Congratulations on your decision to purchase a new Vancouver Washington home! Before you go house hunting, it’s a good idea to define what kind of home and neighborhood would best suit your desires and needs and make a wish list. Share this list with we. The finer the details, the more effective your home search will be. To further define your needs, you may want to divide your lists into negotiable and non-negotiable items, so your agent can operate with some flexibility when scouting for homes on your behalf.
Now that you know what you want in a home and neighborhood, you need to find out what you can afford. There are two ways to go about this: prequalification or preapproval for a home loan. We will refer you to a mortgage broker to begin the process. In the Vancouver Washington real estate market, preapproved buyers are preferred by sellers over those who are pre-qualified.
Your preapproved status lets the seller know:
Now you are ready to embark on your home search – an endeavor that can prove overwhelming if not approached with some forethought. The most efficient route is to allow we do the initial scouting for you. Using your wish list as a guide, we will alert you of new and existing listings that have strong potential. If these listings pique your interest, we will arrange home tours at your convenience. We can send alerts via email – sometimes as often as daily, depending on the available inventory in the Vancouver Washington real estate market. Let us know how you’d like to receive these alerts, whether by phone, email or fax.
When you’re ready to make an offer on a home, we will help you determine the offer price by reviewing recent sales of homes similar in size, quality and amenities. With your input, we will draft a written contract that outlines what needs to be done by both parties to execute the transaction. If the seller accepts the offer, the document becomes a binding agreement, so it is imperative that you carefully review it and speak up if anything is not clear to you. It’s important to note that if the seller changes any aspect of the offer, it is not a binding agreement until you, the buyer, agrees to the seller’s changes.
Sometimes, you get lucky and the seller accepts your offer as is. However, in most instances, the seller will make a counteroffer. This is where our experience in negotiations will be invaluable. Keep in mind almost everything is negotiable when you are buying a house. This can give you a great deal of leverage in the buying process – that is, if you have adequate information and you use it in an appropriate manner. Some items you may negotiate:
Remain in close contact with us so you can quickly review any changes from the seller. Remember: Bargaining is not a winner-take-all deal. It is a business process that involves compromise and mutual respect.
When an offer becomes a binding agreement, We will help you tackle the checklist of action items that you, as the buyer, have agreed to perform prior to closing. Depending on how the responsibilities are divided up in the agreement, this is typically when you will:
Having these procedures done in a timely and professional manner is a must, as any delays could threaten a successful closing. We are able to serve as your “one-stop shopping” referral source for service providers. We can also serve as your advocate, helping to coordinate activities and making sure the vendors have access to the property to perform their jobs.
Congratulations! The moment you’ve been anticipating has arrived. The closing is where home ownership is legally transferred from the seller to the buyer. It is a formal meeting that most parties involved in the transaction will attend. In Vancouver Washington, closing procedures are held at the title company’s office. The closing officer will coordinate all the document-signing and the collection and disbursement of funds. A few days before your closing date, your lender will send a final closing statement that outlines your closing costs, if applicable. We will review this document with you to ensure its accuracy as well as help you gather the necessary documentation that you’ll need to bring to closing.
