Buying a home is scary to many people. But it can be fun! We have created a Buyer Road Map Infographic to give you an overview.
This step-by-step infographic takes you through the process of finding a home, financing, and making an offer.
Start with “Just Looking” and follow the roadmap to the seller accepting your offer.
Print out this infographic to see exactly what to do and when to do it at a single glance.
Now, let’s look at home-buying in more detail.
How to Find the Right Home
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed. We remember how it felt not knowing where to start.
You will discover what you need and want in a home by comparing the homes you like. Download this simple organizer to view the pros and cons of each home in one place.
Another great way to get started is to go look at homes. This can be a grounding experience and many of your questions will be answered.
Click here to Schedule a day to look at homes
Finally, you must have a target to hit that target. To help you find the right home, we created our Buyer Targeting Worksheet. This is a useful way to get a better idea of what you need and want.
How Much Home Can You Afford?
You can search for a home with confidence once you’ve estimated how much money you will need up front to buy a home. Download this simple worksheet to understand your three biggest expenses.
The best way is to get pre-approved as soon as possible. Here’s why.
Almost every seller will want to know that you are a qualified buyer. Some sellers will not even allow a buyer to look at their property without a pre-approval letter… so this is a must-have all the way around.
Worries about credit scores also top the list for buyers. Click here to understand your credit score. The bottom line is credit problems can be identified and fixed but this happens as a part of the pre-approval process.
One of the biggest mistakes buyers tend to make is to wait to get pre-approved. There is no reason to wait.
What’s Happening in the Market?
Buyers tend to know and understand a home market better than sellers. This is because they spend a lot of time researching homes. It will not be long before you’re an expert too!
Be the first to know about new historic homes on our preferred list. Subscribe to Market Watch and receive daily updates directly to your email.
Searching online saves you time, energy, and gasoline. But you still need to visit a home in person before you can tell if it’s the right one for you.
How to get your offer accepted
You’re going to find the home of your dreams and fall in love (Okay, we’re biased, but stay with us).
Once we find the home, we have to convince the seller that you’re the best person to buy their property. An offer isn’t just how much you’re willing to pay. Many factors go into a deal, and we know how to make an offer hard to resist.
Even though we are the local Historic Home experts, it takes a team to win. You won’t be on your own. We know the loan officers, inspectors, and other experts we need.
Having the right team will save you time and money, and help ensure the deal goes through. This article will tell you more about team-building.
Congratulations, You’re in Contract!
The “contract” isn’t some nebulous legal document, it’s a purchase agreement that we create. Once the seller accepts your offer, that specific offer becomes the purchase agreement.
Navigating Escrow
Did you find the infographic at the beginning of this guide useful? We’ve created a Steps to Escrow Infographic to help you understand the contract process.
From the moment the seller accepts your offer to the day we hand you your keys, this one-page visual guide gives you everything you need to know about escrow at a glance.
Print out this infographic to understand each step and know what to do and when.
Many buyers are worried about losing their earnest money. There are very clear rules for making sure that money is not at risk.
The most important rule is that you’re not required to purchase a home that has problems, and that is why we inspect.
We’ll do a home inspection and other investigations before we sign off and formally close the purchase. Once this process is done, you will own your dream home!
Understanding the Home-Buying Process in 9 easy steps
We have simplified the process of buying a home to simple action steps. If you want to know more about any of these steps, please check out The Nine Steps to Buying a Home. Here’s a quick summary:
- Just looking (this is an actual step)
- Create a target
- Get pre-approved
- Finding your dream home
- Making an offer
- Getting accepted
- Investigations
- Appraisal and Underwriting
- Closing the deal
Unlock your Buyer Toolbox to take the uncertainty out of buying your home. You won’t need to guess what to do next. The toolbox links each step to the tools you need in the right order. Verify your email to gain access.
Take the next steps!
How much money do you need? Download this simple worksheet
Ready to start? Schedule a day to look at homes.
If you still have questions check out 30 Buyer Questions Answered.
