Buying is the half of this job where the work happens before you make an offer. What you can spend, what you actually want, and what the houses you can afford are really like are three different conversations, and they are easier to have before you fall in love with something.
HOW IT GOES
Four stages, and the first one is the slowest.
- 1. Money and expectations. What you can spend, what that buys in the areas you like, and whether those two things agree. They often do not, and it is better to find out now.
- 2. The search. I bring you what is listed, plus anything shared between agents before it reaches the public sites. You will see a lot of houses and reject most of them. That is the process working.
- 3. The offer. What it is worth to you, what has actually sold nearby, what the seller appears to need, and how much protection you keep. Price is only one of the terms.
- 4. Escrow. Inspections, appraisal, disclosures, deadlines and the final walkthrough. I coordinate it and tell you what each thing means.
WHAT I WILL NOT DO
No pressure, and no pretending the risk is not there.
I will not tell you that a house has no problems, that you cannot lose money on it, or that this is your last chance. I will not push you to waive the protections that exist to stop you buying something you did not mean to buy. If a house is wrong, I will say so, including when it is a house you like.
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK AT THIS POINT
Straight answers, including the ones that cost me money.
Do I have to be selling a house to work with you as a buyer?
No. Plenty of buyers come to me with no house to sell. If you are also selling, the two transactions need to be sequenced together, which is easier to manage with one person handling both.
Do you show me homes that are not on the public sites?
Some inventory is shared between agents before it reaches the public sites, and I will bring you anything relevant. Most of what you will buy is publicly listed, so the real advantage is in what I do about it rather than in secret inventory.
How do I know what to offer?
By looking at what has actually sold nearby, what is competing with the house right now, how long it has been on the market and what the seller appears to need. Then we decide what the house is worth to you, which is a different question from what the list price says.
Something you may not want to hear
There is no version of buying a house that removes all risk, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. Inspections, disclosures and contingencies exist because houses have surprises in them. I would rather walk you through the risk than pretend it is not there.
WHEN YOU ARE READY
Find out what your house is actually worth.
Send the address and a couple of details. You get the number, the comparable sales behind it, and the honest answer about which route suits you. Nothing is committed by asking.