The contract

Someone came through your house and they loved it and want to make an offer!! Yippee!! First we want to be sure they have the money ready to make that offer--we need a letter from their bank saying they are prequalified or better yet preapproved!! Hopefully those are the only buyers coming through your house. I will receive an offer from their agent and we will sit down and go through it piece by piece, paragraph by paragraph, and make sure of the terms and other provisions are acceptable to you. We will probably negotitate the price and we can change any provisions that need to be changed. This contract is an agreement between the minds of both the buyer and the seller and needs to be a win win for all parties. That is our goal. I will lead you thorough the maze of real estate 101 and will take care to get you the best deal with the least amount of problems I can. It is a case of give and take on both sides. No one gets is all their way but together everyone wins!!

Showings

There will be showings on your home. We are a partnership and we will schedule the showings through our office. Someone from my office will call you and tell you who will be there to show your home and when they will be there. Usually they will give us a time, in about 1 hour increments, say from 1-2 on Tuesday. They will then come by between 1-2 and show your home and leave a business card. That is in a perfect world. You will have cleaned or at least straightened up and if you have just left the lights will be on throughout the house. (The house looks bigger when the lights are on and that means more money.) There can be problems with this system. My office and staff do their best to get a hold of you so if there is one main person we can call to set up the showings that is best. If we have to call Harry at the office and then Jane on the cell she never uses and then Mark because sometimes he stays there.... well you can see how it could be a hit and miss situation. And the Realtors get delayed. If a buyer wants to stay in a house we will let them because they will need to really look over the ones they want so we may be late when we show them your house. Please accept my apology now--we will try to be in that time frame but might not be--you do not have to be out of your home till we get there--and then please try to leave for a walk or ride to get ice cream! We may be in your home for 10 minutes and we might be there for an hour. The longer we are there the better chance of an offer. They may use your bathroom, that is ok--they will stay longer. We try to have all the kids in tow but sometimes that is hard depending on the number of kids they have and how well behaved they are. The agents may not show up sometimes because they ran out of time, the buyers found another house they loved before seeing yours or they just didn't want to see your house when they drove by. Please understand we do the best we can to get them in with a scheduled showing but sometimes it just doesn't work. And you have cleaned and nothing happens--that is the nature of this business--it is not a perfect world--be ready for it.

Packing continued--

There are 3 questions you need to ask about the stuff you are going to pack. 1. Do I love it and want to take it with me? 2. Can I afford to move it? 3. Would someone else appreciate it or do they need it more than I do? (Then I should give it away to them!!) Moving is expensive and tiring so think about that when you start--everything you pack you need to unpack and put away in the new place. I suggest you get a bunch of paper towels and zip lock bags and use them when packing. I found the paper towels to be great to pack glassware in since newspaper will get them black and the paper towels won't. The zip lock bags will consolidate stuff like rubber bands and q-tips and things that go together and make it easier to transport and put away at the other end. Trust me on this one--you have lots more stuff than you think and it will take you longer to pack and move than you think. (You will also have less people help you than you think) I have seen people pull all nighters because someone did not show up to help them. Also, be sure you have all the boxes you need to finish packing since Walmart may not be open at 3 AM when you need extra boxes to pack before the truck arrives in the morning. Be sure you have planned for meals for the people who help you move and if someone wants to help by keeping your kids let them do that. It will be a bigger help than you know!!

Whats next?

