A home buying guide
Where is life taking you?
From starter homes, to dream homes and even castles (yes, we can help with those, too) Engel & Völkers provides an exceptional, personalized buying experience. We believe luxury goes beyond any object, property or price point—it’s personal and it’s priceless. It’s about the richness of life that begins and ends in the most important space we know: home.
Buying a home in the Boston area can be difficult. Inventory is often low and prices are often high. Boston is home to some of the most expensive residential real estate in the U.S.—the median home price was $655,000 in January—and the competition for it is fierce.
You definitely need a seasoned professional to help you navigate the home buying process.
Step One
Getting approved
Before starting to search for your dream home, it’s important to evaluate your financial situation, establish a budget, understand mortgage options and secure pre-approval from your lender. This will help you conduct your search with confidence and purchase your desired home successfully.
Your credit report plays an important role in your mortgage approval process and in determining the interest rate and loan terms that a lender offers you. Before meeting with a potential lender, you may wish to confirm your credit rating so you have time to resolve any issues.
If needed, we can connect you to an experienced mortgage broker who will offer competitive interest rates and options.
Step Two
Establishing your budget
Get clear on your goals for your home, your needs in terms of amenities, location and other key factors. Its important that you understand the budget you have to work with. Start by considering what neighborhood best suits you and what type of home you want.
Don’t forget to separate your needs from your wants.This crucial first step sets a course for you, our advisor, our brokerage and our brand to work together to buy home in a stress-free manner. When meeting with us it’s important to clarify your budget, personal property preferences, and any anticipated life stage and lifestyle requirements that may impact the purchase of your home.
Step Three
Working with an E&V Advisor
Your Engel & Völkers advisor will tend to every need throughout the home buying process ensuring a worry-free experience for you. You can expect insight and information from a market expert, proac-tive communication, and ongoing consultation. Engel & Volkers professionals have committed themselves to a clearly defined goal: to put the client first, making all real estate transactions go smoothly.
Using our broad range of expertise and the specialized training, we dedicate ourselves to this goal and perform with total passion. The best real estate agents help clients buy and sell homes; Engel & Volkers advisors do more. They will offer you guidance and insight in ways not every agent can. In fact, we designate our agents as “Advisors”, to better define the higher level of service they provide.
Step Four
Our focus is on you
It’s personal
Our focus is on you
Starting the home search
It’s personal
It’s personal
So now you have your budget and idea of what you want in a home, so what’s next? Should you be furiously searching the internet for properties? Driving around looking for sale signs?
Our focus is on you
It’s personal
Our focus is on you
priority. Our collaborative approach to the sales process means involving you in as much or as little of the activities as you desire. Through it all, we will provide proactive and ongoing communication, reporting on the status of your home as frequently as you’d like and through the specific channels you find most convenient. You will receive regular updates on the status of your property, written reports on each showing, details of our marketing campaigns and new measures before they are implemented. We consider open and frequent communications between our advisors and clients to be essential. Our hope and our goal is to have the successful sale of your home be the first of many opportunities in which we can be of service to achieve your real estate goals.
Our focus is on you
It’s personal
As your Real Estate Advisors, it’s our role to make the search for your new home as simple as possible. We normally start out with a simple discussion about your needs, and our six steps to ensure a successful home search:
It’s personal
Our focus is on you
As an Engel & Völkers client, you are our highest priority. Our collaborative approach to the sales process means involving you in as much or as little of the activities as you desire. Through it all, we will provide proactive and ongoing communication, reporting on the status of your home as frequently as you’d like and through the specific channels you find most convenient. You will receive regular updates on the status of your property, written reports on each showing, details of our marketing campaigns and new measures before they are implemented. We consider open and frequent communications between our advisors and clients to be essential. Our hope and our goal is to have the successful sale of your home be the first of many opportunities in which we can be of service to achieve your real estate goals.
