How to Buy a Home

Wine Country

1 Find an Agent

Look for a licensed real estate agent who is knowledgeable about the neighborhoods you’re considering and can help guide your search.

2 Get Pre-Approved

Before beginning your search, your first step is to complete the preapproval process with a Mortgage Lender (unless you will be paying all cash for your home). We can connect you to a Lender, or you may select a Lender of your choice. Based on your income, credit history and various documentation requested of you by the lender, they will determine how much you are pre-approved to purchase.

3 Visit Properties

Attend viewings and open houses spanning a range of areas and property types. Now is the time to consider your ideal location and amenities.

4

Preparing an Offer

Once you have selected the home you’d like to buy, We will research the history of the property and prepare a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that we will review together. This will enable you to make a well-informed decision about your offer. Your offer will outline the terms under which you will buy the home.

5 Negotiate

Once your offer has been reviewed by the Seller, he or she may choose to do one of three: 1) Accept the offer as-is.

2) Counter the offer. 3) Reject the offer. Should the Seller counter your offer, you can choose to accept, reject or make your own counter offer.

6 Review Contract and Disclosure Package

Analyze the contract of sale, disclosures and other documents with your attorney and/or agent. Your attorney and/or agent’s job is vital to protecting your interests and understanding the disclosure package.

7 Submit Formal Offer

Work with your agent to submit your final offer which includes contract and disclosure package.