Bartos Group Buyer Guide by bartosgroup

Why The Bartos Group

Our promise to you is to deliver the experience you deserve. This is important to us because we want you to be a Bartos Group customer for life. That starts with us from the beginning as we help guide you from consultation to close.

Local Experts

Our sales agents focus on understanding the market and finding properties that fit your unique requirements. With our hyperlocal expertise, we helped over 500+ families reach their real estate goals in 2021.

Off-Market Properties

Sometimes your dream home isn’t available online. In that case, you need a real estate expert that knows the area who can find you properties that are not available online. Our team has helped many people get into their new homes over recent years reaching out to off-market homes.

Close Smoothly

Closing on a property can be stressful. Our goal is to streamline the closing process and minimize your stress. Our transaction management department is here to guide you through the process and ensure that your sale closes on time.

Expert Negotiators

Each market is different and requires a different approach to negotiating an offer. Our agents are trained on the preparation of offers and negotiation techniques for every situation. So, your offer stands out, you get the best terms and you WIN the contract.

What Our Customers Have To Say

With the amount of technology available in todays world we know you can research everything and everyone. For instance, most people look at reviews of restaurants before going there to eat. Or, you look at reviews of a dentist office before going to have work done. Even better, a friend has recommended a place to you based on reviews they have seen. We live in a review-based society.

We understand this and we diligently work to receive 5-star reviews. Whether it’s on Zillow, Realtor.com, Reach150, Facebook or Google the by-product of providing a great experience is receiving a 5-star review.

“Being from New England, we have many friends that inquire what we love so much about living in Naples. Having The Bartos Group as our team of realtors for future investment properties has been a blessing. We are excited to recommend them to our friends and family! Trust is what we look for in our realtor, trust and professionalism is what you’ll receive from this team!”

~Nicole

Paulhus.

I purchased my dream home in Marco Island thanks to the Bartos Group. This team is knowledgeable, professional and very trustworthy. They helped us tremendously and made this process way less stressful!”

~Sharon Munnelly

“From the first meeting with The Bartos Group, we knew that we had selected the best! The office staff is both knowledgeable and helpful at every step of the way!

~Teresa

David

5/5

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Reviews 5/5 5/5

5/5

1 Home Buying Road Map

Buyer Consultation

Contact one of our REALTOR® and have a home buyer’s consultation to understand your real estate goals

Pre-Approval

Meet with a lender to discuss finances and start a mortgage application to get a loan pre-approval letter

Property Search

View potential homes with your speciaist, select your favorites and find your dream home.

Before Contract

Make An Offer

Review contracts and make an offer with your agent who is an expert negotiator and we will get you the best possible results.

Closing Contingencies

Attend, review & negotiate inspections, have property appraised and complete financing requirements. and take 2nd deposit by wire transfer.

Secure Contract Prepare To Close

Connected with our Transaction Coordinator, make first deposit, schedule inspections and make applications.

Secure insurance, home warranty and HOA / Condo Association Approvals.

Schedule closing, review final closing statements, do final walkthrough, sign documents.

After Contract Move In!

Choosing Start Your Journey The Right Way Your Agent

Real estate agents all have different personalities, negotiation styles, and values, and these have an impact on the way they treat their clients, find houses, and strike deals. While it may seem like real estate agents come a dime a dozen, a good one can get you top dollar for your home and make sure you find a new place that has everything you’re looking for.

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One Agent, One Horse

Calling the first real estate sign that you see is not a great way to choose an agent. Instead, focus on finding an agent who cares about your needs and has the toolkit necessary to lock down the home you are dreaming about. Here are some important qualities an agent should have to help you find your piece of paradise:

Experience: Depending on where an agent has worked or how long they have been in the business, various real estate agents have had a lot of different experiences! While some are fresh and optimistic, others are aware of all the twists and turns that can arise during a negotiation and will advise you more cautiously.

Market Knowledge: The nuances of the local real estate market involve not only home prices but also school ratings, the characteristics of individual communities, and the potential for reselling the home at a future date. Here at Bartos Group, our agents are ceritfied local experts in Collier County area.

It’s all about chemistry: it’s essential to feel happy to spend time with your real estate agent and that you get along. Bear in mind that this is a person you’re going to see a lot on your property journey and share financial information with. Plus, house hunting can be an emotional rollercoaster, and incredibly specific to your needs, desires, and experiences.

Work with a Team: As the old saying goes, “no man is an island.” And, while certain real estate agents work alone, those supported by a team are probably the best choice. a realtor supported by a team will be way more available to tend to your needs and to communicate with you properly. If they’re tied up, one of their colleagues will step in, helping you feel supported in the time-crucial world of buying or selling a home.