Our focus is on you
1. Automatic MLS property email updates
2. Advance exclusive access to homes in our network
3. Tours of select properties matching your needs
4. Evaluation of options and fair market values
5. Keep you updated on market changes & trends
As an Engel & Völkers client, you are our highest priority. Our collaborative approach to the sales process means involving you in as much or as little of the activities as you desire. Through it all, we will provide proactive and ongoing communication, reporting on the status of your home as frequently as you’d like and through the specific channels you find most convenient. You will receive regular updates on the status of your property, written reports on each showing, details of our marketing campaigns and new measures before they are implemented. We consider open and frequent communications between our advisors and clients to be essential. Our hope and our goal is to have the successful sale of your home be the first of many opportunities in which we can be of service to achieve your real estate goals.
6. Available anytime to answer your questions
As an Engel & Völkers client, you are our highest priority. Our collaborative approach to the sales process means involving you in as much or as little of the activities as you desire. Through it all, we will provide proactive and ongoing communication, reporting on the status of your home as frequently as you’d like and through the specific channels you find most convenient. You will receive regular updates on the status of your property, written reports on each showing, details of our marketing campaigns and new measures before they are implemented. We consider open and frequent communications between our advisors and clients to be essential. Our hope and our goal is to have the successful sale of your home be the first of many opportunities in which we can be of service to achieve your real estate goals.
As an Engel & Völkers client, you are our highest priority. Our collaborative approach to the sales process means involving you in as much or as little of the activities as you desire. Through it all, we will provide proactive and ongoing communication, reporting on the status of your home as frequently as you’d like and through the specific channels you find most convenient. You will receive regular updates on the status of your property, written reports on each showing, details of our marketing campaigns and new measures before they are implemented. We consider open and frequent communications between our advisors and clients to be essential. Our hope and our goal is to have the successful sale of your home be the first of many opportunities in which we can be of service to achieve your real estate goals.
As an Engel & Völkers client, you are our highest priority. Our collaborative approach to the sales process means involving you in as much or as little of the activities as you desire. Through it all, we will provide proactive and ongoing communication, reporting on the status of your home as frequently as you’d like and through the specific channels you find most convenient. You will receive regular updates on the status of your property, written reports on each showing, details of our marketing campaigns and new measures before they are implemented. We consider open and frequent communications between our advisors and clients to be essential. Our hope and our goal is to have the successful sale of your home be the first of many opportunities in which we can be of service to achieve your real estate goals.
As an Engel & Völkers client, you are our highest priority. Our collaborative approach to the sales process means involving you in as much or as little of the activities as you desire. Through it all, we will provide proactive and ongoing communication, reporting on the status of your home as frequently as you’d like and through the specific channels you find most convenient. You will receive regular updates on the status of your property, written reports on each showing, details of our marketing campaigns and new measures before they are implemented. We consider open and frequent communications between our advisors and clients to be essential. Our hope and our goal is to have the successful sale of your home be the first of many opportunities in which we can be of service to achieve your real estate goals.
As an Engel & Völkers client, you are our highest priority. Our collaborative approach to the sales process means involving you in as much or as little of the activities as you desire. Through it all, we will provide proactive and ongoing communication, reporting on the status of your home as frequently as you’d like and through the specific channels you find most convenient. You will receive regular updates on the status of your property, written reports on each showing, details of our marketing campaigns and new measures before they are implemented. We consider open and frequent communications between our advisors and clients to be essential. Our hope and our goal is to have the successful sale of your home be the first of many opportunities in which we can be of service to achieve your real estate goals.
Questionstohelpnarrow Questionstohelpnarrow
Detailed information to keep you up
■ Written reports after each showing
Whichneighborhoods/areasareyou
Doyouprefercertainlocations?
■ Latest market information
Doyouprefercertainlocations?
■ Activity reports on the status of your
Areyoulookingforacondoorsingle-family
Areyoulookingforacondoorsingle-family
Isthisforyou,oristhisaninvestment
■ Evaluation for marketing measures
Detailed information to keep you up
■ Advice on aesthetic improvements
Howmanypeoplewillliveintheproperty
Howmuchsquarefootage/living
■ Written reports after each showing
Doyouworkfromhome?
