STEP ONE – OBTAINING FINANCING: Evaluating your purchasing capacity, and determining the right kind of financing package for you is the first step to take. This is a pain-free process! The reason I recommend you do this before we look at homes is that many times I can save you time, and eliminate properties that don’t fit your purchasing parameters. In addition, by going through this pre-qualifying step, you’ll be in a better negotiating posture when we do find the home you are looking for. If you don’t know a lender, we only work with preferred lenders who guarantee their results. We always recommend getting at least 2 opinions.

STEP TWO – SEARCHING FOR HOMES: What is more convenient for you? We can set an appointment to have an informal, relaxed, person-to-person discussion about what it is you’re looking for in a home, or you can search for homes yourself. If you would like to search online from the comfort of your own home, you can take advantage of our FREE MLS Search Tool. This allows you to search for any home listed on the Grand Rapids and the Lakeshore multiple listing service. If you don’t have the time, or would also like to be notified of any New Listings that meet your criteria, you can fill out my Dream Home Finder form and we’ll take care of the rest. This service searches the MLS daily and e-mails you any new listings. We also keep track of homes that could be for sale but are not listed and For Sale By Owners.

STEP THREE – VIEWING HOMES: This is the fun part. We’ll go look at homes which you’ve selected. The home buying process should be fun, like the ultimate shopping trip, and should include everyone in your family if possible.

Because I take the time to listen carefully to your wants and needs in advance, finding the perfect home will not take as long as you might think.

STEP FOUR – MAKING AN OFFER: Once we’ve found the perfect home, we’ll perform a market analysis to determine it’s fair market value and determine market condition to maximize your results. We’ll then write the offer and negotiate the purchase with the seller. Once the offer is accepted, you will be required to leave a Good Faith Deposit. This money is held in an escrow account and will be put towards the purchase price on the day of close.

Inspections are then scheduled. Again, we work with preferred vendors who will be able to represent you thoroughly. For this part of the process, we feel it is very important for you as the buyer, to be present at this time. If we find any material faults, we address accordingly. We can recommend a Home Inspector if you need one. Inspection costs vary based on the square footage but expect to pay ~$250 – $300. Please visit our Local Partners.

STEP FIVE – CLOSING: Before we get to this point, there are many details we ensure are completed before the actual documents are signed. We will go over the final numbers when receive them from the lender before closing to make sure that no mistakes are made. This eliminates any last minute surprises that could effect your piece of mind.

Having a Real Estate Professional represent you exclusively during this time can put you miles ahead of the game and add to your major investment.