Are you buying your home in Combine?

For most people, buying a home can be intimidating. However, with a bit of planning ahead of time, it's not all that difficult. So you know exactly what to expect, we like to provide our buyers with an outline of the entire deal. Below are our nine steps to purchasing a home.

Step 1 – Get ready to buy a home
There are plenty of things you should contemplate prior to commencing your home search. You'll most likely want to form an outline of items you want to have, plan for what neighborhoods you want to live in, and begin planning your budget. Ensuring your mortgage payment is less than or around a third of your net monthly income is a good rule of thumb to follow.

Step 2 – Communicate with a real estate agent
That's where we can help. We can plan a time to get together so we can talk about your real estate needs and get an idea of your plans for the future. We'll discuss everything from neighborhoods, school districts in the Combine area, the mortgage and housing industries, to any other economic factors that could affect your buying decision today or in the future.

In addition, we'll assist you with getting started on your loan. There are some excellent mortgage professionals in Combine, and we work with a lot of them, so you're in great hands. They can help you choose which type of loan is best for you, as well as help you get approved.

Step 3 – Begin house hunting
After we meet, we'll begin searching for available houses on the market that best suit you. We'll research many of the houses and reject the duds, and then we'll schedule appointments to tour the homes when it's convenient for you.

When we tour homes, we'll show you the good features, as well as bad ones. we'll also ask you what things you like and dislike. Frequently, buyers change their must-have list as we tour homes and some things become far more substantial than others. If that's the case, we'll search all the listings once more and trim it down to the home you've been waiting for.

Step 4 – Get a feel for the housing market
Our awareness of the Combine housing market is a necessary benefit in your search. We're familiar with all the neighborhoods and school districts, and we can alert you to some areas are "hot" and demand immediate action and the rest that are "cool" and allow for cautiousness.

As we view houses, we'll make sure to communicate if the list price has room for negotiation or if I believe the house is "priced to sell." When working with an agent, be careful and make sure you ask lots of questions. Every real estate agent in Combine will convince you they know the market. If it appears they don't know everything, contact us at (972) 476-6706 or e-mail us at cmrealty@msn.com, and we'll be glad to answer any questions you may have. Our market knowledge will keep you a step above the rest through the entire process.

Step 5 – Find your dream home
We know we'll find your dream home in the Combine area, and when that happens, we'll carefully create your home purchase offer. The offer will be tailored to suit your needs. Whenever necessary, We never forget to make contracts contingent upon items like acquiring financing and the results of the home inspection.

When sending in your offer, you'll need to submit "earnest money." This is a cash deposit submitted to the seller to secure an offer to buy the property, and it's often applied to the closing costs. If the offer is accepted by the seller, we should close on the home about 30 to 60 days after. This allows plenty of time for your mortgage financing.

Step 6 – Negotiate
Most deals aren't closed on the first offer – it's really common to receive a counter offer. But don't let it alarm you. We'll consider whether or not to accept the counter offer, present our own counter offer, or refuse the seller's offer and move on.

The state of the market will play a big part in how aggressively we negotiate the deal. We'll also work within your financing constraints. And when it's all said and done, we'll create a deal that's best for you.

Step 7 – Get a loan
Upon finalizing the deal, you'll start working with your mortgage lender to close the loan. If you're pre-approved, this shouldn't take very long at all, but you should to keep in close contact with your lender. And we'll manage all the property information your mortgage lender needs to close the loan.>

Step 8 – Close the deal
You'll get a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) of your closing costs from your lender within three days of taking your loan application. This estimate depends on the loan amount. RESPA requirements dictate that it has to contain all closing costs and be within a strict range of accuracy, and we'll analyze the estimate and let you know if it all looks adequate.

Then we'll close on your house. This will most often occur at a title company or escrow office and will most often be a smooth and peaceful event.

Step 9 – Move in
You made it! It's time to move into your new home. Enjoy it. And if you need anything, simply contact us at (972) 476-6706 or send us an e-mail.