My Duties and Loyalties to You as a Buyer

You can expect Loyalty and Confidentiality, and I will:

• Promote your best interests and provide you with all available facts that could influence your decision about making an offer for a home.
• Offer research materials that help you make a realistic offer.
• Give you the "what if" scenarios about the clauses in a contract. I may also recommend additional contract contingencies to protect your interests.
• Track and handle many of the day-to-day needs required to get to closing (such as inspections, helping you find a lender, tracking the progress of the loan, working with the closing attorney or agent etc.).

The 10 Commandments of Home Buying

0. Find a real estate professional who’s sympathetic. Home buying is not only a big financial commitment, but also an emotional one. It’s critical that the REALTOR® you choose is both skilled and a good fit with your personality.
0. Remember, there’s no “right” time to buy, any more than there is a right time to sell. If you find a home now, don’t try to second-guess the interest rates or the housing market by waiting. Changes don’t usually occur fast enough to make that much difference in price, and a good home won’t stay on the market long.
0. Don’t ask for too many opinions from friends and relatives. It’s natural to want reassurance for such a big decision, but too many ideas will make it much harder for you to make a decision.
0. Accept that no house is ever perfect. Focus in on the things that are most important to you and let the minor ones go.
0. Don’t try to be a killer negotiator. Negotiation is definitely a part of the real estate process, but trying to “win” by getting an extra-low price may lose you the home you love. Besides starting off with a ridiculously low offer, it will only make the seller angry, and further negotiations difficult.
0. Remember your home doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Don’t get so caught up in the physical aspects of the house itself—room size, kitchen—that you forget such issues as amenities, noise level, etc., that may have a big impact on what it’s like to actually live in your new home.
0. Don’t wait until you’ve found a home and made an offer to get approved for a mortgage, investigate insurance availability, and consider a schedule for moving. Presenting an offer contingent on a lot of unresolved issues will make your bid much less attractive to sellers.
0. Factor in maintenance and repair costs in your post-home buying budget. Even if you buy a new home, there will be some costs. Don’t leave yourself short and let your new home deteriorate.
0. Accept that a little “buyer’s remorse” is inevitable and will probably pass. Buying a home, especially for the first time, is a big commitment, but it also yields big benefits.
0. Choose a home first because you love it; then think about appreciation. While most U.S. homes have appreciated in value annually, a home’s most important role is as a comfortable, safe place for you and your family to live.

Before you do anything else about buying a home, the first thing you should do is read the document titled Before You Shop for a New Home.  Next, print a copy of the document titled Needs and Wants, this will allow you to determine what you will need in you new home. Then you need to  find out how much house you can afford. The links below will help you with that process. They are provided courtesy of  Fannie Mae.

Do you want to know:

What is a credit file disclosure?

A credit file disclosure provides you with all of the information in your credit file maintained by a consumer reporting company that could be provided by the consumer reporting company in a consumer report about you to a third party, such as a lender. A credit file disclosure also includes a record of everyone who has received a consumer report about you from the consumer reporting company within a certain period of time ("inquiries"). The credit file disclosure includes certain information that is not included in a consumer report about you to a third party, such as the inquiries of companies for pre-approved offers of credit or insurance and account reviews, and any medical account information which is suppressed for third party users of consumer reports. You are entitled to receive a disclosure copy of your credit file from a consumer reporting company under Federal law and the laws of various states.