You've taken care of the cleaning and made sure that all the toys are put away. Next I suggest you start packing up your stuff. You are moving so lets get started so you don't have so much to do when you get a contract and have a short time frame to move. I suggest you go to Walmart or Target and get some plastic bins. We will start filling those along with some cardboard boxes for garage sale or give away stuff so the amount of stuff to finish packing and move will be less. We will need a staging area--a place in the basement (or a spare room) to start stacking the boxes we have ready to move and another place to stack the garage sale boxes until we have enough for the garage sale. The boxes we are going to move need to be labeled
what is in them and where they came from and where they will go in the new house if you know. (ie: towels and grandmas china from the hall closet--to the new hall closet) I took the movering guys by the hand and showed them which room was which when we moved and said if it says living room, that is here, and if it says Robs room, that is in here. Then each box was in the room it was to be unloaded in and it made it so much easier for me to find the stuff I needed when I was ready to unpack that particular room. Buyers understand you are moving and will overlook a neat stack of bins. Our goal here is to make your closets and bookshelves neat and clean and not like there is a lack of space. It also makes your home easier to keep clean and neat. When my dad moved I would clean out a cupboard and then he had a bin where we packed the stuff that went to his new place and the rest went in a box to get ready for the tag sale he had to get rid of the rest of the items he no longer needed.

5 reasons a house doesn't sell

There are basically 5 reasons a house doesn't sell: Price, Condition, Location, Terms and Marketing. We will buy bad bananas to make bread if the price is right. So Price is the main one. If the price is to high the buyers will compare your home to the others in the price range it is in and will purchase the best value for their dollars. An overpriced home helps the others in that price range sell, and sits on the market and becomes "market stale", a term meaning it has been on for a long number of days and something is probably wrong with it. Condition is next and that is how clean and pristine it is. How does it show? Cluttered and dirty costs you money and it can cost you a buyer. Location is the third one and there is not a lot you can do about the location, except reflect it in the price. Good location means a higher price. A location is good depending on what the buyer wants--close to the University so they can walk to their office or far from the University so they don't have to be around the students in their free time. Terms are what the market interest rate is. The rates are good or they are not so good. (Compared to what they were when we bought our first house they are fabulous!!) The lower the rate the more home the buyer can get for their money. And then there is marketing and that is my job. I market in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) as well as local homes magazines. My office is in the local paper with the listings on a weekly basis. We both make sure your home is seen by upwards of 50,000 people a day

Things to do to help your home sell

We need to get together to see what you need to do to sell your home. Buyers look at homes based on the price range they can afford. Yours has to stand out in the price range and be a better value than any other home in that price range. It has to be spotlessly clean and all the fix up work has to be done, or we have to price it so the buyer can do the work and they get a bargain price for having to do the work. Stuff that is not done will cost you money on the sale. I have people who will help you with things that need to be done if you can not do them. I will advise you as to what to do and where to spend any money for fix ups--most things I suggest will not cost much and will make a big impact in the way the house looks and will attract a better price or a quicker sale. The lower the price the more buyers look at your home and the quicker the sale. There are 5 reasons a house doesn't sell--price, condition, location, terms and marketing. If all of these are in line, the home should sell and give you a fair price. The market is the thing that determines what you home is worth. Houses have to appraise out most of the time, unless you get a cash offer that does not require an appraisal and those are few and far between.

I'm thinking of selling my home--what's next?

"I think I want to sell my home"--but I'm not sure what to do next. Call me and we will sit down and see just why you want to sell your home and where you will go to live. Will you move for a job transfer, to be closer to the kids and grandkids, to a retirement community or just to go to a different kind of home, maybe a condo or an assisted living facility? These are things we look at when making these kinds of decisions. What is your time frame for the move? Do you need to be there tomorrow or do we have time to get things going for you? Will you move and leave the home empty or will you live there while it is being sold? Will one spouse or partner stay with the house while the other goes to the new location for a job transfer? Will there be a relocation company involved that will pay the expenses or will you have to foot the entire bill? Will this be a short sale where you owe more than your house is worth and have little or no equity? These are questions we must answer to know what to do and when and how to take care of the sale of your home. What stays with the house and what does not--backyard play set, drapes, chandlier your parents gave you for your anniversary? All these questions I can walk you through to get answers to help us proceed with the sale or your home so you can move into that new situation that will make you live "Happily ever after!!"

