Your roadmap to a seamless home buying experience.
Buying a home is an exhilarating milestone, and being prepared can make the journey smoother and more enjoyable. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you navigate the process and make the most of this exciting adventure:
Do you have a clear idea of where you want to buy? Do you know if you want a condo, townhome, or single-family house? It’s time to dive into the details. Explore what’s available on the market, and pay attention to asking prices and neighborhood trends. This research will help you understand what’s out there and guide you when you’re ready to start looking at homes or make an offer.
Sure, you could shop for a home on your own, but why not let a pro take some stress off your plate? I like to have a face to face buyers consultation with any new client whether in person or via Zoom, so we can get to know each other. This is usually the biggest financial investment of your life and I take that very seriously. As your agent, I’ll help you find properties that match your criteria, arrange showings, and handle the offer process, explaining every detail. With the new laws in effect I will strategically layout how I run my business and make sure we are the right fit for each other. My market expertise and local knowledge will make your home search more efficient and I certainly hope, enjoyable.
When I say decide on your budget, I mean setting a comfortable monthly payment for yourself, not just what the mortgage company says you can afford. Sure you may get approved for 3 million but do you want to spend 3 million, or spend 600K. Often, lenders might pre-approve you for more than you’re ready to spend. A lender will help you create a full household budget and factor in any new expenses like utilities, HOA fees, or maintenance costs that come with owning a home.
Before you get your heart set on a home or even start your search, meet with a mortgage broker to find out how much you can actually borrow. Your prequalification or pre-approval will give you a clearer picture and strengthen your position when making an offer. This step is crucial because some sellers won’t consider showing you the home or accept offers from buyers who aren’t prequalified.
This is the fun part! I’ll set up showings for homes within your price range and help you evaluate what you like and don’t like. Pay attention to details—test light switches, open doors, and check faucets. Don’t forget to explore the neighborhood for traffic patterns, parking, and proximity to essentials like schools and grocery stores. We look at it all before making an offer.
When you’ve found your dream home, we’ll craft an offer based on many variables other than just comparable sales. Depending on the market, your offer might be at, above, or below the asking price. I’ll assist with negotiations and handling any counteroffers until we reach an agreement.
Once your offer is accepted, you have 3 days to enter into attorney review. We will align you with a real estate attorney of your choosing (I’ll certainly share my recommendations) also. You and your attorney will discuss all of the details of the contract to make sure you and the seller are in agreement with language dealing with inspections, closing dates, etc. Once out of review you will be officially under contract and your initial deposit (escrow) will be due.
Your offer will typically include a contingency for a home inspection to ensure there are no major issues. I can help arrange this and schedule it soon after your offer is accepted. If significant problems are found, you can renegotiate the terms or even withdraw your offer if needed.
Now it’s time to choose your mortgage from the options presented by your lender. You’ll have various choices, such as fixed-rate, variable-rate, and different term lengths. Work with your lender to pick the option that best fits your financial situation.
Your lender will arrange for an appraisal to confirm the home’s value. This step ensures that you’re paying a fair price and that the property is worth the loan amount.
Paperwork isn’t the most exciting part, but it’s essential. Your lender and title company will handle the details. Once everything is signed, you’ll be the legal owner of your new home. It might take a few days for the loan to be funded, but once the check is delivered to the seller, you’ll be all set to move into your dream home!
After signing the final paperwork to complete the purchase, you are now the owner of a new house. It may take a few days for your loan to be funded once the paperwork has been returned to the lender, but once that check is delivered to the seller, you’ll be all set to move into the home of your dreams.
Incredibly pleased with the entire experience. Kim was responsive from our initial contact all the way through closing (and continues to reach out to see how we're doing). She's knowledgeable, friendly, and thoughtful. She cont...
We interviewed several realtors, but we knew Kim was the right choice from our first meeting with her. Everything from her marketing skills and market knowledge to her personality was a perfect fit for us. We listed our house a...
Kim is by far the best realtor around. We purchased our dream home with her in 2019 and not only did she help us find the perfect property for our family, but she also did a stellar job navigating through a challenging negotiat...
My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Kim earlier this year. She was prompt and professional at all times in addition to being a wonderful all-around person as well. Through her efforts, we successfully staged, markete...
Kim did a fabulous job helping to sell our home. From walking us through our to-do list to stage it, to running three back-to-back open houses, she made sure everything ran smoothly and according to schedule. She was always pro...
I can't recommend Kim enough as a realtor! She did an amazing job selling our house, and her expertise truly made all the difference. After one exceptionally well-marketed open house, we received multiple offers, and it was cle...
Kim is a phenomenal realtor as well as a person! She always had my family's priorities and interests in mind throughout the process and was able to effectively steer and ultimately land us our home even in this insane housing m...
Kim was super helpful throughout the whole process. She really knew a lot about all the different neighborhoods we were considering and added more of her own. She came very prepared for our first meeting and was on top of anyth...
We are immensely grateful to have worked with Kim in buying our first home! Kim guided us and helped us understand the housing market we had to work with and what to expect. She was patient and made the home-buying process fun ...
Kim is the best! She is so extra in every possible way. She made the process so easy and stress-free. Kim is so knowledgeable about everything having to do with buying and selling homes. She always went out of her way to help u...
Besides being a great and knowledgeable agent, Kim is a wonderful, and kind person. She helped me and my family find the right house during these really challenging times. She guided us through the whole process of buying the r...
I can honestly say that Kim is not only professional but also loving and warm. She understood what we were hoping to find and all our concerns about the safety of our special needs son. She found us the home we always wanted an...
There are not enough good things to say about our recent experience both selling and buying homes with Kim. She made the whole process so much less stressful than it could have been. She is experienced and knowledgeable and not...
This is the second time in 3 years that I have used Kim as my Real Estate Professional. She is not just my realtor. She has become a friend. She is insightful, witty, fun, and kind. She is all about the client, and that makes t...
To keep it simple, my family and I would not be in our home without her. Kim is about as real as it gets. She was with us every step of the way for two years trying to find the right home. She was always very honest with us and...
Kim is everything you could hope for in a realtor. Choosing her as your representative will likely be the best decision in your buying/selling process. If you are looking for someone who is knowledgeable about your local real e...
Kim was absolutely fantastic! Selling my house was not easy for me, the house held a lot of sentimental value to me and Kim was very patient and understanding. She was there at every turn when I needed her and I am very thankfu...
Kim was amazing through every part of the process of searching for and buying our home. We started with a list of 15+ towns in our search for a dream home and when we realized it didn’t exist, we switched to looking for our dre...
Kim is the type of person you would want to get dinner with after you close. My wife and I hope to remain in touch with her. She cares deeply about others. She took every phone call and was a pleasure to interact with. Small ch...
Kim is the best around! She helped us buy our dream home and sell our other one too! Kim helped us through the process. She knows what she is doing, she is organized, and kept the whole process on the tracks. She is great at st...
Reach out to Kimberly Brechka for expert real estate services. Buy, sell, or invest in properties with confidence. Contact her today!
