Buying A Home

· What you can afford depends on your income, credit rating, current monthly expenses, down payment and interest rate. This calculator will help, but it's best if we meet one on one to discuss loan programs that might work best for your unique situation.

Here is a list of items that I’ll need to get started. If you don’t feel comfortable providing all this information to my quite yet, contact me and will make other arrangements.

IMPORTANT: When buying a home in today's market, sellers want to know you’re a capable buyer. That’s why I strongly recommend getting an automated underwritten approval (AUS) from me to submit with all your purchase offers.

Step 2

Shop for a home

· Once we’ve determined how much of a home you can afford and establish a monthly housing payment you feel comfortable with, it’s time to start shopping for a home. In order to find the house you desire, I’ll provide you with two options to get started with your home search.

A. Complete this property wish list and submit it to me. I’ll set you up with a personalized notification system and web page that will alert you via email any time a new prospective home, that meets your search criteria, becomes available on the market. It only takes a few minutes to complete the form and it's FREE!

B. Click here to access the most dynamic home search program available to potential San Diego home buyers. This premier search tool will allow you to access all current active San Diego listings submitted to the local multiple listing service (MLS). If have interest in a particular property, you can click on “request more information” and I’ll follow up with you in a timely manner.

Step 3

Make an offer

· Making an offer on a home is an exciting step – you’ve found the house you want and you’re working towards making it your home. When this time comes, I’ll be there to guide you through all the factors to consider prior to writing up and submitting your offer to the seller. This is where an experienced real estate agent, like me, can potentially save you thousands of dollars and help eliminate any potential surprises that might arise while in escrow.

Step 4

Get a home inspection

· Congratulations! Your offer was accepted by the seller. Now it’s time to do all the due diligence on the property you’re about to purchase. During the escrow process you’ll be responsible for such things as; delivering the agreed upon earnest money deposit (EMD) check to the escrow office, submitting your loan application to your selected lender, reviewing statuary disclosures provided to you by seller, ordering an appraisal of the property, shop for homeowner insurance providers, and finally hiring any third party companies you desire to inspect the physical quality of your home. I strongly recommend you consider hiring a professional home inspector early in the escrow process. A good physical home inspector will tell you about the overall condition of the home you're about to purchase, he can even help you avoid buying a home that needs unexpected major repairs.

Click here for a list of questions you should ask your home inspector. Click here for tips when shopping for homeowners insurance.

Step 5

Sign final documents

· Toward the end of your agreed upon escrow period or nearing your close of escrow date (COE), the escrow holder will require that a public notary have you sign all required documents. These documents might include the following; your loan documents, finalized HUD-1 (itemized list of all funds involved in transaction), grant deed, and other required documents. Once all the documents have been reviewed and all monies have been received, you’re ready to close. The escrow holder will notify the title insurance company to record. Once the title agent provides confirmation that all documents have been recorded, the house is yours.

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