Buying New Construction

But I really want a new house!! Lets talk about the difference between a new home and a "Pre Loved" home. New is great--new everything, roof, heating unit, etc. Pre Loved can have some problems depending on the date it was built. New has much going for it but lets talk about the things people don't think about in a new home. There has to be additional money for window coverings (sheets are ok for the first 6 months but we really can't keep them up forever), landscaping (builders packages and covenants only have a limited amount of landscaping that must be done prior to the sale--limited to about 1 tree and 3 shrubs--ha ha--and you may notice out the window that the neighborhood is lacking in those being big trees), furniture (this home is bigger than the tiny apartment you just left) and misc other things that come up. This is a trade off with a pre loved home in that you may need to redo the roof in time and you may need to get a new furnace or paint or redo a kitchen or bath or update some light fixtures, but you will get more home for the money with a pre loved home. When you purchase new construction, you can get it in many stages of the construction process--before you close it you will do what is called a punch list--you will go through with the builder or their representative and make a list for them to fix, touch up, redo, or finish. You will then go back the day before the closing to make sure they have completed the list. If it is not done, you will need to make adjustments at closing on the hold backs and know for sure what will happen if it doesn't get done. Most builders need to have satisfied customers because they own another lot or two in the neighborhood and need to be able to sell that too. Beware of liens on new construction--it is the latest problem to know about out there--

Why not to be a For Sale By Owner

For Sale By Owner(FSBO)--the ads on TV make it look simple--put a sign in the yard--hold some open houses--get a buyer--close on the house and save thousands of dollars!! Sounds easy but I have not seen a transaction go that smoothly in 25 years in the business. I have a list of 72 things that can go wrong with real estate transactions, and that is just what went on the list probably 10 or more years ago. Now a days, people want to purchase a property and "get a great deal". They will look to the FSBO to get that deal--after all, you are saving the commission of 6% so they want a piece of that savings so they knock 3% right off the top of and then they start to negotiate the price. You are able to negotiate with no emotion in the negotiations--even though it is your money they are taking, and your house they are not paying what you think it is worth. Not to mention, are they there to really see your home or case it, are they OK to let into your house and do they really have money to buy it or are they just "tire kickers" and want to get decorating ideas? Do you know them? Do you trust them? Will they tie your home up with a contract that falls through (and can you take care of the problems that arise) so that you can not move on with your life? Will they show up at closing with no funds and you have all your stuff in the moving truck in the front of the house? Still sound easy? In this financial era with all the problems we are having getting financing, refinancing, and speciality loans, this is not the time to try to save money--not to mention all the short sale problems that are going on and the trials and difficult situations that are happening every day. My advice is to hire a trained professional--like me--and let us take care of the worry of security for you, your family and your home along with making sure that you sell this one and get on to the next one. It may look easy on TV but in real life it is not even close to that easy--trust me on this one--it is the toughest market I have ever worked in in 25 years in this business!!

What is the Sycamore Transfer Tax?

The City of Sycamore has a Sycamore Transfer Tax--some call it the "Welcome to Sycamore" tax. It is .5% so that makes it $500 on every $100,000 of the sales price of a home. It only applies to buyers who are not residents currently or who have not been renters in Sycamore for over one year. To be exempt you will have to prove you have lived in Sycamore for over one year or show rent checks to the landlord for the last 12 months. It is paid to the City of Sycamore prior to closing and you are given a stamp that goes on the deed (DO NOT LOSE THAT STAMP--THEY WILL NOT REPLACE IT). You must take a copy of the front page of the contract with you for them to issue it so they know exactly what the home sold for and there is paperwork, on the City of Sycamore website, you fill out and submit with the contract front page. This tax is for the buyers but can be negotiated with the seller on the contract and the seller is allowed to pay the tax for the buyer but it must be negotiated in the contact for that to happen. A check for the amount of the tax can be taken care of at closing if the buyer or seller does not have the funds for it prior to the closing. Some title companies charge a fee to go get the stamp and sometimes the Realtor will run over to the city building and get the stamp for you and bring it back to the closing or right after the closing.

