1.       Initial interview
We start with a 30-60 minute get-together to discuss your goals, preferences, timeline and financing options. This can be at my office, 
your home or a public place, convenient to you and conducive to talking privately.

2.       Pre-approval – a first step
Speak to and get pre-approved by a reputable mortgage lender. With your permission I’ll have someone contact you, whom I feel will work will with you on the mortgage process.

3.       Your home search
I will set up a search in the Multi-listing service (MLS) for you to receive private, customized lists of homes on the market, via email, that match your set of criteria.

4.       Professional Buyer Representation
We will go over the Buyer Agency Agreement and commit to each other to work together for a period of time that you are comfortable with.

5.       Mortgage Application
I strongly recommend, if you are ready to purchase a home in 1-3 months, that you contact your lender of choice and begin the application process. It can take several weeks to complete and if you get started on it while you are looking at homes, you will not only be ahead of the game when you find your dream home, but more importantly, you will be able to present your offer with a full mortgage commitment. This makes your offer much stronger than most competing offers. And, when your offer is accepted, you can concentrate solely on the Home Inspections and appraisal stage of the process. This makes the process much less stressful!

6.       Exploring what is out there
Based on the listings I email you or any other homes that you drive by or see online, you can send me a list of addresses you would like to tour. Or, you may just have questions about a property before we see it, which I can ask the listing agent. Whenever possible, I encourage you to drive by homes you are considering in order to check out the locations and exteriors.

7.       Seeing homes
When ready, you and I will set up a time to see a home or a number of homes together that best fit your needs. I don’t recommend more than eight (8) per day, so that you have time to process what you see. However I do recommend seeing at least two (2) at a time. Typically we take separate cars and meet at the first property, but if transportation is a challenge for you, let me know I will do my best to accommodate your needs. I make myself available to show homes at any time during the week, with sufficient notice, including evenings and weekends (except Sunday morning). We avoid seeing homes in the dark.

This step usually takes anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months, but could be shorter or longer, depending on many factors. The better I understand your needs and preferences, the faster I can help you find the perfect home.

8.       Choosing the candidates
When you find a home you can see yourself living in and you think you might like to purchase it, I will research the home values in the area and ask more questions of the listing agent about the unique situation of that seller. I will get you a copy of the Seller’s Property Disclosure to gain more information about the home.

9.       Writing your first offer
So now you have narrowed down all the homes you have seen to the first home you would like to write an offer on! How exciting. I recommend you touch base with your lender at this stage and tell him the particulars about the home and he can give you a good idea of your monthly mortgage amount and the amount you would need to purchase. I will communicate to the listing agent that you are very interested and find out if they have any other offers on the property. 
To move ahead with making your offer, we will study other sold homes in the area to determine the market value of the one you have chosen, and then come up with an opening offer price and optimum terms to present to the seller. I will let you know which terms you can use as bargaining chips, what things to ask for or not ask for to let the seller feel he/she is getting some of what they want, and how to get the terms that you want to make it work for you. We can meet in person to go over the documents together (1-1.5 hours) or I can prepare the documents online and email you a link to read and sign them electronically.  You will need to be prepared to provide an earnest deposit check at the time of the offer or immediately after its acceptance. If you would like, you can provide a personal letter, letting the seller know how much you would like to live in this home and make it yours. When we complete writing and signing your offer agreement and other paperwork needed for processing the purchase, I will forward everything to the listing agent for the seller’s review and response.

10.   The Seller’s response
I usually give the seller 1-3 days to get back to you about your offer. They will either say they accept it as written, they reject it, or they will send back a verbal counter offer of the price or the terms or both. We will discuss our negotiating strategy and make our response accordingly.

11.   Under Contract!
Once the seller has signed an offer that both parties agree to, the contract is “executed” and you are considering “under contract” or “pending”. This begins the contingency period (7-14 days) where you can do all your due diligence, such as home inspections, surveys or other research. You will also complete the mortgage application process at this point, lock in an interest rate and the lender will have an appraisal to confirm the value of the home.  I will take care of ordering a title search and applying for your title insurance. The Pending period usually lasts from 30-60 days, depending on your purchase contract.

12.    Settlement
When you have completed the mortgage process, the title search and the inspections, you are ready to “close”. We will do a walk-through inspection of the house just prior to closing to be sure everything is the same as when we last saw it and any seller repairs have been done to your satisfaction. The “Closing” or “Settlement” is usually held in my office and conducted by Golden Abstract and you should figure on the whole process taking 1.5-2.5 hours. You will bring a certified check to settlement that you will get from your bank the day before (or you have the option of wiring your money to the title company).  When we’re done, you will walk away with the keys and the house is yours to move into! Congratulations!