Doyouworkfromhome?
■ Latest market information
■ Activity reports on the status of your
Howmanyroomsdoyouneed?
Howmanyroomsdoyouneed?
■ Evaluation for marketing measures
Detailed information to keep you up
Howmanybedroomsandhowmany yourequire?
Howmanybedroomsandhowmany yourequire?
■ Advice on aesthetic improvements
■ Written reports after each showing
Doyouhaveanaccessibilityneeds
Doyouhaveanaccessibilityneeds
Preferenceonheating/cooling/smart
■ Latest market information
■ Activity reports on the status of your
Preferenceonheating/cooling/smart
Whatfeaturesaremostimportant
Whatfeaturesaremostimportant
Detailed information to keep you up
■ Evaluation for marketing measures
Whichofthesefeaturesareconsidered
■ Written reports after each showing
■ Advice on aesthetic improvements
Detailed information to keep you up
Howlonghaveyoubeensearching property?
■ Activity reports on the status of your
■ Latest market information
■ Written reports after each showing
Detailed information to keep you up
Whatpropertieshaveyoualready whichlocations?
Whichofthesefeaturesareconsidered whichlocations?
■ Activity reports on the status of your
■ Written reports after each showing
■ Latest market information
Whenwouldyouliketomoveinyour
Whenwouldyouliketomoveinyour
■ Evaluation for marketing measures
■ Activity reports on the status of your
■ Latest market information
■ Advice on aesthetic improvements
■ Evaluation for marketing measures
Detailed information to keep you up
Bywhatdatewouldyouliketohave yourproperty?Wouldyouliketopurchase certaindate,fortaxreasons?
■ Advice on aesthetic improvements
■ Evaluation for marketing measures
■ Written reports after each showing
Detailed information to keep you up
Canwebeofassistanceinselling property?
Bywhatdatewouldyouliketohave yourproperty?Wouldyouliketopurchase property?
■ Activity reports on the status of your
■ Advice on aesthetic improvements
Canweofferyouanyofourother
■ Latest market information
Canweofferyouanyofourother
■ Written reports after each showing
■ Activity reports on the status of your
■ Evaluation for marketing measures
■ Latest market information
■ Advice on aesthetic improvements
■ Evaluation for marketing measures
■ Advice on aesthetic improvements
narrowyoursearch narrowyoursearch
youinterestedin?
single-familyhome? investmentproperty? property?
single-familyhome? investmentproperty? property? /livingareaisrequired?
manybathroomsdo needs? /smarthomefeatures? importanttoyou? consideredoptional? searchingforasuitable alreadyviewed,andin yournewproperty?
manybathroomsdo needs? /smarthomefeatures? yournewproperty?
havepurchased purchaseona
sellingyourpresent otherservices?
havepurchased purchaseona sellingyourpresent otherservices?
Step Five
Submitting an offer
Massachusetts uses a two-step offer process for submitting offers on properties.
When we find a home you like, we take the first step: preparing the Offer to Purchase. This legally binding document outlines the terms including the property, price, timing, inclusions, removals, conditions, and duration of offer. It will be accompanied by an earnest money deposit.
Often you may find yourself bidding against other buyers. This means that due diligence is required on your part and our part as your REALTOR® team to ensure the offer you submit is strategic, competitive, fare, and reflective of what are ultimately willing to pay for the property.
Step Six
Offer negotiations
The offer will be met with an acceptance, rejection or counter offer (where the seller may make changes to your offer, such as adjustments to the price, closing date or conditions). You may accept the counter offer or you may make another counter offer back to the seller, and your Engel & Völkers Advisor will help you with any and all negotiations. If specified as contingencies in the Offer to Purchase, you may then conduct a Home Inspection, or review HOA Financials/Regulations, or finalize your financing.