First time home buyers--benefits

This is your first home and you are both excited and scared. It is natural and smart to be scared. We were the first time we purchased a home--but know that I am a trained professional and can take care of you through the maze that is home ownership! There are lots of programs out there for first time home buyers and the local lenders know all about them. There are income limits on some, but not all, so if you make too much income you are outside of the guidelines and can't get them. The cities have some special criteria for grants they have available and those can be accessed through the lenders too. That is why we ask you to start at the local lenders. They know the rules, and the possible help, and what is and is not there for you. They know the programs that are currently available and will help you fill out the forms for those programs. Ask about the Mortgage Credit Certificates program (The MCC) which can be used in conjunction with any type of mortgage loan and allows first time home buyers to receive a dollar for dollar reduction in federal income taxes of 20% of their mortgage interest for the time they own the property and use it as their principal residence.
There is currently a $7500 credit available for first time home buyers who buy between April 9,2008 and June 30, 2009. It is a loan at 0% interest and paid back over 15 years at $500 per year. (That is the current law subject to change at the whim of the congress) It is single family homes and condos but it must be your principal residence. It must be claimed on the return for the year of the purchase. First time home buyer is defined as one who has not owned a home in the last 3 years so if you owned a home, sold it and got a divorce for instance and have not owned another home in the last 3 years, you are eligible again for the first time home buyers program.
There are other programs pending the congress is considering so keep looking in the papers and on line for more information. Now is a great time to be a first time home buyer--the deals and the rates and the programs are in your favor--there will not be deals and programs like this for a long time to come. People talk about buying at the bottom, but the bottom is about 20 minutes long before it starts up again and then there will be other buyers competing for the same listings that you want--competition breeds higher prices and the home you want will cost you more money and interest rates could go higher so it could cost you more to wait till the bottom is here.

Do I need and attorney?

Buyers have the option to have an attorney or not. Most of the local attorneys are $500 or less. My personal opinion is it is best to have an attorney. They look over the contract and have 8 days to agree to or modify the contract to purchase. They look out for your interest and make sure you are protected, especially when you have a special situation or something out of the norm. They make sure all the documents are correct, that what is included is legal and clearly defined and all parties to the contract understand exactly what is meant. They take care of the closing figures and send them to the title company and take care of any problems that come up at the closing. They are a cool head that can take the emotion out of your home purchase. They are going by the rule of the law and with the size of the investment you are making they are an insurance policy that you should give consideration to. I never close my own transactions without making sure to have my attorney look over the paperwork, to be sure I did not get the emotions in front of the legal footing. We can get you a home without an attorney on the buying side, but I always feel more secure when they are there to protect your interest and make sure all the i's are dotted and the t's crossed. The title companies do a great job but a second safety net is never a bad thing when you are spending this much money.

The Closing--Finally it is OUR home

This is the day you have been waiting and packing for--the closing on your new place!! Usually one hour before the closing we go to the house and do a final walk through to be sure that the sellers left the house clean and empty and that everything is the way it was the last time you looked at it, minus their "stuff". We make sure everything we bought in the contract is there--ie: the refrigerator, stove, chandelier in the dining room, etc. and that it all works--we run the dishwasher, check the burners on the stove, etc. There may be other things we wanted and we need to be sure they are there--curtains in the rooms, etc. If it is included in the contract we negotiated for it and it is to be there in the condition it was agreed on. If not we have a problem, usually it is a small problem and will be worked out at the closing (the brother-in-law was helping them move and did not know they had sold you the bar stools so he put them on the moving truck with the rest of their stuff). They will leave all the directions and warranties to the appliances in one of the drawers with any extra keys (hopefully they have gotten all the extra keys back from the neighbors, their mom and dad, the teenage son and anyone who stayed for the night 3 years ago) and the garage door openers. We will give you at least one key, and usually more, at the closing when we are done signing the papers. If there are things they were to have fixed, or cleaned (usually the furnace) we will check to be sure they work and are done, making sure at the closing that they have been paid for, if necessary.
Most closings take 1-2 hours--one hour is the norm for local lenders but sometimes there is a snag--someone forgot to send the money, there is one piece of paper that is missing, the title company needs one more piece of the closing puzzle that should be easy but the person at the other end (usually the lender) needs just "one more thing". When all is done, and the money has changed hands and the title company has paid out all the money everyone brought in, the buyer brought money for the down payment and some closing costs, the Realtor brought the escrow or earnest money and the lender brought the loan funds, then the home is yours!! (The deed still needs to be recorded and other things like that but you get to move in and call it yours--yours and the banks!!) This is now the time to celebrate and call the brother-in-law to help you move in your "stuff". And they lived happily ever after......

