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A Step-by-Step Buyer's Guide

Buying a home is one of the most exciting milestones of your life. To prepare yourself for this moment, you need to know what to expect during the process. This step-by-step buyer’s guide will help reduce the stress of buying a home and help you enjoy the journey as much as possible. Even if this is not the first time you've purchased a home, it's a good refresher to make sure you're up to speed on the process today.

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Step 1: Research

Do you already know where you want to buy? If you want a condo, townhome, or single-family home? Which features do you like and dislike? What’s available on the market now? If you answered no to any of these questions, now is the time to start researching. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, also take note of any changes in asking prices. This could give you valuable insight into housing trends in specific neighborhoods and help you when the time comes to make an offer.

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Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Notice I said to decide on your budget—not determine how much the mortgage company will give you. In many cases, a mortgage company will pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why you need to determine the monthly payment you feel comfortable with in conjunction with talking to a lender - a good local lender will work with you to make sure you have considered every aspect and feel comfortable with the numbers. This likely includes doing a full household budget and taking into consideration what changes other than a mortgage payment will occur once you move into your new home. 

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Step 3: Get Prequalified

Just because you think you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree. Just as they may approve you for too large of an amount, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or deny you a mortgage altogether. Lack of time at a job, insufficient credit, past bankruptcies, or other financial issues can cause major problems when trying to secure a mortgage. Before you get your heart set on a home, talk to a mortgage professional to find out what amount you can qualify for. This will also be an advantage when you make an offer on a home, as most sellers won’t entertain offers from those who aren’t already prequalified for a loan. The more documentation you can provide to your lender up front, the stronger your offer will be when you make it.

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Step 4: Choose a Real Estate Agent

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without a Real Estate Agent? Technically yes, but just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Having a trusted professional on your side to advocate for you and protect your interests is smart. Not only will I help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but I also have a knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where my expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play.

My goal is to provide you with the most personalized service, designed to help you buy your dream home

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Step 5: Find the Right Home

This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!) and I will be with you every step of the way, from scheduling home tours to educating you on the home buying process and helpful things to consider as you make your decisions. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.

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Step 6: Make an Offer

Once you have selected the perfect home, we will work to craft a fair offer based not only on the home you're offering on, but also on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price. At this time, we will loop your lender back in, make sure the numbers make sense and get an updated pre-approval. Once I've submitted your offer, I will be able to help you negotiate if you receive a counteroffer and to reach an agreement. At this point, the house will go "under contract" or "pending".

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Step 7: Have the Home Inspected

In Florida, you will always have the right to inspect to ensure there are no major structural issues or previously unknown large repairs needed. I can help you arrange this, and we can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process moves ahead, if there are, I will help you navigate to an acceptable solution. 

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Step 8: Get a Home Appraisal

Your lender will have your new home appraised so they have their independent value of it. Should there be a shortfall in the appraised price, I will be there to help you decide how to proceed.

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Step 9: Finish Paperwork

No one looks forward to all the paperwork involved in buying a home, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you’ll know you are the legal owner of your new home.

Congratulations!

After signing the final paperwork to complete the purchase and the funds have been delivered to the seller by the title company, you will be the owner of a new house and you’ll be all set to move into the home of your dreams.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Honey passionately helped us throughout each stage of the home buying process. She setup an online portfolio of homes that met our search terms, joined us for all showings and helped us focus on what really mattered when buying a house. Once we moved in, Honey’s interior design skills has helped us make our house a home.

— Brock M.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Honey did a great job helping us sell a unique property with two homes and lots of land. Unique properties take unique people, and Honey helped us a ton!

— Max O.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Honey is an exceptional realtor. Her knowledge of the industry and the market is very unique. This allows her to guide in a way that leads to near certain success in achieving what home sellers are trying to accomplish. She successfully staged our home to be most inviting for potential buyers to better allow them to see what is possible. Her punctuality and timeliness in response makes you feel like you ...

— Kathy C.

Work With Honey

Whether working with buyers or sellers, Honey provides outstanding professionalism into making her client’s real estate dreams a reality.