Stevens Real Estate

Buying a home is one of the most significant purchases in a lifetime. It is essential to have an experienced agent in your corner, always looking out for your best interest. A buyer agent’s fiduciary responsibility is to represent the buyer and to ensure that they are protected. After all, a seller has someone in their corner. A listing agent has an allegiance to the seller. Their goal is to get the seller top dollar for their home. There is incredible value in having someone working for YOUR best interests when buying a home.

Prepare Finances

How much house can you afford? Mortgage lenders recommend you do not buy a home that is more than 3 to 5 times your annual household income. If you are not purchasing a home with cash, you will need a mortgage pre-approval provided by your mortgage lender. A lender will work with you to get a loan that meets your needs. Some buyers are concerned with keeping their monthly payments as low as possible, others want to make sure that their monthly payments never increase.

Get Pre-Approved

Being pre-approved, unlike being pre-qualified, means you've actually been approved by a lender for a specific loan amount. You will need to provide documented financial information (income, statements, assets, debt & credit reports etc.) to be reviewed & verified by the lender.

Start Home Shopping

Start touring homes in your price range Time to start shopping! We will take notes on all the homes we visit. It can be hard to remember all the details of each home, so take pictures or video to help you remember each home, and review the notes you have written. Once we have found THE house for you, we will present an appropriate offer based off of recent sales and current buyer activity in the area, as well as the value of the property in it’s current condition. Negotiations may take place after the offer is presented.

Make an Offer

When to make an offer: So you have found THE house! Congrats! In today’s market when the demand is higher than the amount of homes available it is important to act fast! How much to offer: We will sit down and look at recent sales and current buyer activity in the area, as well as the value of the property in it’s present condition. Putting all this information together, we will determine the price that you would like to offer. Submitting an offer: There are some components to an offer that makes it more appealing to the sellers. Put your best food forward Put down a healthy earnest deposit Cash Talks Shorter Inspection Periods Write the Seller a Letter Offer to Close Quickly

Order An Inspection

During the inspection period, we will schedule an inspection with a reputable home inspector to do a thorough investigation of the home. Once this is complete, the inspector will provide us with a list of their findings. You can take the issues as-is or request the seller to address some or all of the findings. We will be mindful and reasonable on smaller items, while being very cautious and vigilant of potentially significant issues.

Negotiate Final Offer

Issues typically arise after the home inspection, and those issues tend to result in another round of negotiations for credits or fixes. 1. Ask for a credit for the work that needs to be done. Likely, the last thing the seller wants to do is repair work. 2. Think “big picture” and don’t sweat the small stuff. Tile that needs some caulking, or a leaky faucet can easily be fixed. Repairs are still up for negotiation and perhaps a small credit would help with closing costs. 3.Keep your poker face. The listing agent will be present during inspections and revealing your comfort level with the home could come back to haunt you in further discussions or negotiations.

Appraisal Ordered

Your lender will arrange for a third party appraiser to provide an independent estimate of the value of the house you are buying. The appraisal lets all parties involved know that the price is fair. The loan file then moves on to the mortgage underwriter. If approved you will receive your final commitment letter that includes the final loan terms & percentage rates.

Scheduling Your Move

FINALIZE MORTGAGE SCHEDULE HOME INSPECTION Declutter! Sort through every drawer, closet, cupboard & shelf, removing items you no longer need or like. Donate or sell items that are in good condition Get copies of medical records and store with your other important documents Create an inventory of anything valuable that you plan to move Get estimates from moving companies

4 Weeks to Move Give 30 days notice if you are currently renting Schedule movers/moving truck Buy/find packing materials START PACKING 3 Weeks to Move ARRANGE APPRAISAL COMPLETE TITLE SEARCH (TITLE COMPANY WILL DO THIS) 2 Weeks to Move SECURE HOME WARRANTY GET QUOTES FOR HOME INSURANCE SCHEDULE TIME FOR CLOSING Contact utility companies (water, electric, cable) Change address: mailing, subscriptions, etc. Minimize grocery shopping Keep on packing 1 Week to Move OBTAIN CERTIFIED CHECKS FOR CLOSING SCHEDULE AND ATTEND FINAL WALK THROUGH Finish packing Clean Pack essentials for a few nights in new home Confirm delivery date with the moving company. Write directions to the new home, along with your cell phone number