The Realtors Job--earning their commission

Once we have written the contract, your job is to finish up with the lender and all the information they need and start packing. (It will take you longer and it will take more boxes to pack than you think it will. So start early and pack what you don't need every day as soon as you get a chance to start. Sort out the stuff you no longer need to move or can't afford to move--give it away or trash it).
During this time, I will be ordering the inspections, (like the termite inspection, radon if it is not done with the home inspection and any other items the home inspection brought up) coordinating with the attorney on the title work, making sure that all the rest of the items are taken care of so we can have a successful closing. I will make sure that the lender is on top of your file and that the appraisal (they determine the value of your property for the bank) came back OK. I will take care of the problems that arise and be sure that all goes smoothly. You have enough to do to pack all that stuff you have while living your regular everyday life. I have the experience to take care of problems that arise and the vendors I use know that they need to let me know right away when they need help with a problem that needs to be solved. We will then go to the closing with your attorney if you have one and after the papers are signed and we are given the go ahead, you get the keys and the garage door openers and then you go and live happily ever after.....in your new home!

The Contract--Clear Title

I get the question all the time about making sure that we get a "clear title". That means that they can transfer the ownership of the house to you with no problems. It has not had work done to it that has not been paid for (liens) or taxes that have not been paid (tax liens) or judgements that have not been satisfied, etc. There is what we call "title work". It is a document that is ordered on the new house and when it comes from the title company it tells us (you, me, your attorney and lender) what the parcel number for your house is, what the legal discription is (so we don't buy the house next door!!) where the current mortgage(s) are from (so we can be sure to know about all of them and be sure to get the amounts to pay them off from the proceeds) if the taxes are currently paid, what easements are on the property (most of them are for utility companies to run their wires etc.) who owns the property currently (we want to be sure all the sellers are selling) and any other information that is important to the sale. If all of this information is OK and we are sure that none of it is "clouded" then we can proceed with the sale. Our contracts say the seller must provide you with a clear title. That means you can own the property and have the right, with certain provisions, (like the easements, etc.) to sell it to someone else in the future. If there are problems, we want to know so that the attorneys can get them cleared up so you can live happily ever after in the home of your dreams!!

The contract--Home sale contingency

You have a home to sell--do you sell or buy first? Yes, no, maybe!! This is a market where some homes take forever to sell and others sell right away--we have no magic way to tell what will happen in your situation. We start by looking at your home and helping you "stage" it--that means we help you declutter your stuff--pack it up, you are moving and you need to sort what you are taking to the new place and what you are getting rid of. We have professional stagers too that come in and can bring items to make your home look like a model home, or just change things around and give it a new vision or eye (they are very reasonable for the time they spend and well worth the money!!). We then price your home to sell. That seems like a crap shoot at this time too--we want to price it low enough to get buyers to come through but we don't want to make it so low because you may--probably will--get low ball offers. (We will negotiate the low ball offers and hopefully get to a price you can live with.) We can always go out and find a home you love and put in an offer "subject to the sale of your current home". Some sellers will take it that way and some will reject it and hope they get a non-contingent home sale buyer. We can always put yours on the market with a clause that you get the home you want or have time to find suitable housing. Buyers would have to honor that and hopefully you would have 30 days or so to find a home and/or a place to live--and then another 30 or so days before closing. It always seems to work out--it is in the overall plan. So lets look at yours and I will give you my best advice and we can go from there with all the options presented to you at that time so you know what the best plan is and we can go forward from there. It is not an exact science and I am sorry for that but that is part of the challenge of this business. It is OK--I am a trained professional and for the most part, know what I am doing and you can trust me that it will be OK!!

