Buying A Home Shouldn't Be Scary

Buying your first home can be a scary experience! The good news is the Barb Silcox Team of Keller Williams Real Estate makes the hassle disappear at NO cost to you! That is because, traditionally, the seller pays one commission that is split between both the listing agent and the selling agent, leaving the buyer to benefit from the services of experienced agents. In addition to showing you homes, below are a few pointers to help you through the entire process of buying a home!

Loan Approval: Before you go look at houses, you need to talk with a mortgage professional to get a loan approval. If you do not know a loan officer in the area, call or email me and I will give you some that I have worked with and trust. To get approved you will need to have your credit score pulled and your job information ready. Your loan officer will tell you everything you will need to bring when you meet.

After you find a payment that you are comfortable with, we will begin looking for the perfect home. First, we will sit down and discuss how the Barb Silcox Team can represent you throughout the transaction and what you need and want in your new home. We will compile a list of everything it takes to make up your home and then we will begin looking for homes.

When you find the perfect home, we will need to write up an offer on it. Together we can come up with a perfect starting price for an offer. When we meet, you will need to bring your checkbook for earnest money. Earnest money is not a down payment in any way. It is actually credited back to you at closing. It is an assurance to the seller that you are a serious buyer. We come up with an amount that the sellers will be comfortable with and write a check to the listing brokerage. This means that when the sellers accept your offer, the listing brokerage will deposit your money into an 'escrow account' where it is not touched until your closing.

After writing up an offer the negotiation begins. This is one of the reasons you have picked the Barb Silcox Team as your representative. We have excellent negotiation skills and will make sure you get the most for your money without losing your dream home.

Once you and the seller come to an agreement and you have a contract on the home, it is time for you to order a home inspection. A home inspector is the only professional that is totally separate from closing. You will pay him when he comes out to look at the house. The reason for this is that if he is not connected to the closing, he has no interest in whether it closes or not, so he can tell you the complete truth about the home's condition without fear of not getting paid. A home inspection is a great idea as it will show the good and the bad (if any) on the home.
The Barb Silcox Team will be in constant communication with you throughout the closing and walking you thru step by step. This is one of the reasons you will want to pick us to represent you through worry-free closings! We will guide you every step of the way!

When Closing Day is here, you will want to get your signature hand ready! Buyers typically have more paperwork to sign than sellers because you have to sign the mortgage documents. Settlement generally takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Now you have your key and you are a proud new homeowner!! Congratulations!

Give the Barb Silcox Team from Keller Williams Real Estate a call. We can help with home buying or selling process. Barb & Bud Silcox both hold CRS Designations® (Certified Residential Specialist) and SRES ® (Senior Real Estate Specialist). We are also Partner/Owners of the office. Call us Direct at 215-738-6606. Office 215-757-6100 x 176, or email us at Bud@Silcoxteam.com. Check out our website at www.OurDreamHomes.net