Your buy box

Write down the towns, the price range, the must-haves and the deal-breakers. Bedrooms, garage, yard, commute, school boundary, HOA or no HOA. It sounds obvious, and it is the thing that keeps us honest when a house that fails three of them shows up looking beautiful.

03. Touring

• Go in daylight when you can. Light is most of how a house feels.
• Open everything. Closets, the furnace room, the crawlspace hatch. You are allowed.
• Look up and down. Ceilings for stains, floors for slope, basement walls for water lines.
• Drive the block at night. Different neighborhood, sometimes.
• Tell me the truth. If a house is wrong, say so in the driveway. It saves everyone a week.

04. Making an offer

An offer is more than a number. Earnest money, closing date, inspection and appraisal terms, what stays with the house, and who pays what all move the seller as much as price does. We look at what similar homes have actually sold for, decide what the house is worth to you, and write terms that compete without overpaying.

If the seller counters, we go back and forth until we agree or walk away. Walking away is a fine outcome. Another house is coming.

05. Under contract

Inspection

You hire an inspector to go through the house, usually two to four hours, and you should come for the last part. If the report turns up problems, we can ask for repairs, a credit, or a price change, or in some cases walk away with your earnest money. Health and safety items come first. Cosmetic items rarely belong on the list.

Appraisal

Your lender orders an appraisal to confirm the house is worth the loan. If it comes in at value we keep going. If it comes in low, there are a few ways through and I will lay them out.

Loan

Underwriting asks for documents, then more documents. Send them the day they ask. Do not open new credit, change jobs, or move large sums between accounts until you have keys.

Title and insurance

The title company checks the ownership history. You shop for homeowner's insurance and get it bound before closing. I keep the deadlines, and you will hear from me when one is coming up.

06. Closing and keys

You walk through the house the day before, or the morning of, to confirm it is the condition you agreed to. At closing you sign, the money moves, the deed is recorded, and the keys are yours. Bring a valid photo ID and your funds arranged the way the title company asked.

Afterward, keep every closing document. Then read the Homeowner Handbook when the boxes are unpacked.