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Buying

Buying a home should be fun and exciting, not stressful or confusing.

Here’s what the process will look like, in a nutshell. Leave the gritty details to me.
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The Home Buying Process

Prepare
Determine your price range
Before you meet with your agent, it’s best to understand how much you can afford. A general recommendation is to look for homes no more than 3 to 5 times your annual household income. Down payments can be as low as 3.5% depending on the mortgage you choose.
Choose your real estate agent
Hi, I’m Jacob Finney. I’ll help you navigate the real estate market. Let’s find your dream home!
Get pre-approved for a mortgage
Provide required financial information to your preferred lender to determine how much they’re willing to lend based on your financial status. This can take as little as 24 hours.
Shop for your new home
I have the pulse on thousands of properties that fit your wants and needs. I’ll help you search for and tour the lucky candidates. BEWARE: Most search engines have inaccurate information. I’ll get you the truth.
Make an Offer
Make an offer
Once you’ve landed on the perfect home, we’ll develop a fair offer based on the apparent condition of the home and similar nearby properties.
Choose your mortgage plan
Work with your lender to choose the mortgage that best fits your financial plan.
Order a home inspection
Work with me to arrange a home inspection within a few days of your offer acceptance. This will give you the opportunity to make repair requests and allow me to negotiate this agreement for you.
Lender appraisal
Lenders will arrange a third-party to objectively assess the value of the home.
Close the Sale
Complete necessary paperwork
Let me walk you through the completion and delivery of all necessary paperwork to make sure you close on time.
Welcome home!
Close the sale with your title company representative. Once the funds are transferred by the lender, you’re ready to move in!
Ready to buy a home? Let’s get started!
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FAQs: Buying a Home

Let me answer some burning home buyer questions.
Why should I buy a home?
Here are 7 reasons being a homeowner is awesome:
  1. Tax breaks. Each year, you’ll be able to deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage and your property taxes under the U.S. Tax Code. Can’t do that on a rental
  2. Appreciation. Real estate is an investment that has long-term, stable growth. In fact, home sale prices rose 6.5 percent between 1972 and 2005.
  3. Equity. Rent money disappears into the wind. What you pay on your mortgage, however, builds equity in a property.
  4. Savings. Building equity in your home is a built-in savings plan. When you sell, you can collect up to $250,000 without paying any income tax.
  5. Predictability. Unlike rent payments that change year to year, mortgage payments are fixed (though property tax and insurance may change).
  6. Freedom. You can continue to change and update your home as you wish. No one can penalize you for painting.
  7. Stability. Remaining in one spot for several years facilitates the building of long-lasting relationships, community involvement and educational opportunities.


Do I need a Realtor?
Here are 8 reasons you should seriously consider working with a realtor:
  1. Navigating complicated processes. Buying or selling a home requires countless legal documents. Hiring an expert can help you avoid costly mistakes and delays.
  2. Access a wealth of community information. Agents are experts on utilities, zoning, schools and more. Most importantly, they will help determine if the property is in a safe environment for investment and will have resale value in the future.
  3. Access unlisted properties and statistics. Whether it’s unlisted homes or market analysis information, realtors have access to information you won’t find yourself.
  4. Work with expert negotiators. A majority of the buying and selling process is negotiation; pricing, financing, scheduling and repairs are all up for debate.
  5. Possess marketing power. They are connected to optimized home search engines, reputable websites, previous clients and referrals.
  6. Speak the language. It takes years, to learn real estate industry jargon. Understanding the terms makes buying or selling a faster and easier process.
  7. Constantly up-to-date. Laws and regulations change regularly. Having bought or sold a property before does not make you an expert. Agents perform hundreds of real estate transactions in their career and have kept up with changes each year.
  8. Non-emotional third party. Buying or selling a home can be emotional. Having an objective realtor on your side helps you leave emotion out of important transactions.


What types of mortgages are available?
Here are the common types of mortgages you may choose to finance your home:
  • Fixed rate mortgage: The interest rate stays the same for the life of the loan, usually 15 or 30 years. Your payments are stable and predictable but your interest rate may be higher than an adjustable rate mortgage.
  • Adjustable rate mortgage (ARM): The interest is connected to a financial index and may vary over the life of the loan. Some ARMs will have a interest rate cap. The lower initial rates makes it easier for some buyers to qualify.
  • Conventional loan: This loan can require as little at 3 percent down when you buy mortgage insurance. Without mortgage insurance, the minimum down will be 20 percent. Conventional loans do not require mortgage insurance.
  • FHA Loan: An FHA requires a 3.5 percent down payment. This loan has lower credit score guidelines and is good for first time homebuyers that have a higher debt to income ratio.
  • VA Loan: A VA loan is only reserved for qualified veterans. It does not require a down payment or mortgage insurance.
  • USDA Loan: USDA Loans do not require a down payment but do require guarantee insurance. These loans are restricted to certain rural areas determined by the USDA.