Writing the Contract part 3--the contingencies

We have written the contract and told the seller all the details of the major contract conditions, but there are the other "contingencies" or conditions that might apply to this contract and your ability to purchase. Do you want a survey of the property lines so you are sure where the fence is and whose property it is on--yours, the neighbors, on an easement of someones--answer yes!!
Do you want or does your lender require a pest inspection? If so we will get one--the seller pays for both of the above unless you make other arrangements in the contract. Is there special financing--FHA and VA have special provisions about how much the seller can contribute to repairs required by that type of financing. If you purchase a country property that is on well and septic you will need both the well and septic inspected to be sure they are working and safe--you may need the septic pumped out if it has been over 5 years since it was done. Some wells will need to be shocked and retested if they fail the first test to be sure the water is good to drink. We talked about the home sale contingency in the previous blog, but this is a contingency that is important to be addressed in the contract. You may want a radon test if there is no system to take care of it in the home. You may have a home to sell (another blog) and we have to tell the seller about that home and where in the process of selling it you are, just on the market or do you have a contract with a closing date firmed up. There are a few other contingencies that may need to be used, but for the most part, these are the major ones that protect you. At the time of the contract, you will give "a good faith deposit" also called earnest money and that is usually $500 to $1000 in our area. Some areas ask for more. This money will secure the contract on your home and says you are making an offer in good faith. If the contingencies you have put in place are not satisfied, such as selling your current home, then the earnest money (most times) will be returned to you and you no longer are bound by the contract. Only sign a contract for a home in good faith knowing that you are purchasing that home and it is a big decision, not to be taken lightly.

Writing the contract part 2--the home inspection

We have found the home of your dreams but need to know more information about that home. We do this with a home inspection. I will recommend home inspectors but you may bring in anyone who knows what they are doing to check out the home. The charge for most homes that are single family is about $300, worth every penny, and paid at the time of the inspection. I only recommend inspectors I have used personally myself. I will ask you to call the inspector and set up a time that you and the inspector can all be there. (Then you call me to set up the appointment with the seller so they know when you will be there--it takes 2-3 hours to do the inspection, so be sure you alot that amount of time.) You need to be there if at all possible so you can learn as much about your new home and the care (and feeding) of it. The inspectors will give you tips on furnace filters and how to change them, water shut offs in case of emergency, electrical and roof problems if there are any and what to do about them, they will explain what a GFI plug is and why you need them around the water sources in your home. They tell you the age of the systems and about when you will need to replace them down the road. They will answer your questions and don't be afraid to ask--you are paying for their time and expertise. You can bring family or friends with you if you want and that is fine. (Dad always wanted to know about the house we were buying and he knew what questions to ask). You will get a booklet from most of them to refer to when you have other questions. All of the inspectors will be licensed and bonded. When they are finished they will give you a list of the things that may need to be repaired or warranted or are just unacceptable. We take this list to the sellers agent and ask for repair, an allowance or what ever remedy we would like to have. They then have the option to do what we ask or counter our request. We are asking for them to fix the major problems, not do simple stuff like paint the pepto-bismol pink bedroom. Once we come to an agreement, they repair what they said they would do or give us the allowance at closing. Once in a while, with certain kinds of financing (FHA) there are things that the appraisers want done or finished and they put that on the appraisal sheet and we ask the seller to do those things or if we can do them, we get the sellers permission to fix them. Knowing what you are getting into will make your life easier down the road.

