The Buying Process

CHOOSE YOUR REALTOR

Your local realtor will have expert knowledge about the market you’re buying in. They are with you every step of the way. They can recommend lenders, title and escrow, inspectors and other service providers they have had great experiences with. Luckily you’ve come to the right spot and this part should be easy. Rom and Galen are dedicated to helping you find the right house.

MEET YOUR LENDER

Sitting down with a lender allows you to understand the loan process better and helps you understand how much house you can afford. This makes the house searching process much easier when you know you’re looking in the right price range.

CREATE YOUR HOME CHECKLIST

This is an important part of the home buying process, what do you want in your future house? Is it even a house? Maybe you want a Bellingham Condo! Rom and Galen can help you learn and figure out what you want and what you need.

TOUR YOUR FUTURE HOME

Time to get in some houses. Once you have your checklist, Rom and Galen will send you listings that fit your criteria and make sure you see the homes you’re interested in.

WRITING AN OFFER

This is where Rom and Galen will really shine, they will explain the purchase and sale agreement, help you decide what to offer, how much earnest money to put down, what title and escrow company to use, when closing should be and the nuances of what addenda to use to tailor the offer to fit your situation. They will submit the offer to the listing agent who will present it to the sellers. It’s possible the sellers counter or accept your offer, when the contract is signed by both seller and buyer you have a mutually accepted contract to purchase a home!

SCHEDULE AN INSPECTION

This is your chance to hire a qualified professional to inspect the house to make sure all systems are up to your standards. Once you have the home inspection report back you will sit down with Rom and Galen to decide the best way to respond to the sellers.

THE LOAN

Once you have mutual acceptance you will start working with your lender to get all the necessary paper work and financial documents together for underwriting. Once you are through the inspection timeframe your lender will order an appraisal. Your lender will work with escrow to make sure they have everything needed to continue to closing.

SEALING THE DEAL

The escrow company will start working as soon as you have mutual acceptance. Escrow works independently as a non-biased third party for both the seller and buyer. They handle everything from earnest money deposits, final settlement statement, legal transfer of the property and release of funds to seller. After both parties have signed, the deed is recorded and the seller gets their funds, its official, you own your new home. Congrats!