Buying a home can be one of the most stressful life events, so I’d like to guide you through ways to make the home buying experience smoother.
If you’d like to make the move and go through the home buying process, you’ll want to check out these six helpful tips I’ve put together for you:
1. Call my office.
I may be biased, but in this high-demand real estate market, it’s vital to find an experienced real estate agent that knows it extremely well. And that’s me. I’ve not only proven my success and experience as a top-ranked agent in the country, but, I pride myself in delivering unparalleled service to my clients before, during and after the home buying process. An experienced agent will know the market, inside and out, to find prospective homes before they’re listed, know the area’s listing agents, and know the best strategies for making just the right offer.
2. Act fast to make an offer.
With that said, you’ll need to work together to make the right offer – and make it quickly – because homes in this market are selling fast (sometimes within a week). So how do you know this is the home for you, when you don’t have a lot of time to contemplate? Ask yourself: Can you afford the home? Does it check off everything on your list (and we know we all have a list)? Are you pre-approved for a mortgage at the right amount necessary? And do you have the deposit money available to secure the home? If you answered, “yes,” to those questions, make that offer!
3. Do your homework.
To keep up with the fast pace of the market, come to the table knowing exactly what you’re looking for … and what you’re not. And, to be even more specific, divide your list of criteria into must-haves and it-would-be-nice-to-haves to make an even quicker judgement when you’re walking through the house onsite. What is a must inside the home, outside, where should it be located?
4. Get pre-approved.
Don’t get too far ahead of yourself in the house-hunting process. It’s highly recommended to first get pre-approved for your mortgage. (Unless you plan on paying with cash, which isn’t too common of a transaction.) And, really, getting pre-approved is the simple part; the more complicated step will come after you’re under contract. The pre-approval letter serves to give the seller confidence in your financial situation.
5. Set aside enough money.
In tandem with getting pre-approved, you’ll want to save up enough money to write an earnest money check from your checking account. What is earnest money? Depending on the value of the property, earnest money is a good-faith deposit that buyers will give to the seller with their offer. This is where my professional experience comes in to guide you on how much to offer on both.
6. Know how to bid.
After you’ve completed steps 1-5 like a star student, you’re ready to make a competitive offer on the house of your dreams! In a perfect world, you’re the first one to make an offer, the offer is accepted, and you go under contract without any issues, but in this competitive market, it’s likely that you’ll have to submit an offer against other bidders. Don’t worry, I’m well-versed in this area and know how to help you survive the bidding war, whether it means removing a required home inspection or other conditions to the sale, being flexible on the closing timeline, and more.
Because of today’s competitive market, you’ll want Paige Bird as your real estate agent to find the right home for you – fast and at the price you deserve. Paige is one of the top selling agents in the area, and #1 in the state as a RE/MAX agent.
Contact Paige Bird today so she can sit down with you to get started in the home buying process.
Call 843-450-4773 or email Paige@paigebird.com. It’s that simple!