| 
The Home Buying Process
Many people start the search for their new
home by running around to open houses and calling on ads. This
is the most time consuming way to look for a new home. By working
with an agent, you can have someone do the legwork for you, quickly
narrow the search to the types of properties that meet your needs
and locate ALL of the properties that fit the description of what
you’re looking for.
Before you start looking, you should make sure
you are pre-approved by a lender. Competition for houses is far
too heavy right now to risk putting in an offer without a pre-approval.
If it’s a nice house, someone else will submit an offer
with a pre-approval if you don’t.
In today’s market, you should be prepared
to put in an offer on the house that you want as soon as you find
it. You will need to submit a deposit check along with the offer.
The amount of the deposit you should make will vary depending
on the price of the property and the likely competition. The check
will only be cashed if the offer is accepted.
Once the offer is accepted, you will need to
apply for a loan within 5 business days. At that time, you will
need money for an appraisal and credit report. Within ten days,
you will need money for a home inspection.
Settlement in most cases will occur about two
months after the contract is accepted. In some cases, this can
be accomplished more quickly.
What
Questions Should You Ask An Agent?
Should You
Be Represented?
|