Closing Day

CLOSING DAY Closing is when you sign ownership and insurance paperwork and you receive your new home’s keys! Typically, closing takes four to six weeks. During this time, purchase funds are held in escrow, where your money is held safe until the transaction is complete. CLOSING DISCLOSURE Lenders are required to provide you with a closing disclosure, at least three days before closing. This will show you what your final loan terms and closing costs will be. You will have three days to review the statement. This is done to ensure that there are no surprises at the closing table. If there is a significant discrepancy between the loan estimate and the closing disclosure, we must notify your lender and title company immediately. FINAL WALK THROUGH We will do a final walk through the home within 24 hours of closing to check the property’s condition. This final inspection takes about an hour. We will make sure any repair work that the seller agreed to make has been done. We will be sure to: • Make sure all appliances are working properly • Run the water in all the faucets and check for any possible leaks • Open and close garage doors with opener • Flush toilets • Run the garbage disposal and exhaust fans CLOSING TABLE Who will be there: • Your agent • The seller • The seller’s agent • A title company representative • Your loan officer • Any real estate attorneys involved in the transaction The closing typically happens at the title company. You will be signing lots of paper work so get your writing hand warmed up! Some of the papers you will be signing include: the deed of trust, promissory note, and other documents CLOSING COSTS Closing costs can vary depending on your home’s purchase price and where you are located. You can generally expect your closing costs to be around 3% to 4% of the home’s sales price. These closing costs can sometimes be shared with the seller. BRING TO CLOSING • Government-issued photo ID • Copy of the sales contract • Homeowner’s insurance certificate • Proof of funds to cover the remainder of the down payment and your closing costs RECEIVE YOUR KEYS Congratulations! It was a lot of hard work but you are now officially home owners!! Time to throw a party and get to know your new neighbors!

Seller's Guide

Welcome to our Sellers Guide!

Download Full PDF Guide

Home Selling Process Consultation Pricing Staging Photo & Videography Pre-Marketing Going Live Showings Offer Negotiating Inspections Appraisal Title & Utilities Final Walkthrough Closing Last Steps

DETERMINING FACTORS FOR IF A PROPERTY WILL SELL OR WILL NOT SELL Pricing When pricing your home it is important to carefully consider top market value. Using my competitive market analysis tool, I will suggest your home’s best listing price. I sell homes HIGHER than the market average because I list homes at the correct price from the start. How It Shows It is important to have your home ready for market on day one. I will help you make sure your home is ready for showings and online by: Completing repairs that need to be done Decluttering & removing personal items Making sure the home is clean and smells fresh Cleaning carpets Neutralizing spaces and walls Marketing We use SUPERIOR MARKETING TECHNIQUES to help get your home sold faster and for more money than the competition. PROSPECTING Prospecting daily for potential buyers, talking with neighbors, and our co-op agents and past clients. MARKETING The second you sign with me, I go to work on marketing your home! COMING SOON MARKETING, ONLINE MARKETING, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING and PRINT MARKETING are all part of the success of getting your home seen by the most potential buyers, selling your home faster and for more money than the competition. COMMUNICATION Actively communicate with you through every step of the process. Diligently sharing feedback from showings, following up with agents after viewing the home, and calling weekly to discuss the progress from the previous week.

Listing Strategy PRICING STRATEGY Using a scientific market analysis in your area, we will price your home correctly the first time so that it will sell quickly. If your home is priced at fair market value, it will attract the largest number of potential buyers in the first few weeks. If a home is overpriced it will attract the fewest number of buyers looking to purchase a home. The majority of home buyers look at a lot of homes, and they quickly get a feel for the price range that homes sell for in a given condition and location.

PROFESSIONAL STAGING To make sure your home is shown in the best light to buyers, I will provide professional advice to ensure your home is ready to go on the market. Our job is to neutralize your home to appeal to the maximum number of potential buyers. PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY In today’s market, home buyers are searching online first. It is imperative that the photos of your home are top notch and of the best quality to catch the buyers attention and stand out from the competition. Having more eyes on your home, is the fastest way to get it sold and sell for top dollar. AGENT MARKETING I am part of a very large agent network. I will reach out to this network to see if your home might be a great fit for one of their buyers. This agent network is key to connecting buyers with your home as 88% of residential sales involve real estate agents. ADVERTISING & MARKETING I know the importance of marketing a property. This is an area I heavily focus my budget on. My expertise is attracting hundreds of buyers per month, and increasing brand awareness.