Experience

Before you can start the process of searching for a home you need to get in contact with a mortgage lender and get pre-approved so you know exactly how much you can afford. This is extremely important so you can really zero in on something that fits your budget. Contact a mortgage lender and they will ask you some financial questions, pull your credit, and give you a list of documents they need from you. Those documents typically are bank statements, pay stubs, and tax returns to name a few. It normally takes a week or so to process your pre-approval."

Most buyers will start just searching properties online well before they are ready to move. We understand that buyers search at very different paces and timeframes. Some jump in running and are ready to buy right away, but most others are at least 6-12 months or more away from purchasing a home. We will not push you or be overbearing. When you are fully ready, we are hopeful you will feel we did a great job of communicating and assisting you that you would retain our services. When you are getting closer to officially starting your search, we recommend setting up a face to face meeting so we can discuss the process and answer any questions you have. We will provide you complimentary buyer agency services that will be paid for by a seller. You will never be responsible for any fees to us under normal circumstances. We will discuss this process at our meeting so you fully understand the representation and compensation. You can cancel our services at any time, and we are only paid upon a successful closing.

These days with all the real estate technology you can search homes on just about any public real estate website and all the sites have the EXACT SAME properties on them. Many buyers think they will find that hidden property on different websites and that is completely incorrect. They all receive the same data feed from the South Central Wisconsin MLS system so they are all the same. We set up all our clients on a direct MLS search, which is the best way to keep tabs on properties that interest you. Once we initially set it up you can make modifications on your own, or let us know what you want to change.

Let us know what properties you want to see, and we will coordinate times for you to see all of them. You will need to move quickly so be prepared to submit an offer once you come across something you really like. If you hesitate many times it will be gone. We can help you try and determine if something may go quickly or not and days on the market is usually a big defining factor. We understand that all buyers have their process they want to go through mentally so not everyone is comfortable with jumping at something quickly. We will absolutely give you space to have your process but advise you on what to expect. It takes many buyers missing out on a house they love because they were slow to pull the trigger to really understand the urgency.

Each house you have serious interest in, we will do a detailed analysis and let you know what similar properties in the area have sold for and give you our opinion of value, what to offer, and what to expect. Whichever home you decide on, we will make sure that offer is built with proper contingencies, timeframes, and discuss earnest money deposit and other upcoming items to prepare for.

It's not always that common that a seller would accept your initial offer. There is typically several factors that all need to align for both parties to reach an accepted offer. Common factors include price, earnest money amount, closing cost credits, closing date, home warranty, and contingency timelines. The seller would send a counter offer form back with the items they want to change from your original offer. If those terms are acceptable to you, you sign it and the offer is accepted. If not, you can make changes by sending a counter offer back to the seller. This back and forth typically is about 1-2 times before acceptance. Rarely does it go back and forth more times than that.

We will send you the full completed and signed contract with a list of deadlines that you need to follow. We will send a copy of that contract to your mortgage lender and follow up with them weekly to make sure everything is on track. Some lenders you really need to babysit to keep pushing them along. We will provide you with the mailing address and name for your earnest money check, coordinate your home inspections, and set up closing with the title company.

Once the earnest money is submitted and the inspections are scheduled, next steps are to continue to move the financing process forward by being very prompt sending any required documents to your lender and performing the home inspection and negotiating repairs. Allowable inspection repairs all depend on the situation and the 2 parties agreement to those items. As your agent we will read the entire report, and advise you what we feel are reasonable requests to submit to the seller for repairs. You have the right to request whatever you want to be repaired, but we will simply advise you on what is reasonable or not.

We will confirm all contract paperwork is in order and all contingencies are met. We will confirm with your lender that all mortgage documents are ready to go for the closing. We will review the settlement statement with you to make sure all charges are accurate and you know how much money you need to bring to closing.

We are always there after sale to answer any questions you may have. We are happy to provide you with names of contractors or handymen if you need any work done on your house if you are looking for someone to help you out. With all the years in this business we have compiled an extensive list of reputable contractors that we trust enough to refer to you if you are in need.