Preface: VERY basic lol
1. Find yourself a real estate agent…ahem, hello!:)
I hope you would choose yours truly:), but will understand if you already have one or would like to shop around. You will most probably be spending a lot of time with your agent. Most importantly, you wanna pick someone you wouldn’t mind hangin’ out with & feel comfortable with. Also someone who is patient & willing to work with your specific needs. It’s super important to find someone dependable that you can count on, hard-working & willing to do the leg work.
You may ask: “Why do I need a real estate agent?”
- Well, there are several reasons. First, in buying a home, you as the buyer does not cost you anything. The agent is compensated through the seller of the property.
- We can provide you with information that may not be available to the public.
- We have the negotiation shkizzles you may want to take advantage of in order to get the best price for what you’re looking for.
2. Get a lender & get pre-qualified.
Before even looking, it’s crucial to see what exactly you can afford which is what pre-qualification means btw. This will save A LOT of heartache & disappointment in the end. It could also be super exciting to learn you can afford more than you think! Your agent can help you with this if you don’t know where to start.
Having a dependable, trusted lender is SUPER important. They are usually very well educated on what loans you could benefit from as well as will help guide the process till the very end.
3. Determine your criteria.
Meaning, how many bedrooms, baths you prefer. Do you want to be in a 1 or 2 story? How big of a backyard do you want? The best way of doing this I think, is to think of your lifestyle. Do you entertain? If so, maybe you want to make sure you have space to do that in. Do you like open living spaces? Do you cook a lot? I do, & wasn’t thinking about it when buying my house – & guess what, not enough counter or cabinet space!:( So, it’s important to really think about what your lifestyle is about before deciding on what you’re looking for.
4. Start your search to “Find Your Perfect Vegas Home”!
This is where your agent comes in. I know you’re thinking, well, couldn’t I just look at Zillow or Realtor.com?? Here are a few reasons why:
- “Zestimates” as they have been coined, can be inflated. Giving you a false idea of the worth of your home if you’re looking to sell. They say their “Zestimates” are within 10% of the actual price. Well, when you’re talking about a home that is in the $300K range, 10% is A LOT. Tell me that $30K is not a big deal to you than well – go ahead! But in most cases, I think it would matter quite a bit lol. Real estate agents typically do Comparative Market Analysis (CMAs) with consideration of houses bought & sold in the neighborhood, price per square foot, if there are upgrades, the layout of the house in comparison to surrounding properties, & several other factors Zillow may not be able to calculate. Please, let your agent do the dirty work to give you a more accurate number.
- Not all homes that are available are listed on Zillow, Trulia, & other similar sites. Us REALTORS® have industry tools we pay big $$ for to be connected to the most accurate, up-to-date real estate database you also will have access to if & when you decide to use an agent.
- Scams! Just like Craigslist, anyone can post a home. Which opens your business up to con-artists just waiting to rope you into a scam. Scary!
- Misinformation. Zillow does not check information sent to them for accuracy. Again, as REALTORS®, we have access to the most comprehensive database of homes on the market.
On the homepage, there is a home search tool you are free to use. Even better – you can contact me & I will set up a search for you on the MLS (Multiple Listing Services). This is the main source of information for sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, & Redfin.
5. Tour the homes you are interested in. This is where your agent comes in SUPER handy! We can make appointments with sellers to get you in! Make sure and take notes, photos or videos of the property for reference.
6. After you’ve decided on a home, make an offer. This is another important area in which your agent can use their negotiating skills in getting you the best deal.
7. Get an appraisal on the home. You may ask, what is an appraiser? I know before buying a home, I had no idea. An appraiser is basically a licensed professional that gives you an estimate of the price of the home. The lender will be the one who will find an appraiser for you.
8. PAPERWORK
Loads of paperwork is involved unfortunately. But, you’ll be SO excited with your purchase, you won’t care! I was MORE than happy to sit down to sign all the necessary documents. The lender again, will find you a title company to handle all the paperwork to ensure the owner of the the house is the ACTUAL owner of the house!
9. Closing. This is the LAST step! Unfortunately, MORE paperwork! All good though, because after this step, is the LAST very important step…
10. Keys to the house! After the check is delivered to the seller, you will receive the keys to your new home!!!
So, you see, it’s not so bad. And really, you will have so many people guiding you through the process. Hopefully, I will be one of them:)!
