Patrick Burns

Steps in the Home Buying Process

Step 1 - Gather Information.  Allow me to set up a free acount for you on a web site called Listingbook.com.  This is a locally owned and operated site which pulls homes for sale directly form the MLS and updates every 10 minutes.  It includes every listed property from every real estate company, and I've found it to be the most user friendly site for searching properties.  On this site you will find multiple pictures, driving directions, mapping capabilities, and detailed information including room sizes, school districts, property condition, and more.  Again there is no cost or obligation for this account.  The information on Listingbook will help you understand the market and identify homes and neighborhoods of interest to you.

Step 2 - Talk to a good mortgage lender to verify you are comfortable with the monthly payments on a loan and to understand the right price range of homes which will keep the payment within your comfort zone.  If you don't already have a mortgage lender you trust, I'd be happy to e-mail several contacts my clients have been very happy with in the past.  Your lender will be able to provide a letter stating you are pre-qualified or pre-approved for your loan and this letter will be needed when submitting an offer.  Note that you are not locked in to using this lender and will still have time to shop around once an offer is accepted.  Pre-qualifying not only reduces stress by giving you a good estimate of your closing figures and payment up front, it will also put you in a better bargaining position with the sellers of any home you choose.

Step 3 - Tour the properties that interest you most.  I am flexible to show you homes and answer questions at your convenience. 

Step 4 - Once we find the property you'd like to make your new home, we discuss the comparables and what to offer.  We also discuss other terms in the offer to make sure it is structured in a way that best achieves your goals.  This is where my experience and consulting is most valuable.  Anyone can read the words on an Offer to Purchase, but knowing the benefits, implications, protections, and pitfalls of those words takes years of experience.

Step 5 - The offer normally goes through a negotiation process on both price and terms.  After the negotiation, hopefully an agreement on price and terms is reached and the offer then becomes the contract document for the transaction.

Step 6 - Once the offer is accepted and signed, we begin the process of inspections, appraisal, title search, and the many other details necessary for a successful  home purchase.  I will be working to coordinate all those details and make sure deadlines are met and your interests are protected.

Step 7 - Your closing normally takes place at an attorney's office where you will be signing all of the documents needed to secure your loan and the ownership of your new home.  Once the documents are recorded at the courthouse that same day, the property is yours.  Congratulations!

If you'd like to start gathering information with your FREE Listingbook account or you have other questions, please call me on 336-346-1251 or send your request using the form below.

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