A Buyer’s Guide To PURCHASING A HOME
JONATHAN MILLS WELCOME
Founded on the premise of servant leadership, Jonathan Mills, founder of The Mills Group, began his entrepreneurial journey serving lemonade from a stand that he made in his parent's driveway at the age of 9 Shortly after, he began raking leaves for neighbors, quickly scaling to a full-fledge lawn care business through his high school years serving clients including the #1 luxury builder in Gainesville
Answering one need after another for the community, Jonathan finally found real estate in 2015. Learning every aspect of the industry to best guide his clients through each individual transaction, he realized he needed to grow a team around him to offer the highest level of service consistently!
The first addition to the team in 2017 was his mother as a buyer’s agent and she supported him as he diligently worked to grow the team for six years Since 2020, the team has grown larger and stronger to include a full time administrative support staff and four full time agent specialists. The Mills Group looks forward to working with you and is excited to make this a seamless process full of positive experiences!
MEET YOUR BUYERS TEAM
JoseVega BuyersSpecialist (352)278-3085
MEET YOUR TEAM
LEADERSHIP
JonathanMills Founder+Team Leader
NoahHastay DirectorofOperations
ADMINISTRATION
AmySelph ExecutiveAdministrator
MegChurch MarketingAssistant
ErinMartin InternalSalesAgent
JeremiahGadway DirectorofLead Generation
JennyDelantar TransactionCoordinator
LISTINGSPECIALISTS
KeitonStender BuyersSpecialist (352)361-0769
BrianMartin BuyersSpecialist (352)316-3477 JimmyBynum BuyersSpecialist (352)872-3282
PREAPPROVED
03FINDING THE RIGHT HOME
How long are you planning on living in your next home?
Consider the benefits to owning a home
How much can you afford?
Consider the different loan programs available (FHA, VA, Conventional)
Make sure your credit is in good shape (620+)
What kind of home are you looking for?
How many bedrooms and bathrooms?
Are school districts important?
Get a home inspection
Review disclosures
Order the appraisal
Securing financing
Attend the final walkthrough
Schedule your move
Change over utilities
PREPARE FOR THE LENDER
Mortgage lenders recommend you do not stretch your budget for your new home beyond an amount that is 3 to 5 times your annual household income. If you are not purchasing a home with cash, you will need a mortgage pre-approval provided by your mortgage lender A lender will work with you to get a loan that meets your needs and makes sense for your long term goals. We have carefully selected our preferred lenders because they are experts at assisting our clients in finding the loan program best for them
Study your credit report Make note of any errors you see and talk to your lender about them
Compile necessary documents, including pay stubs, bank statements, and past tax returns
Determine the monthly payment you are comfortable with - the payment will include your property taxes and homeowner's insurance
In order to make your dream of buying a home a reality, you will need to save cash for your down payment, earnest money, closing costs & home inspections
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF HOMEBUYING
I. Thou shalt not change jobs, become selfemployed, or quit your job
II. Thou shalt not buy a vehicle (or you may be living in it!)
III. Thou shalt not use credit card excessively or let current accounts fall behind
IV. Thou shalt not spend money you have set aside for closing
V. Thou shalt not omit debits or liabilities from your loan application
VI. Thou shalt not buy furniture
VII. Thou shalt not originate any inquiries into your credit
VIII. Thou shalt not make large deposits without checking with your loan officer
IX. Thou shalt not co-sign a loan for anyone
X. Thou shalt not change bank accounts
*PLEASE DISCUSS SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES WITH YOUR LOAN OFFICER PRIOR TO MAKING ANY CHANGES
BUYING YOUR HOME Checklist
1
PARTNER WITH OUR TEAM
Have a consultation
Get to know neighborhood inventory
See what's about to the hit the market
Gain access to off-market properties
Complete needs assessment
Understand what is available
BEFORE YOU CLOSE 6
Transfer funds for closing
Set a moving date & reserve a moving company
Change your address with USPS, your bank, and other institutions
Set up your utilities to be activated or transferred
Confirm that all contingencies have been met
GET PRE-APPROVED
Understand what you can afford
Determine your monthly mortgage payment
Understand your debt to income ratio
Prepare for escrow
Obtain a pre-approval letter
Ensure you have the funds
Schedule the final property walk-through
Designate a safe, dedicated space to save your final paperwork
Stay in close contact with your agent, lender, and title company
4
2 3 5
Compare home and neighborhood averages, narrow down neighborhoods you want
Schedule home tours and plan an itinerary with your agent
Nix homes that don't meet the mark
Identify favorite homes
Decide on your dream home
MAKE OFFER & NEGOTIATE
Review contract terms carefully with your agent
Negotiate purchase price up or down
Review disclosures and acquire a property disclosure from the seller
Shop home insurance options
Prepare for down payment & earnest money deposit
Request a list of what conveys with the property
Choose a target closing date
Sign the offer
Deliver escrow check
Stay in close contact with your agent
FIND YOUR NEW HOME UNDER CONTRACT
Begin your financing application
Schedule home inspection/negotiate repairs
Acquire home insurance and send proof to your lender
Solidify both contract effective and allowable move-in dates
Order an appraisal
Conduct a title search
Certify funds for closing
Schedule your closing
Stay in close contact with your agent, lender, and title company
7 8
CLOSING DAY: WHAT TO BRING
Connect with the title company to confirm the amount of funds needing to be wired for closing costs & your loan down payment
Bring a printed confirmation of your wire transfer
Bring 2 forms of government-issued proof of identification (preferably a state ID and your social security card)
CLOSING DAY
Sign closing disclosure, promissory note, and all other documentation
Title transfer
Deed delivery
Save your paperwork in your pre-designated spot
Get your keys - congrats, it's all yours!
