Buyer's FAQ

- Could you give me a rundown of the entire buying process? - How should I prepare for buying a home? - What is the first step in the home-buying process? - Why should I get pre-approved? - How do I find out how much house I can afford? - What is the difference between a pre-qualification and a pre-approval? - Can I buy a property below its market value? - How is an asking price determined? - At what price should one list a property relative to its perceived value? - When should I list my property just below expected market value? - When should I list my property just at expected market value? - When should I list my property just above expected market value? - What is the difference between sales price and assessed value? - • What is the difference between an appraisal and a CMA? - Whose obligation is it to disclose information about a property? - Do I need an attorney when I buy a house? - Can I make a verbal offer on a property? - What contingencies are usually put in an offer? - What is a financing contingency? - What is an "earnest money" deposit? - Do I have to put down a deposit with my offer? - How can I make my offer stand out against competing buyers? - What happens after I present my offer? - Should I have a home inspection? - What if I don't like the results of my inspection? - Under what circumstances could I lose my earnest money? - Do the appliances stay when a home is sold? - What is a Contract to Buy and Sell Real Estate? - What if I decide I want to change something in the contract? - How much should my earnest money be? - What happens to my earnest money after the sale? - When should I submit a loan application to the bank? - What happens if my loan is not approved by the deadline in the contract? - What happens if my loan is denied? - How can I be sure I'm getting what I pay for? - What happens after I get my mortgage commitment? - What is a final walk-through? - What does my mortgage payment include? - How do I find out how much my closing costs will be? - Can the closing date be changed once it has been set? - What happens at the closing? - What do I need to bring to the closing? - What does going under contract mean? - Can I try a house out before I buy? - The property did not appraise at the full contract price, what now? - I found the perfect property, should I show my emotions while the owner is there? - I have a low credit score, can I still get financing? - I am interested in a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) can I still use a Realtor? - How can I make sure my spouse gets the home if something happened to me? - I saw an ad for a "Fixer Upper", what is that? - I bought in November but now the town wants me to pay property taxes for the full year, why? - I will be using my vacation home for only 6 weeks out of the year, what can I do? - Should I buy a new or a resale home? - I am looking to buy a new home can I still negotiate the price with the developer? - I am not good at negotiating, should I just pay the offer and get it over with? - Do sellers have to disclose the terms of other offers? - Who gets the furnishings when a home is sold? - What do all these real estate acronyms in the adds stand for? - What is the difference between list price, sales price and appraised value? - When is the best time to buy? - My lender wants me to pay PMI, what is that? - I am making a full price offer, does the seller have to accept? - Is a low offer a good idea? - The house needs some repairs, can I make the seller fix everything? - Radon is a natural gas, so it can't be that bad? - Should I include an inspection contingency in my offer? - Should I buy a vacation home? - What are the pros and cons of adding on or buying new? - What is the difference between liquidated damages and specific performance? - Is payment in full required on the day of the sale? - Do I have to pay any commission when I purchase my home? - How many homes should I look at before I buy? - How much does it cost me if I want to work with a buyer's agent such as yourself? - How do real estate agents get paid? - How many homes can we expect to see on any given day? - What extra costs should I expect when buying a home? - How do I Improve and Maintain A Healthy Credit Report? - I have heard of Buyer's Remorse, surely can’t effect me, can it? - I am thinking about buying the most expensive house on the block, any thoughts? - Who gets to choose what title company to go with? - Where do I get information on housing market statistics? - What are some tips on negotiation? - What are some guidelines to follow when trying to find a contractor? - Are there any reasons to delay buying a home? - Reasons for not delaying Buying a home? - What is the difference between a house and a home? - Comparable Sales - Pending Transactions - How Property Conditions Affect Your Offer ? - How Home Improvements Should Affect Your Offer ? - How Market Conditions Should Affect Your Offer? - How Seller Motivation Should Affects Your Offer? - Why is lead paint potentially harmful? - What is a Transaction Broker? - What is Buyer Representation? - What happens if the appraisal comes in below the purchase price?