Home Buying Guide
Presentation Overview
Customized Home Buying System
Step-by-Step Proposal
Real Estate and Lifestyle Planning
Choosing How You’re Represented
Working with a Forever AgentSM
The Home Finding Process
Financing Your Home Purchase
Navigating the Variables
Concluding the Process
Working with a Forever AgentSM
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Forever Guiding You
What is a Forever Agent℠?
A Forever AgentSM is a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network real estate professional who believes that real estate is not just about a transaction. Network Forever Agents℠ develop a forever relationship with clients, and it’s why we’ll forever support you.
We’re here to guide you throughout your homeownership journey, wherever it may lead, and deliver a highly customized home buying experience that doesn’t start (or end) when we find your perfect home.
Real estate is even more than the joy and happiness of “welcome home.” Real estate is a relationship that lasts forever.
About Your Forever Agent®
After a successful and fulfilling career at Chevron, I am excited to start a new chapter as a real estate professional. With years of experience in operations and project management, plant safety, emergency response, recruitment, and customer service, I have developed a strong foundation of discipline, problem-solving, and interpersonal communication skills that seamlessly translate into the world of real estate.
I am passionate about helping clients find not just a property, but a place to call home, and I am committed to delivering exceptional service and results. Whether buying, selling, or investing, I work closely with each client to ensure their real estate goals are met with professionalism, care, and expertise.
ROBERT DAY
About My Company
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Cooper & Co. Inc., REALTORS has been serving real estate clients throughout Mobile & Baldwin Counties since 1970. Whether you are looking for residential or commercial services, property management, corporate relocation or referral services, beach properties, or timberland sales we can help!
Choosing How You’re Represented
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Choosing How You’re Represented
As you embark on the exciting journey of finding your dream home, one of the crucial aspects to consider is the representation and compensation arrangements you make with your real estate agent.
Understanding the various options available and making informed choices is essential to ensuring a smooth and transparent home buying experience.
By exploring and discussing options for representation and compensation with your real estate agent, you can empower yourself to make decisions that align with your preferences and priorities, ultimately enhancing your overall home buying experience.
Real Estate and Lifestyle Planning
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Planning for Homeownership Success
It’s one thing to want a new home, but without proper planning and guidance from a Forever AgentSM, the search process becomes a lot more difficult. Identifying the mutually beneficial home buying decisions for you and your family provides some much-needed clarity, enabling you to enter the home search process with confidence and certainty.
Of course, factors may change, or an I-didn’t-think-I’d home could turn out to be “the one,” but even with those unexpected curves on your homeownership road, planning for next steps will ensure the best outcome for everyone.
What Are Your Real Estate and Lifestyle Needs?
The answers to these questions will create the foundation for your real estate and lifestyle planning. They’re the critical considerations you need to think about before you begin searching for your next home.
REAL ESTATE
Refers to housing styles, room count, amenities, and other factors relating to the property.
LIFESTYLE
Refers to the driving interests you hope to satisfy with this move such as, financial, career, family, etc.
What Are Your Real Estate and Lifestyle Needs?
LIFESTYLE
When determining your lifestyle goals, there are both long-term and short-term goals to take into consideration: financial, career, lifestyle preferences, health, relationships, social life, etc.
• What lifestyle-related goals are you hoping to achieve with this move?
• What lifestyle factors are most important to you?
• What lifestyle choices are your absolute must-haves and what aspects are more flexible?
• What are the most important activities for members of your household?
What Are Your Real Estate and Lifestyle Needs?
REAL ESTATE
• How many people will be living in your household?
• Who will be included in the home finding and buying decision?
• What would you consider a comfortable commute?
• What is your moving timeframe?
• What is something you disliked about the house or area you lived in previously?
• What are the features you liked most about the homes or areas you’ve lived in previously?
• What are those “must have” features of your ideal home and neighborhood?
The Home Finding Process
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Searching for Your Home
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to your next move. As Your Forever Agent®, I’m with you every step of the way, from this very presentation to your move-in day and beyond. While every home search experience is unique to your needs, a typical home buying process looks like this:
Initial Consultation Finding the Right Home Preparing an Offer Reaching Agreement with Seller Completing the Settlement Process
Obtaining Financing
Everything You Need, All from One Source
Here’s something you might not know about a Forever AgentSM: We are your single source for everything related to home buying. From an extensive network of local real estate professionals and a finger on the pulse of the latest listings, you’ll see everything that is available and applicable to your needs. This includes:
• Homes marketed by our network members
• Properties listed by other brokers through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)
• Properties not on the open market yet
• Properties “For Sale by Owner”
• Properties advertised in local print and digital media, or buyers’ guides
• Properties meeting the criteria and direction set by the lawful instructions of the buyer.
Submitting an Offer
Perfect home? Consider it found. Once we identified the property that works best for you and your family, it’s time to submit an offer.
Together we’ll:
• Determine the price to offer
• Decide on financing
• Decide other issues important to you including: items of personal property you’d like included; home service plan, inspections, repairs, lien search, etc.; and closing date and possession
Then, I’ll present the offer and negotiate with the seller through their sales professional and communicate with you throughout the negotiation process. Finally, once we’ve reached an agreement with the seller, you’ll have a firm contract to purchase the home.
Terms to Know
If you’re new to the home buying process, here are some key terms that may come up during the transaction:
• Appraisal: An estimate of a home’s value, usually conducted by an independent and licensed appraiser.