Once both parties come to an agreement, negotiations conclude and you move on to the next step in the buying process, the Purchase and Sale agreement. At this point, you will select an attorney to take you through this very detailed part of the process and pay an final deposit.
Step Seven
Closing the transaction
Your Engel & Völkers advisor will work with you through every step of the process, answering every question and providing expert advice, experience, insight, and knowledge.
A few days before the settlement you will have the opportunity to conduct a final walk-through confirming that the home is in the agreed physical condition. The closing attorneys will schedule the closing and finalize all the legal requirements at that time.
Congratulations on your purchase! You are now a home owner.
An App that moves you
Mobile experience
The EV Real Estate app is your real estate search companion, bringing you the most accurate and up-to-date real estate information right to your phone!
With EV Real Estate, you have access to all homes for sale and MLS listings throughout your neighborhood and across North America. Use EV Real Estate anytime, anywhere to find homes for sale in your location using the GPS search, or find homes based on any address, city or zip code. And, if you have questions, press the “Contact” feature to call or email your Engel & Völkers advisor.
If you haven’t already, download Engel & Völkers’ mobile real estate app now to search and connect with us anytime and anywhere from your smartphone or tablet.
Download my mobile app:
Glossary
Key terms and phrases
ADVISOR
Engel & Völkers designates our agents as “Advisors” to better define the higher level of service they provide.
APPRAISAL
Formal assessment of a property’s market value, typically done for the purpose of obtaining a mortgage.
BUYER’S AGENT
Buyer’s agents are bound to help buyers and diligently represent the buyer’s interests.
CONTINGENCIES
Special clauses such as a home inspection, condominium documents, or financing contingency.
ESCROW / EARNEST DEPOSIT
Deposit of funds are held in an escrow account, and transferred upon completion of the deal.
MLS
Multiple Listing Services are private databases that help match buyers with properties listed for sale.
PRE-APPROVAL
Loan officer looks at your income/ debt/ assets/ credit history to determine how much money you can borrow.
REALTOR®
Agents who are members of the National Association of Realtors® and abide by its strict Code of Ethics.
SELLER DISCLOSURE
A document completed by the seller making known the property’s history and defects.
SELLER’S AGENT
An agent who lists a property and acts on behalf of the seller and the seller’s interests.
SETTLEMENT
When buyers & sellers sign the closing documents of a transaction and payment of all closing costs.
SYNDICATION
MLS property listings and information are shared and distributed through a network of data feeds.
TITLE SEARCH
A check of legal documents of the property to ensure there are no outstanding claims.
CRAFTING BESPOKE HOMEBUYING EXPERIENCES IN BOSTON.
WE ARE ENGEL & VÖLKERS.
I believe being the best involves simple things; communication, trust and the 1:1 concierge approach to service.
Since moving into the Boston market, Nate has quickly risen to the upper ranks closing more than $40M in sales in 2021 and $100M in the past three years. He prides himself on preparing clients for what’s next, reducing the stresses of a transaction and often circumventing issues completely. He’s also carefully amassed an expert team, backed by a dynamic global luxury brand and a network of the industry’s elite advisors ensuring his clients the most relevant expertise available.
Nate brings a unique perspective to downtown living and investing. Having grown up in the small coastal town of Fairhaven where nearly everyone knows your name and your family, his relationship building skills and the importance of reputation and integrity were instilled practically from birth. He went on to earn a degree in Business Management & Marketing, honing leadership skills as Captain of the Lacrosse team. In his down time, Nate and his goldendoodle, Hinckley, enjoy adventures around New England with friends and family.
If you’re in need of a motivated communicator to analyze your numbers and advise you on common sense decisions with an eye to the future, call Nate; he’ll make himself available any time.
Nate Rock- Engel & Völkers Boston Real Estate Advisor 46 Gloucester Street Boston, MA 02115 Mobile: 617 459 6656 nate.rock@evrealestate.com naterock.evrealestate.com
