Anna Rickenbach Properties • RE/MAX 4000
Your Guide to Buying a Home
Experience. Service. Commitment.
Define Your Goals DETERMINE WHY YOU ARE BUYING A HOME Is it a permanent place for you and your family, an investment, or a second home? Whatever the reason, it is important that you buy with an eye on the resale investment potential. Why has buying a home also become such an investment opportunity? •
•
No one can predict the future. Over the last
•
Money that pays a mortgage turns into
25 years, the average price of a home has
equity that can be used to finance
risen substantially.
other opportunities.
Land has become a decreasing resource,
•
Demographics and immigration have
especially in and around major city
always been major factors in influencing
and cultural hubs, which has created
investment opportunities.
the demand. •
•
•
It is not always necessary to sell your home
Housing is typically considered to be a
just because you are moving; depending
stable investment, offering good rates
on the equity created, it may be possible to
of return.
offset the remaining mortgage by renting
Low interest rates over the last 10 years
out the property.
have made mortgages affordable. Investing your time to understand your local market and its influences could pay large dividends.
Make Your Plans After answering the following questions, you will be in a great position to research your housing and mortgage options as well as create the appropriate action plan and timeline for moving forward.
SET YOU R PRIORITIES: •
What do you want from a home?
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What does your family want from a home?
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Do you want a turnkey home or would you prefer to renovate?
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Choose the top five ‘must-haves.’
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Choose the top five ‘would-likes.’
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Are you pre-approved for a mortgage?
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What can you afford on a monthly basis?
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When is your ideal time to move?
Research Your Options DETERMINE WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD AND WHERE Buying and financing a home are closely related, so it is important to review your current financial situation to understand how much you can afford. Three key components that determine the start of all searches: 1. Location – where do you want to live? 2. Type – what type of home do you want? 3. Price – what can you afford? Only you can determine the importance of each. Once you start to research your options, you will soon know if your expectations are realistic.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Why does location matter so much? For starters, you can’t move a home — at least not easily or inexpensively. When you buy a home in a good location, it is usually a solid long-term investment. Perhaps more than ever, location is the key factor to driving price increases. In a strong housing market, homes in particularly desirable areas are more likely to see above average price increases. In weak housing markets, these homes tend to retain their value better.
Understanding Market Value The current selling price of a home does not mean that a property is worth that amount – market conditions and what a buyer is willing to pay for a property affect the true value of the home at any moment in time. When deciding the value of any property, the following criteria should be considered: •
Location of the property
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Current prices of similar properties
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Condition of the property
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Recent sales of competitive properties
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Buyer demand
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Availability of financing
Ultimately, the value of any property is dependent on what is important to you and whether this is the home that you wish to buy.
Select the Right Agent COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION It is important to work with a real estate professional who is not only committed to working with you but who is also dedicated to finding you the RIGHT home. They should guide you through the property search – consider their knowledge, experience, and expertise. Check their track record of working with buyers – from finding a home, to negotiating the offer, to helping with financial solutions.
RESPONSIBILITIES
VIEWING & ASSESSING HOMES
Educating you about the buyer agency and
Reviewing homes with you and providing a
professional responsibilities, including complete
comparative analysis. Referring you to expert
disclosure, loyalty, confidentiality, compliance,
vendors who will provide in-depth analysis
and accountability.
and advice.
UNDERSTANDING YOU R REQUIREMENTS
CONSULTATION & NEGOTIATION
Taking the time to understand the priority of
Providing consultation, then negotiating the best
your requirements (location, property type,
possible price and terms for you, while taking
size, must-haves, local amenities, etc.) even if
care of all the details.
they change.
SERVICE PROVIDERS RESEARCHING THE MARKET
Helping you explore your financing options –
Providing a sophisticated market analysis that
referring you to mortgage professionals so you
helps you with your home search by previewing
can make the best possible mortgage decision
homes, keeping you up-to-date with new homes
and assisting you in finding home-related
as they come on the market, what is selling and
service needs.
for how much, and knowing what is for sale both inside and outside the real estate professional
CLOSING
network. Buying is all about having the right
Keeping you fully informed about all activities
knowledge and access at your fingertips.
that lead to the transaction closing.
Meet Your Team
MBA, REALTOR ®, CLHMS, CRS TEAM LEADER, LISTING SPECIALIST
Anna Rickenbach
MA, ABR, REALTOR ® BUYER SPECIALIST
Pam Olson
Katie Coleman
970.260.8362
970.712.4399
970.270.9518
REALTOR ® BUYER SPECIALIST
Meet Your Team
Shannon Simons
Marci Law
Cassidy Pratt
REALTOR ® LISTING SPECIALIST
OFFICE MANAGER TRANSACTION COORDINATOR
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, LISTING COORDINATOR CLIENT SERVICES COORDINATOR
970.210.1601
970.683.2597
970.640.5360
The Power of RE/MAX When you choose Anna Rickenbach Properties, you also choose to work with one of the most elite and sophisticated brokerages in the Grand Valley, RE/MAX 4000.
RE/MAX 4000 •
Is the #1 real estate office in the Grand Valley, serving Grand Junction and Mesa County
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Is a full-service residential and commercial real estate leader and is the local real estate expert
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Annually reports over 1,000 property showings per month on average
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Consistently sells more properties than any other local real estate company
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Features extensive support services for all your real estate requirements
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Ensures access to a full concierge of preferred service providers and local experts
Working With Us Why Hire Anna Rickenbach Properties to Represent YOU?
Experience
Purchasing a home is often the largest financial decision a person makes; we take this seriously and are here to advise you to the best of our ability. Our team is well-versed in multiple offers and off market properties.
Service
We are your full-time, full-service team — client service and delighting you is job #1. We drive the process; you always drive the decision.
Commitment
Working as your exclusive buyer agent, our goal is to simplify the process as much as possible to ultimately reduce the stress and increase your satisfaction throughout the process.
What Our Clients Have to Say.. EXCEPTIONAL “Anna and her team are beyond exceptional in every way, shape, and form! If I could rate 10 stars, I would. Everything from communication, support, knowledge, service, etc., is just simply an amazing experience with Anna! I will always recommend her and use her for any and all things real estate! Thank YOU, Anna and your team, for being such exceptional standouts and just overall AMAZING people – you are all VERY appreciated!” Derek T.
GREAT TIPS & INSIGHT “Pam is a great Realtor and a great person! We decided to make a quick purchase with a short closing date and Pam was on top of everything. She was very quick to respond and had great tips and insight throughout the process. We would definitely recommend Pam and her team for anyone in the Grand Valley looking to purchase a home.” Jace & Holly H.
What Our Clients Have to Say.. EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS “Katie was prepared and consistent from the beginning to the end during our home search. She always demonstrated sincere compassion regarding what my wife and I were looking for in a house. I highly recommend anyone in search of purchasing a home to contact Katie and Anna Rickenbach Properties without hesitation. She far exceeds the five-star rating by a landslide.” Raymond W.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND “Pam was incredibly sweet and a pleasure to work with! The home buying process is always stressful, but Pam and her team took every measure to alleviate as much of that as possible. Very helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable on the Grand Junction area and Valley. I’d highly recommend working with Pam and the Anna Rickenbach Team!” Taylour W.
THANK YOU! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to help you buy a home. We look forward to assisting you with any future real estate transactions, because we are not just providing a service, we are building a relationship.
RE/MAX 4000 120 W Park Drive Grand Junction, CO 81505 970.640.5360 | ANNARICKENBACH.COM