• Closing Costs: Any costs over and above the purchase price of the property.
• Closing: The last step in the home buying process, during which the sale is finalized.
• Comps: Also known as “comparables,” these are prices of homes sold in the neighborhood that are similar properties to the one you are considering for purchase.
• Contingencies: Conditions that must be met for the home sale to occur.
• Down Payment: How much money a buyer will pay upfront when purchasing a home.
• Deed: A document that transfers title of an asset to new ownership.
• Escrow: A legal agreement in which a third party or person holds money or property until certain terms and conditions are met.
Financing for Your Home Purchase
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Financing Your Home Purchase
Financing a home can be challenging or it can simply be the next step in the realization of your homeownership dreams. (I prefer the latter.)
Working closely together, I’ll share my financing knowledge to help you complete the purchase whether paying in cash or finding the best financing options.
Did you know being pre-approved for a home loan (mortgage) can put you in a stronger negotiating opposition and save time in the loan approval process? Together, I’ll walk you through the pre-approval process and help you prepare with all the necessary forms, including bank statements, tax documents, W-2 forms, a credit report and more.
Financing Your Home Purchase
Through my extensive local and global home services network, I can put you in touch with experienced home mortgage consultants. Expect the lender to ask for standard information regarding your income, expenses and obligations.
Financing Your Home Purchase
As applicable, we’ll also review the various financing options available to you, including: Cash purchase
• Verified source of funds Financing
• Qualification and pre-approval
• Buying down the interest rate
• Required cash at closing Mortgage options
• Fixed-rate mortgage
• Adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM)
• Government-assisted (FHA or VA) financing
• Seller-assisted financing
Navigating the Variables
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Common Contingencies
• Financing - protect your offer in good faith when borrowing money to purchase a home
• Inspections - help create a baseline of the condition of the home before you become the owner as well as it may reveal hidden defects
• Appraisals - confirm the value of a home at the time of purchase.
• Wood Destroying Insect Report (WDIR) is completed after a specialized visual inspection is completed to assure there is no damage to the structure caused by termites, beetles, ants or bees.
• Insurance - policies vary geographically. Special policies necessary for your area may include Flood, Wind and Hail, Earthquake, etc.
• Survey - If you are not in a platted and planned community a survey will protect against boundary disputes that may arise with neighboring properties. It also assures any new fencing or added structures are within the property lines.
• Local Ordinances/Zoning - matter depending on your use of the property. Are you an investor? Are short term rentals allowed? If you work from home is an additional structure allowed for a home office.
• Title exam - is completed to ensure a clear transfer of ownerships without liens or other encumbrances.
• Utilities and Internet - in today's world are essential to employment and schooling. Are the utilities adequate for your intended use?
Inspection Information and Protecting Your Interests
When you’re my client, your success is my success. Your goals are my goals. Your interests are my interests and they’ll be protected forever. Here are just a few ways to help the home buying process remain stress- and trouble-
• A written property disclosure statement from the seller that will reveal any problems with the house and/or surrounding area.
• Professional inspections that could reveal structural, roof, termite and other problems that the seller will need to fix.
• A home service plan to give you peace of mind by providing repair-or-replace coverage of major home operating systems and appliances.
• Appraisal to confirm the homes value.
• A preliminary title report to inform you of any problems with the property’s title.
• A policy of title insurance to protect your rights to the property.
• A walk-through before closing that will allow you to make sure all required work has been taken care of and that the property is ready to officially become yours.
Inspection Information and Protecting Your Interests
What should home inspectors check?
Among other things, home inspectors should look at the physical structure and systems of the home and its surrounding property.
This includes the roof, gutters, chimney, electrical, plumbing, heating/cooling systems, septic tanks, ventilation, fire protection systems, windows, flooring, foundation, insulation, major and built-in appliances, doors, siding, and more.
Inspectors should also determine if there’s any mold or dry rot damage to the home, as well as pest infestations or other potential hazards.
Additional inspections can be obtained to cover items not included in the home inspection, such as well, septic, pool, systems, etc.
Navigating the Variables
There are ways to work around the objections of sellers when including common contingencies in an offer.
• Renegotiate, or ask for other concessions if there are repair request after an inspection.
• Valuations may also require a contract to be
• Use timelines and deadlines where possible, time is money for buyers and sellers.
• Communication with all parties, focus on what can be done rather than what cannot.
Concluding the Process
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Closing On Your New Home
The closing process can take anywhere from 15 days to 90 days, depending on the complexity of the transaction and steps involved in the particular home sale. (All these variables offer yet another solid reason why you need an experienced Forever Agent℠ on your home-buying side.) I’ll work with every party involved in the transaction to ensure it is as streamlined, smooth and straightforward as possible. I will provide:
• A detailed explanation of all the steps that occur and comprehensive answers to any questions you may have throughout the home buying process.
• Effective collaboration with the seller’s broker and diligent oversight to ensure that they fulfill their responsibilities under the contract.
• Constant communication with the settlement officer, title officer, lender and others to help coordinate all activities and keep the transaction moving forward.
• Updates about the progress of the transaction on a regular basis so you can stay informed and as worry-free as possible.
What’s Next?
Now that we’ve reviewed all the ways I can help, the next step is to schedule time to plan your real estate and lifestyle needs, which will help determine the best home for you and your family.
