Buying a Home

During our initial meeting, we can sit down and chat about what you are looking for in a home and what your timeline is for moving. We will go over everything we do in the process and what you can expect when working with our team. It is also a good opportunity to answer any questions you have about the current market, the buying process, and the local neighborhoods. 

When you start looking at homes, it’s important to meet with a lender. A lender can tell you more about the different loans available to you and what you are preapproved for. Knowing the amount you are preapproved for helps ensure we are looking at the right properties for you. A preapproval is usually not required to look at homes, but we recommend having one ready if your dream home pops up on the market and we need to quickly make an offer. We are happy to recommend great local lenders you can speak with to learn more about loan options.

After our initial meeting, we will set you up in our Collaboration Center. The Collaboration Center will be your personal portal to all of the active homes available on the market that match your search criteria. You’ll be the first to know about new listings. Our database is faster and more accurate than what you see on Zillow and other listing sites.  You can mark the ones you like or reject the ones you don’t.  When you see a home you are excited about, we can schedule a showing for you to take a closer look!  With a team of licensed agents working on your behalf, we are always available to work around your schedule to see homes and answer questions.

When you find a home you are ready to make an offer on, we will do an appraisal-style valuation to see what it is worth in the current market. For example, if we are looking at a home listed for $300,000 but the valuation says it’s only worth $280,000, then depending on the market, we might want to talk about writing below list price. On the other hand, if the valuation says it’s worth $315,000, we might feel more comfortable writing above the list price. Our team will walk you through the offer, explaining what it all means, and answer any questions you have.  We can also advise on ways to make your offer stand out from others in a competitive market.

Spencer will use his proven negotiation skills to get you the best deal for your home. The buying process has a few steps where negotiation can be crucial, including any counter-offers received for your initial offer, as well as any negotiations after the inspection or after the bank appraisal. Spencer will walk you through what it all means and will give you advice on the different ways you can proceed.

Once you get an accepted offer, the inspection usually takes place in the first 15 days.  An inspector and a member of our team will meet you at the home to go over everything you should be aware of as the new owner.  If there are any concerns and repairs to be done, Spencer can negotiate these on your behalf based on what you feel comfortable with. We can ask the seller to fix items, reduce the purchase price, or in the rare event of significant defects, we can get you out of the transaction if that is what you decide.

After the inspection negotiations are complete, your lender will order an appraisal for the home to check its value before approving your loan. The loan approval process can take about 30 days.  If the appraisal comes back lower than the purchase price, the bank will require the buyers to bring additional cash to closing to cover the difference. As a buyer, if you don’t have additional funds, we can ask the sellers to reduce the purchase price or get you out of the transaction. This is why we always do an appraisal-style valuation before writing an offer to prepare our clients for what to expect when it comes time for the appraisal.

Once your loan is approved, you’re officially ready for closing.  You will meet with the sellers at the title company, sign some paperwork, and then it’s time to celebrate! Our goal is to make the moving process as easy as possible. We can help you get in touch with local movers, cleaners, junk removal companies, and many more homeowner services to use now or to use for future home projects if you ever need recommendations. We love hearing from our past clients and helping them along their homeowner journey even long after closing.