START HOME
RESEARCH MORTGAGES AND LENDERS
Get clear on what you want and what you need
Spend time in each area and make sure the space works for you
Find properties in your price range and in your preferred neighborhoods.
Visit open houses and have one of our team members schedule private showings
Make a list of the things you'll need to have in the house Before you begin touring homes, get clear on how many bedrooms and bathrooms you'll need and get an idea of how much space you desire. How big do you want the kitchen to be? Do you need lots of closets and cabinet space? Do you need a big yard for your kids and/or pets to play in?
Once you've made a list of your must-haves, don't forget to think about the kind of neighborhood you want, the types of schools in the area, the length of your commute to and from work, and the convenience of local shopping Take into account your safety concerns and how good the rate of home appreciation is in the area. Understand there will always be compromises, so consider what you're willing to give up and what you are not.
PROFESSIONAL TIPS ON MAKING A GOOD OFFER
CompetitiveOffer
A good rule of thumb, specifically in a seller’s market, is to start strong To do this, we will assess the property’s market value with a CMA (complete market analysis) and determine what it's worth in the current market
EarnestMoney
The earnest money a k a escrow deposit signals how serious a buyer you are Be sure you are serious about buying this home If you cancel after your inspection period, you’ll lose your earnest money
GiftofTime
Express your willingness to work with the sellers’ timeline to go to closing We can ask the sellers when their ideal closing date would be so the offer will make them feel like they are winning!
LimitContigencies
Contingencies can add time to the negotiation process They’re beneficial to buyers, but can be a nuisance to sellers who are ready to move on fast It is important to avoid any unnecessary contingencies
EscalationCause
An escalation clause is a way to automatically escalate your bid by a certain dollar amount, up to a certain threshold Keep in mind, you ’ re informing the seller of the true amount you ’ re willing to pay, which may be significantly over the home’s appraised value
ORDER AN INSPECTION
During the inspection period, we will schedule an inspection with a reputable home inspector to do a thorough investigation of the property. Once this is complete, the inspector will provide us with a detailed inspection report
A home inspection can help identify deficiencies in a home you ’ re considering purchasing If the inspection reveals problems and repairs are needed, you may be able to negotiate with the seller to fix those issues, but this isn't always the case
NEGOTIATE
FINAL
Here are your options after a home inspection reveals problems:
Ask the seller to make the most important repairs 1
Ask for a credit toward your closing costs 2
Ask the seller to reduce the sales price to make up for the repairs 3. Cancel your contract (if you have an inspection contingency in place) 4
Move forward with no repairs made a.k.a. "As Is" 5
CLOSING DAY
Closing is when you sign all final documents, officially purchase the home, and receive your new home’s keys! Typically, closing takes one hour
FINAL WALK THROUGH
We will do a final walk through of the home within 24 hours of closing to check the property’s condition. This final inspection takes about 15-30 minutes We will make sure any repair work that the seller agreed to complete has been done.
We will be sure to:
• Make sure all appliances are working properly
• Run the water in all the faucets and check for any possible leaks
• Open and close garage doors with garage door opener
• Flush toilets
• Run the garbage disposal and exhaust fans
CLOSING APPOINTMENT
Who will be there:
• Your agent
BRING TO CLOSING
• Two forms of identification
RECEIVE YOUR KEYS
Congratulations! It was a lot of hard work but you are now officially home owners!! Time to move in, get settled, and get to know your new neighbors!
testimonials
We owe a huge thanks to The Mills Group for getting us into our new home, especially buyer's specialist Keiton Stender We were challenging to say the least We needed a quick closing and even switched houses when our dream home suddenly came on the market. I don't believe we could have closed without Keiton's fast and dedicated work He stuck with us through it all, reassuring and answering all our questions
Such a great group to work with. They were super prompt when asked to see a home, and had lots of information about the home and the surrounding area My husband and I have purchased two homes through them and each time has been an amazing experience!
Working with The Mills Group was by far the best home buying experience that we have ever had From the start, they identified all of our families wants and needs, connected us with an amazing local lender ( Chris Doering Mortgage) and answered all of our questions we had about the entire process. There wasn’t a moment during the transaction that we didn’t know what the next step was going to be And on top of all of that, after seeing just 3 homes, we got our offer accepted on THE PERFECT home for us AND WE CLOSED WITH MORE THAN $20k IN INSTANT EQUITY!! Cannot thank their entire team enough for such an amazing process The Mills Group ROCKS!
LAURIE T.
IAN H.
CHELSEA T.
testimonials
THOMAS B.
The Mills Group has been very helpful and responsive Throughout the home searching and buying process, they have been great communicators and knowledgeable about Gainesville They've gone above and beyond with helping to coordinate pre-closing activities and helping me get all sorts of stuff taken care of, which was a huge help since I was moving into town from a hundred miles away
KRISTEN S.
Jonathan, Jerry, Brian, and Amy are awesome They helped me to locate an o market listing so I wouldn’t have to fight with the masses Thank you!!!!
Brian Martin is THE realtor to work with! As a first-time homebuyer, it can feel really intimidating to search for a home and ensure it meets your budget, needs, and/or wants Brian helped me with exactly all of that to find a home as "right" as Goldilocks the perfect location, the perfect price (he negotiated a whopping $15,000 for me off asking price & the seller agreed), and the perfect amount of space I needed He's understanding, hard-working, communicative, and a true teammate to you in the home buying process Thank you, Brian & team, for making the first-time-buying process seamless for me!
DANIELLE M.
