So...You want to buy a house?
Establishing your real estate goals.
By Sara W.PetersonSara works exclusively as a buyer's agent in Roseville, California and the surrounding area.
The first and most important part of the process is to determine your specific needs. These include timing for the purchase of the house as well as timing on applying for and receiving loan approval. They are not always the same for each individual. Oftentimes the most important part of the process is setting up the strategy for securing the loan. In the initial meetings the topic of discussion will be your needs and desires and the representation agreement. This is where you interview us as your potential agent and compare our services and approach to real estate with other Realtors�. Your job is to find a relationship that you are comfortable with and then make the commitment to work with them exclusively.
If you decide that you wish to have us assist you in the purchase of your next home, you will be entering into the "Exclusive Authorization to Acquire Real Property" agreement by signing on the dotted line. This agreement details our mutual obligations -- the services we provide and the fees that you will pay for those services. We'll also have you acknowledge by signing a "Disclosure Regarding Real Estate Agency Relationships" and the "Confirmation of Real Estate Agency Relationships" documents that indicates we are serving only you as your Agent. These agreements are comparable in nature to the documents that you would sign with a Listing Agent if you need to sell an existing home.
Other important elements that make up the goal setting are questions to be answered like: Where do you want to live? What are your parameters for a house? Is a four bedroom essential or will a three bedroom work better for you? Does a main floor bedroom play a role for your long term planning? Is there a way to have overnight guests access a bathroom without disturbing sleeping children? How far away do you want to be for your commute to work? Is a two story or a split-level better for your family? Which School Districts? How big a yard?
These and many other questions help determine what you will ultimately buy. And don't expect to have all these answers at the tips of your finger tips. This is an on-going evolving process which will change and grow as you are exposed to more information about what is available to you.
Sometimes the choices are limited. Sometimes they are only limited by your imagination. That applies to people with both unlimited resources and very limited resources. Although money can be important in the home buying process, it is not the most important issue. Determining what your needs and wants are and establishing a path to achieve those goals is the most important part of the process. We have had people in our program for as long as two years and for as little as two weeks. So it all depends on what your needs are and what steps are appropriate to achieve those goals.
� 1996-1999 Sara W. Peterson, All Rights Reserved