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Finding Your

Lifestyle

What Are You Looking For?

Southwest Florida provides an abundance of opportunities to design your lifestyle to satisfy your desires. With warm weather, resort style communities and hundreds of miles of waterfront, SWFL offers a plethora of outdoor activities to choose from. Enjoy golf, boating, fishing, tennis, kayaking, paddle boarding and more. Many times from the convenience of your gated community. Naples has become the Pickleball Capital of the World hosting the Minto US Pickleball Championships. With so many choices, how do you decide? Let our local experts help you design your perfect lifestyle!

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The first decision you have to make is, what do you enjoy doing in Paradise? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Am I a boater? Do I want to live on the water with my boat in my backyard to jump in and cruise or fish?

Do I want to be close or on the beach so I can have the sand in my toes every day?

Is golfing important? Do I want to live in a golf community where I can play as much as I want?

Do I like playing tennis? Do I want to enjoy the worm climate and physical activity to keep my body healthy?

Preparing

The Offer 4

Preparing A Winning Strategy

Once we’ve found the home you wish to purchase, you’ll need to determine the offer you are willing to make on the home. Our agents will provide the best guidance and strategy to write a winning offer.

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Once your offer has been presented to the seller the negotiating process begins. There may be a number of negotiations back and forth between you, your agent, the seller, and the seller’s agent. Here are a few important things to remember:

Your offer is just an offer until it has been accepted and signed by all parties (you and the seller). At any time during the negotiation process, another offer could come in and cause you to be in a multiple offer situation. A wise buyer will try to come to an agreement with the seller in a reasonably short period of time.

The contract has a stipulation on when you must make your formal mortgage application. Please be sure once under contract that you abide by the requirements.

We will help you schedule the home inspection as soon as we are officially under contract. You will also need to choose a closing company to handle the title work and legalities of closing. We will provide you with a few that we will work with on a daily basis.

Be sure to comply with all requests of your lender in a timely fashion. Not producing documents or information they need on time can jeopardize the closing date you chose in the contract.

Offer Terms

• Sales price

• Earnest money

• Financing terms

• Inspection period

• Closing date

• Other applicable addendums

• Contingencies, etc.

• Seller contribution to your closing costs (if requested)

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Closing Costs

Breakdown

Examples Of Typical Closing Costs

You will be required to pay fees for loan processing and other closing costs. These fees must be paid in full at the closing, unless you are able to include them in your financing. Typically, total closing costs will range between 1-2% of your mortgage amount

Here is a breakdown of what those expenses look like:

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Buyer

• Buyer’s Title Insurance Policy

• Survey

• Condominium Transfer Fee/ Homeowners Association Fees, if any

• Condo and/or Homeowners Association capital contribution

• Buyer’s attorney fees

• Any Sales Tax required by law

• Re-certification of abstract

• Title company Settlement Fee

• Premiere Plus Realty Co. Processing Fee ($195.00)

• Insurance - Hazard, Flood, Wind

• Transfer Fee on an existing mortgage

• Special Assessments or Pending Liens as per contract 13. Prorating of any maintenance fees

• Prepayment of taxes and insurance to be held in escrow 15. Recording Deed - $10.00 first Page, $8.50 for each additional page

• Appraisal

• Required utility deposits

• Title Search

• Home Inspections (Home, Termite, Radon, Mold)

• Service or origination fee

• Recording fee on mortgage and note

• Documentary stamps on note ($0.35 per $100.00) 4. Intangible tax on mortgage ($.002 x mortgage amount)

• Appraisal fee

• Credit report

• Loan discount “points” 8. Survey (if required)

• Mortgage Title Insurance 10. Lender’s attorney fee

• Real estate brokerage commissions

• Buyers Title Insurance Policy

• Seller’s attorney fees

• Tax proration to date of closing

• State documentary stamps tax of ($0.70 per $100.00) 6. Preparation of the deed

If a new mortgage is obtained: Seller

• Foreign Sellers - a 15% FIRPTA withholding

• Prorating of any maintenance fees

• Premiere Plus Realty Co. Processing Fee ($195.00)

• Preparation expenses for Bill of Sale

• Estoppel letters (if applicable)

• Utility service to date of closing

• Any special taxes or assessments as per contract 14. Balance of existing mortgage (if it is not being assumed) 15. Any Survey required from Seller by law

• Condominium or Cooperative documents which may include Articles of Incorporation, ByLaws, Rules & Regulations, Q&A Sheet, and most recent year-end financial information, as required by F.S.718.504

Securing

Your Contract

We Are Under Contract, Now What?

Once your offer is accepted, the next thing that will happen is the money you put in escrow, or your earnest money deposit, will be cashed. After that, both you and the seller will have to meet certain contingencies.

