Ducks in a Row?

Hey...I've got a question for ya! 

You’re on the hunt for your new home, right? 

(Nah, that wasn't the question...just setting the stage.)  ;-)

Anyway, you've been checking out listings that might work for you and dreaming of your new home…

...so, what happens when you find "the one"?!?  (Btw, that is the question!) 

Seriously, do you know what the next step is?

Do you have a plan in place to secure that house for yourself and make sure that all the other hopeful homebuyers out there keep their grubby little hands off of it?  In other words...

Are all your Ducks in a Row?  (Btw...I still don't know how that phrase came to be, but it's a thing!)  

It's a competitive market and lots of other people are wanting to buy a home, so it is imperative that you have a few things set up and are ready to take action without delay...or that great house may slip away. 

Want to know what they are?

Assuming you said “yes”...here's what you need to do to have your (real estate) Ducks in a Row: 

1. First, you need a Realtor®  (or better yet, a team of Realtors®) that you can get immediate info from about listings, etc.  It would be a good idea to develop this relationship before things “get real”.  Imagine the discomfort and disadvantage of forging this new relationship in the “heat of battle” when decisions tend to become rushed. 

1. Second (and this is one of the biggest and most common buyer “failures to accomplish”), is talking with a home loan specialist (aka. loan consultant or loan officer).  It is ludacris to go out looking at homes before doing this. Ultimately, this will help you find out How much you can afford (and how much a lender is willing to loan to you).  But, it will also educate you on the different types of loan programs available.  These are constantly changing and sometimes there can be some really great ones to take advantage of!  The loan consultant will also run your credit and fit you with the best loan program available. And sometimes there can be surprises on a credit report...things that we were not even aware of being there.  The loan consultant can counsel you on how to best and most quickly deal with any issues. Imagine skipping this step and discovering this type of surprise after you’ve gone out and found your dream home. It can be devastating, but could have easily been avoided by being proactive and doing something you would eventually have to do anyway.  Be smart and proactive, do it now instead of later!  We can connect you with the right people!! 

1. Next, you need a way to get inside to view a listing. Having your own go-to buyer’s agent is of utmost importance.  Your buyer’s agent can show you ANY house on the market AND help you through the purchase...all at no cost to you! 

1. Plus...Do you really want to be dealing with the listing agent who is actually representing the seller?  That is the epitome of dealing with the car salesman who represents the dealership (not you) and who’s primary interest is selling the car for the best possible price and terms for the dealership (not you). 

1. So, once you are at peace with the reality of having your very own agent (at no extra cost to boot), it is also important to realize that sometimes listings are available for immediate showing, but it’s not uncommon for appointments to be required well in advance.  Get in the habit of communicating with your agent on a regular basis about listings you like and don’t like, and especially ones that you would like to view.  Align your schedules ahead of time for showings.  You will typically get into a groove of looking at houses during regular times based on when your schedules best match up.

The same will hold true for the duration of the home buying process.  There will be a LOT of communication needed throughout, mainly with your agent, but also with your loan officer.  There will be many deadlines to be met and both of these key members of your team will help keep you on track the whole way through...and even after closing for some important follow up items.

So...as you can see, there is a lot more to home buying than what they show you on HGTV.  And we can show you a lot more than just 3 houses to choose from, too! :-)  

But first, we need to get started putting your ducks in a row...so give us a call and we'll help you line 'em up!

You can also find more about this and the rest of the home buying process by downloading our free Homebuyers Guide.

We know that seems like a long list and a lot to do...but it's really not that hard, if you get our help with it.  Meanwhile, you can be hunting for homes on our website: HatcherTeamHomes.com