Home Buying Process
As soon as you can, start reading Web sites, newspapers, and magazines that have real estate listings. Make a note of particular homes you are interested in and see how long they stay on the market. Also, note any changes in asking prices. This will give you a sense of the housing trends in specific areas.
Getting prequalified is one of the most important steps in readying yourself for a home purchase. In todays competitive environment sellers want to be sure you are qualified to purchase their home prior to stepping through the door. This also positions you in the best possible way to get your offer accepted and puts you in the divers seat when searching for homes. Need help finding the right lender? We know a guy, or a girl. 🙂
Lenders generally recommend that people look for homes that cost no more than three to five times their annual household income if the home buyers plan to make a 20% down payment and have a moderate amount of other debt.
"Kathi was experienced and knowledgeable, we felt she had our best interest and were easy to work with, always happy to assist. I feel her expertise and knowledge is what sold our home in 3 days with 10 offers over asking price. (Pretty awesome!)"
Kristy P. Roseville
The Jobson Hawkyard Group has been an absolute dream... They worked some serious magic helping us write an offer that got accepted when it was up against multiple other offers... Kathi is incredibly knowledgeable, hard-working, honest... I have worked with several real estate agents in the past and I could not recommend them more. You will absolutely not be disappointed. Kathi and Tom really do go above and beyond for their clients!
John & Amanda Sacramento
Real estate agents are important partners when you’re buying or selling a home. Real estate agents can provide you with helpful information on homes and neighborhoods that isn’t easily accessible to the public. Their knowledge of the home buying process, negotiating skills, and familiarity with the area you want to live in can be extremely valuable. And best of all, it doesn’t cost you anything to use an agent – they’re compensated from the commission paid by the seller of the house.
Typically, purchase offers are contingent on a home inspection of the property to check for signs of structural damage or things that may need fixing. Your real estate agent usually will help you arrange to have this inspection conducted within a few days of your offer being accepted by the seller. This contingency protects you by giving you a chance to renegotiate your offer or withdraw it without penalty if the inspection reveals significant material damage.
Both you and the seller will receive a report on the home inspector’s findings. You can then decide if you want to ask the seller to fix anything on the property before closing the sale. Before the sale closes, you will have a walk-through of the house, which gives you the chance to confirm that any agreed-upon repairs have been made.
Start touring homes in your price range. It might be helpful to take notes on all the homes you visit. You will see a lot of houses! It can be hard to remember everything about them, so you might want to take pictures or video to help you remember each home.
Who You Work With: Matters
Success Is In The Closing
Lenders will arrange for an appraiser to provide an independent estimate of the value of the house you are buying. The appraiser is a member of a third party company and is not directly associated with the lender. The appraisal will let all the parties involved know that you are paying a fair price for the home.
As you can imagine, there is a lot of paperwork involved in buying a house. Your lender will arrange for a title company to handle all of the paperwork and make sure that the seller is the rightful owner of the house you are buying.
At closing, you will sign all of the paperwork required to complete the purchase, including your loan documents. It typically takes a couple of days for your loan to be funded after the paperwork is returned to the lender. Once the check is delivered to the seller, you are ready to move into your new home!
"Tom has been truly exceptional to work with. Can’t say enough about our experience with Tom. He helped us purchase our home and when it was time to sell it, we went right back to him. He is extremely professional, punctual, responsive, and got us an amazing price on our home. My wife and I are very busy and he made the entire process seamless and simply a breeze. He knows the area extremely well, and gave us perfect advice on how to position things. Really, Tom is amazing and can’t recommend him highly enough!"
Jon Mitchell Granite Bay
DESTINATIONS
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EXPLOREAbout us
Home... Where your story begins.
As the Sacramento region continues to grow, the Jobson Hawkyard team has grown right along with it. Our hometown team of local market experts cover all six surrounding counties, with over 3 decades of regional knowledge and real estate experience. We are sticklers about providing you with the exceptional client care you deserve. Home transactions are highly personal, and everyone has their own special set of circumstances. At Jobson Hawkyard, we listen, we adapt, we plan and then we execute. Our singular goal is to provide you with a remarkable and positive real estate experience.
As Sotheby’s International Realty agents we offer the most comprehensive portfolio of technology based marketing solutions – spanning the breadth from local community awareness to the upper reaches of the international stages. We use these tools purposefully to get your property recognized, and then sold at the highest price possible. Most people think of Sotheby’s as a high-price brand, but our motto says it all. “Luxury isn’t a price point, it is an experience”. And working with Jobson Hawkyard, you will benefit from the collective assets of both agency and agent.
Principal Realtors Kathi Jobson, Tom Hawkyard and Amber Forteir bring a technology-enabled action plan to help fulfill each client’s personal real estate vision. Let us help you with yours!
Pictured: Left to Right: Kathi Jobson and Tom Hawkyard
