A house is shelter, but a home is far more. It's where you live, relax, entertain friends, raise families, and work. A home is where you spend much of your life, and so choosing a house is an enormous decision. How do you know if a house is THE one?
Typically, the best approach is to look at as many homes as possible and do online research through our Seattle Area Real Estate Team website, where you can quickly and easily view huge numbers of homes, check prices, take virtual tours and view neighborhood information.
Remember Step 2 - the preapproval process? Getting preapproved means you have a very good idea of how much you can borrow, what loan programs will most likely work best in your situation and how much home you can afford. How reliable is the preapproval? While preapproval is not a loan commitment, it's still necessary for lenders to check such items as credit reports, income and asset documentation. Despite fluctuating interest rates, preapproval nonetheless provides a reasoned, careful analysis of what you can afford. After all, loan originators are typically paid only when loans are originated. It doesn't make much sense for loan officers to promote higher loan limits that later can't be delivered.
There's no doubt that choosing a home is a big decision and you want to do it right. As a buyer, here's what will happen. A home has been placed on the market for which the seller has established an asking price as well as other terms. In effect, this is the sellers offer to a buyer. You and your Seattle Area Real Estate Team broker will need to determine if you want to offer a contract at the sellers price or offer a different amount, essentially a counter to the sellers “offer”.
This part of the home purchase process is complex, personal and variable with the bargaining going back and forth between buyers and sellers. This is the point where the value of an experienced Seattle Area Real Estate Team broker is clearly evident because we know the communities, have seen numerous homes for sale, know property values and have spent years determining offer prices and terms and negotiating transactions for our buyers.
There's no doubt that choosing a home is a big decision and you want to do it right. As a buyer, here's what will happen. A home has been placed on the market for which the seller has established an asking price as well as other terms. In effect, this is the sellers offer to a buyer. You and your Seattle Area Real Estate Team broker will need to determine if you want to offer a contract at the sellers price or offer a different amount, essentially a counter to the sellers “offer”.
This part of the home purchase process is complex, personal and variable with the bargaining going back and forth between buyers and sellers. This is the point where the value of an experienced Seattle Area Real Estate Team broker is clearly evident because we know the communities, have seen numerous homes for sale, know property values and have spent years determining offer prices and terms and negotiating transactions for our buyers.