Writing the contract to purchase--the disclosures

Well, we finally found the right house--now we have to write up a contract to purchase that home. We go back to my office and fill out the "Official paperwork". (Don't worry, I am a trained professional and it really is exciting--it doesn't hurt at all!!) The first piece of paper you will see is called the Sellers Disclosure and it tells us what the seller knows about the house. It talks about the roof and the basement, if they have had any leaks, any problems that they know of they must disclose to you the potential buyer. They have to tell us the truth because we are basing our decision to purchase on the answers on that sellers disclosure. (We are also basing the price we offer on what is known and has been corrected in the house.) There are other disclosures the seller has signed here in the state of Illinois. A radon disclosure (Radon is an odorless, colorless gas that usually comes in thru the basement of the home, and can be measured so that the levels are safe--under 4 pico cures (I have no idea what a pico cure is but it is the standard of measure for Radon)) Radon levels can be remediated and the levels guaranteed to be under 4 pico cures if need be (usually by the seller). You will also see a Lead based paint disclosure if they house was but prior to 1978. Lead paint was used in all homes built prior to that year and most, if not all, of it has been painted over or covered over but you need to know this because if you buy an older home and remodel it, you need to be aware that the dust from the remodeling could be detrimental to any children that are around at that time. You might see a mold disclosure also. Every home has some small amounts of mold somewhere but we want to be sure there are no large amounts of it, for instance in the attic, or basement, or behind the walls. We will have a home inspection (see next post) and that will hopefully uncover any major mold problem the homeowner doesn't know about or has not had fixed.
Now finally on to the contract. The contract is an 8 page document where we fill in all the blanks. It is where we tell the seller what it is we want and what it is we are willing to pay for what we want. It is where we make an offer to purchase the property and tell them what we want to be included in the property (like the refridgerator and stove) and what we don't want (the old airconditoner in the attic). We state the terms and conditions of the sale, when we want to close and take possession and how we will pay for the property. We want them to convey a clear title to us (another blog) and we need to discuss other things (performance, default, damage to the real estate, etc.) The contract protects you and there are contingencies (another blog) that if not met you can void the contract--like the sale of your current home or the fact that if you don't get the money you don't have to purchase the house. These are legally binding contracts so when you fill one out you are serious about purchasing a home. It is a simple process and you have a trained professional (me) guiding you through the whole buying process so not to worry. It is all part of the journey and fun to getting to "happily ever after".

Looking at homes is fun!!

Finally, we get to the good stuff--looking at homes!! You will know when you find the right home for you because something in your tummy will say "THIS IS THE RIGHT ONE!!" Sounds silly I know but my clients all say this is the one--I feel just like you told me we would about this home.
We need to know what we are doing when we look at homes. We will set appointments and usually see 3 per hour so in 3 hours we will see 9-10 homes. The is enough to totally confuse you as to what kitchen is in which house. The Multiple Listing Data Sheets have lots of pictures of the inside of the homes so it is easier to remember the inside of 123 Elm from the inside of 3456 Mead, and you get your own copy of the data sheets so you can take notes on each one. We usually keep only 3 at the top of your list of homes and throw out the rest. Choosing from 3 is easier than choosing from 10. We are looking for the home that has a floor plan that works for you, a lifestyle that works and a neighborhood that is comfortable, convenient, and located within your parameters of close to work, school district, near friends or some other criteria you have that is important to you. Some things in a home are really important, is there a big kitchen, bedroom size, a finished basement for the kids or a "man cave", a three car garage, a large yard. Some things are not as important, the color of the walls, the wallpaper in the bathroom, the counter tops in the kitchen, because these things can be changed and at a smaller expense than moving a wall or building an addition. Sometimes a home will not have one of the features you want, say a fireplace in the living room, but we can have one put in. We just need to build in the expense of having it done or doing it ourselves and add it to the cost mentally. We can do it right away or maybe it will be a plan for down the road in a year or two. I suggest not ruling out a home because it doesn't have one or two things you think you need or think you really want, because I can only find you about 85% of the house you want. There is no perfect house, close but not perfect, no matter how many you look at. One of the greatest joys in this business is helping someone find the right home for their needs, budget and their lifestyle. The right home is out there and it is our job to find it--and then you get to live "happily ever after".