You’re One Step Closer to Buying a Home! Let’s talk specifics about what you need and how I can help you.
®
JOHN MENTIS, Realtor®
SM
WELCOME BACK Thank you for coming back to explore how I can help with your specific home buying journey. If we haven’t already done so, we’ll need to set up a time for us to meet -whether in person, by phone, or virtually. That meeting will be broken down into two parts: setting the foundation and discussing the market and your specific situation. It sounds simple enough, but like many things the devil is in the detail. It’s best to have the major decision makers involved in our meeting if at all possible, e.g., yourself if you’re the only one involved, your spouse or significant other if you’re buying as a couple, your friend or relative if you’re buying together, your broader family if this is a group purchase, etc. Getting everyone on the same page from the start will make things go more smoothly for everyone in the end.
PRO TIP: Clear, honest, and concise communications are of utmost importance to ensure a smooth transaction. I encourage all clients to ask me any and all questions. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll tell you and then go get it. If I answer and it doesn’t make sense, I am trusting you to keep asking me until it does. Remember, I want you to feel you’re making an informed decision. “Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®
THE FOUNDATION You are entitled to certain disclosures and to understand your rights, obligations, and choices. The following 10 documents will give you the basic information about home buying in northern Virginia and working with me as an agent with Long & Foster Real Estate. We’ll touch on all the forms during our meeting. These forms are:
1 - Useful Information About Real Estate Transactions. This is a general overview of how real estate is sold in northern
2- Residential Property Disclosure Statement. Virginia is a “buyer beware” state meaning the seller does not have to
3 - Megan’s Law Disclosure. The Virginia state police maintain a database of all registered sex offenders which you
4 - Lead Paint Disclosure. Lead paint is a danger if eaten over the long-term (most often an issue with children) or
5 - Fair Housing Equal Opportunity for All. There are local, state, and federal laws to prevent consumers from being
Virginia. disclose anything to you about the condition of the home or the area (the exception is about lead-based paint in the home). can access to see if any live or work near the property you are considering buying. Note that as with most databases, it’s only as accurate as the data, i.e., if offenders don’t report where they’ve moved to or from, the database can’t show it. breathed in as dust over a long period (e.g., during a home renovation). This is a federally required form from all sellers of homes built before 1978. EPA has published a pamphlet about it that you can access here. discriminated against in their housing choices and in their ability to qualify for a mortgage. HUD has published a pamphlet about it that you can access here.
“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®
THE FOUNDATION
6 - Notice to Consumers About Written Brokerage Agreements. Virginia law requires that once a real estate
7- Disclosure of Brokerage Relationship Explanation to Consumers. It’s not always clear to consumers who an
8 - Exclusive Right to Represent Buyer Agreement. This is the document that shows you are hiring Long & Foster
9 - Mutual Agreement to Arbitrate. This document discusses when parties are in disagreement whether they can go
10 - Affiliated Business Arrangement Disclosure Statement. Long & Foster has an ownership interest in many
licensee and their client agree to work together, they must sign a brokerage agreement before the agent performs any activity on the client’s behalf, e.g., showing properties, writing and/or negotiating an offer, etc. agent represents in the purchase. This document seeks to make that clear. (and me as their agent) to represent you in the purchase of a home. It outlines your rights and obligations to Long & Foster as well as Long & Foster’s rights and obligations to you. to court or whether they will go to arbitration. It also discusses class action lawsuits. companies involved in different aspects of real estate. Although some consumers like the idea of a “onestop shop” with Long & Foster for all their needs related to a home purchase (e.g., mortgage, insurance, moving), you are not obligated to use any of them. Nonetheless, we are obligated to disclose them to you.
PRO TIP: Waiting to discuss these documents and their importance until you’re ready to make an offer makes little sense. You need to know up-front what rights and obligations you have, your options, and who represents whom in the transaction. Without this understanding, you’ll likely be a bit overwhelmed if not lost during your home buying journey.
“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®
OUR DISCUSSION Please set aside about 60 minutes for our discussion, although I’m open to our meeting going longer should you want/need. This discussion will give you an understanding of my knowledge of the market, knowledge of the buying process, and my style. It will also give me an understanding of how I would best be able to help you. I encourage you to ask any and all questions you may have while we cover the following areas: 1 - Your answers to the 10 questions from Thinking About Buying a Home? (They’re listed again at the end of this presentation for your easy reference!) 2 - Your understanding and questions about the 10 documents referenced earlier herein. 3 - The current market and my six-month expectations.
4 - My process and style.
By the end of the hour, you should know whether you’d like to hire me to represent you in the purchase of your next home -- we can sign the buyer broker agreement at that time if you’re ready or at a later time if you’re not. I look forward to meeting/speaking with you! “Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®
RECAP HOW READY ARE YOU TO START THIS JOURNEY? SEE IF YOU CAN ANSWER THESE 10 QUESTIONS:
1 - Who is buying? Who will be on the contract? Who will be on title?
2 - Why are you buying?
3 - What do you expect to buy? How many bedroom and bathrooms? Where?
4 - Are you pre-approved for a mortgage? How far along are you? Did you
5 - Have you bought before? What did you learn from that experience?
6 - What are the two most important things you expect from your agent?
7 - When do you want to be in the new place?
8 - Is this going to be your primary residence, secondary residence, or an
9 - Do you need to sell another property or your current home to qualify
shop around?
investment property?
for a mortgage to buy?
10 - How did you find me? Why do think we might work well together?
“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®
SM
READY?
JOHN MENTIS, Realtor®
C: 202.549. 0081 | O: 703.522.0500 JohnMentis@LongandFoster.com | JohnMentis.com @John Mentis Mentis.homes John Mentis Licensed in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
“Your Life is Changing...I Can Help!”®