Buying a home is thrilling, scary, sometimes weird, often epic, but never dull. You’re putting up a huge amount of money for a place you’ll hopefully live in for years to come. As such, you’re bound to have a lot of questions throughout every step of the process. Here are some of the most common questions and answers you may have:
Q: What home can I afford?
That depends, of course—on your income and other financial obligations; plug them into realtor.com’s Home Affordability Calculator for a ballpark figure. Meet with a lender to get pre-approved for a home loan (added bonus: pre-approval makes you much more attractive to sellers).
Q: Can I buy a home and sell my current one at the same time?
Yes, you can—but it’s the real estate equivalent of walking a tightrope. On the one hand, if you buy a home before you sell the one you’re in, you’re overextended financially; if you sell before you buy, you might need to rent awhile before finding a new place. But there are ways to do both at once, and one option is to instate a “sale contingency” in your contract. This means you only agree to buy a home if you can sell the one you’re in.
Q: How many homes should I see before making an offer?
Up to you! While home shoppers these days can look at hundreds of homes online, they only check out 10 homes on average before they put in an offer. Some people find their home within hours of hunting. For others, it takes months. If you want to streamline the process, it can help to really hone in on a particular neighborhood you’re keen on; that said, if you feel limited by your options, it may be time to expand to surrounding areas.
Q: What do you think the seller will accept as a fair price?
As a rule of thumb, knocking 5% off the list price won’t ruffle any feathers. If it’s been sitting on the market for months, you can venture below that, but the bottom line is, you never know how low a seller will go, as they have different motivations for selling. I will do the research for you and advise you of what a fair offer is, however, the decision is up to you and I will always present whatever offer you want to make.
Q: How do I know if the property is a good deal?
While there’s no crystal ball on whether a certain home is a bargain and will appreciate, rest assured that with research, you can keep surprises to a minimum. The best way is to check out comps—what similar properties are selling for in the area. I will do the research and present it to you, so you can make an educated decision.
Q: How quickly can I close?
Typical escrow periods are 30 to 45 days. This gives you enough time to do the investigation on the property and get a loan completed. And yes, this due diligence counts (see our next point).
Q: Should I get a home inspection?
While buyers often wonder if a home inspection is truly necessary, I say unequivocally yes, yes, and yes. Ensuring these things work prevents you from paying to fix them in the future. If some things are not up to par, you can negotiate with the seller to get those fixed before you sign the paperwork.
Q: When can I back out if I change my mind?
While buyers can always back out of a deal, doing so without good reason may forfeit their earnest money (the cash put down to secure the offer, typically around 1%-2% of the home’s price).
1.You waived your contingencies
2. You ignored the timeline outlined in the contract
3. You get cold feet
There are, however, some ways to walk with your earnest money in hand. I will make sure that you meet all your deadlines so that your earnest money is safe.