These are stipulations built into the purchase agreement that protect both buyer and seller in case unforeseen problems come up either with your financing, or with the home itself. If either you or the seller fails to meet those conditions, the contract will be in dispute and may require legal actions if the dispute is not sorted out

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To-Do list when first under contract

Transaction Coordinator Assigned

Within one business day of contract agreement, one of our Transaction Coordinator will be assigned to you. They will be your guide throughout the contract to close process

Make Deposits

Typically, two deposits are made prior to final deposit at closing.

• 1st deposit due within 3 days

• 2nd deposit after inspections

Scheduling Home Inspection

Inspections are essential to identify potential issues with:

• Structural Integrity

• Mechanical components

• Health concerns

Make Applications

Get started on your applications for:

• Financing

• Homeowners / Condo Association

• Insurance

Contingencies

A Critical Step Of The Process

There are many contingencies built into the sales contracts that we use. These contingencies protect you against issues that may not have been apparent when you were viewing the home or anomalies with the value of the home, association membership or your financing application. Most times, these issues can be resolved during the closing process. However, it is up to you and the seller to agree on the resolutions or the contract could be disputed. There are also timelines involved with these contingencies that need to be adhere to in order not breach the contract. Our Transaction Coordinators can help guide you through the process.

Understanding

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Inspection

Typically, your home inspections occur within the first 7-15 days after signing the contract. Depending on the type of contract, you may or may not have some negotiation time after the Inspection Period. There are other inspections that you may want to consider depending on the property and its condition. Our team can guide you to determine what to inspect and help to coordinate the inspections.

Other Inspections

• Pest / Wood Destroying Organism

• Roof

• Pool

• Seawall/Lift(if buying waterfront)

• Air Quality / Mold / Radon

• 4 Point / Wind Mitigation

• Septic / Well

Financing

Financing is one of the biggest contingencies. It will require you to provide a lot of documentation to meet the lenders requirements. It also requires appraisals, insurance and more, depending on the type of mortgage you are obtaining. There are strict timelines that need to be followed to assure that the lender can provide approval in a timely manner.

Appraisal contingency can protect you from paying too much for a property in a normal market. However, it could be a red flag that could lose you the deal in a strong seller’s market.

If you have to sell your home before buying, a Home Sale contingency may be in order. However, they can be a turn off to sellers. It’s best to have a signed contract on your current home before making an offer with this contingency.

Let our team guide you through your contingency options.

Prepare For

What To Expect On Closing Day Closing

Once you’ve satisfied your contingencies, you are ready to prepare for closing. Your Transaction Coordinator or your agent can answer any questions you may have.

• Secured Homeowner’s Insurance. You will need homeowner’s, Windstorm and most likely Flood Insurance on the property. Insurance can be quite expensive based on the age, location and condition of the home.

• Obtained Homeowner’s /Condo Association Approvals if you are purchasing in a community that has an association that manages the community.

• Consider purchasing a Home Warranty to protect the systems within the home

• Review Closing Documents to assure that everything is accounted for.

• Your closing agent is happy to explain it to you.

• Schedule the closing when its convenient to you. Be aware, buyers.

• Transfer utilities to your name

• Make your final deposits based on the amount requested from your closing

company.

• Do your final walk through fairly close to the closing. Most times, its done right before the closing.

• Sign documents at the closing company office.

• Get your keys. Sometimes this might take a couple hours if the seller requires funds to be transferred before releasing keys.

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Move In!

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After The Once A Client, Always A Client Closing

Purchasing a home can be complicated enough but when you don’t live in the area full time, you often don’t know where to turn to services needed to purchase and maintain your property. That why the Bartos Group has compiled a list of services providers that can assist you in these area.

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From closing companies to home inspectors to pool maintenance, we try to provide you with service providers that you can contact to address your every need. We rely on our customers to provide us with recommendations as well to assure that our service providers list has high quality options. We also encourage you to speak with your neighbors and friends for their recommendations.

Air Conditioning Remodeling Roofing Power Washing Painting Pool Maintenance Cleaning Alarm & Security Landscaping

Providing The Experience You Deserve

Premiere Plus Realty Top Producing Sales Team

Top 2 on Marco Island

Top 1% in Southwest Florida

Top 10 Mega Team In Florida by Real Trends

Most Reviewed Agents in SW Florida

Best of Zillow Award

Appeared on HGTV’s Island Life Twice

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Giving Back To Our Community

Our relationship and service doesn’t just stop once your property is closed. We love to host numerous fun events throughout the year that allow you to enjoy some great food, drinks, prizes and fun people!

We also participate with various charitable fundraisers each year where we invite all our past customers to join us.