Buyer's Guide

• Interview a few agents and see if their personality matches  your needs/wants. You want to “click”!
• Qualifications your agent should have:
• Local market knowledge
• Good reviews or testimonials
• Financial Knowledge - they can walk you through the  numbers!
• Find an agent who works full time in the industry and  has a track record.
• Great time management and communication skills:
• Did they show up on time & prepared?
• Do they communicate with you in a way that you  understand and feel comfortable with?
• Network connections:
• Effective real estate agents rely on their relationships.

Do they work with other agents regularly?

• Share your Housing Goals

• Compare different lenders to understand the benefits and advantages of working with each. Something as simple as a lower rate or term can save you thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.
• Make sure to tell EACH LENDER not to pull your credit until you're fully committed to working with one.
• If your credit isn't where you want it to be, work on creating a plan with your chosen lender.
• Your agent may also be able to help you find someone trustworthy that they have worked with before.

• Ask the lender if you qualify for any special loans, such as  VA, USDA, or FHA.
• Get Pre-Approved; this gives you, your agent, and the lender an estimate of how much you can afford based on your credit score and past financial documents.
• Work with your lender and real estate agent to determine if your file should be underwritten before submitting any offers. This will help to avoid any potential disappointments  or delays during the transaction.

• Keep your "Must Haves" Checklist in mind.
• Keep a journal or guide of the different houses you're interested in.
• Take plenty of pictures to look back at.
• Stay within your price range!
• Provide your agent with ANY feedback regarding the properties that you view. Both positive and negative feedback can be very helpful for an agent  to find exactly what you want.

• Find a reputable and thorough home inspector, if you need suggestions ask your agent.
• A good home inspector will help to ensure that you don't end up in a  "money pit," for example, a property with lots of electricity, plumbing or foundation issues.
• An inspector will also report any issues found with the home that will allow you to ask for repairs during negotiations.
• If work is needed to be done on the property, strategize with your agent to submit a request for repairs.
• Review disclosures and paperwork with your agent.
• If you will be making any additions or construction to the property, such as adding a pool or a guest house, check with the city building department to ensure zoning allows for those upgrades.
• Review title report with title representative and agent to ensure that there are no unknown easements or liens on the property.

Step 11: Finalize Financing with Your Lender

• The lender will order an appraisal on the home to verify that the market value supports the purchase price.
• Double-check that your interest rates and mortgage payments are what you agreed upon.

Step 12: Final Walkthrough of the Home

• Go through the house with your agent to double-check everything yo agreed upon in your offer is present.
• Ensure that any repairs that were agreed upon in the transaction were completed.
• If repairs are difficult to visually inspect, call back your home inspector or a specialist to ensure the repairs were completed correctly.
• Turn on all lights and appliances to make sure that they still are in good working order.