Complete Guide for Englewood Home Buyers

Step 1: Research

Do you already know where you want to buy? If you want a condo, townhome, or single-family home? Which features do you like and dislike? What’s available on the market now? If you answered no to any of these questions, now is the time to start researching. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, also take note of any changes in asking prices. This could give you valuable insight into housing trends in specific neighborhoods and help you when the time comes to make an offer.

Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Notice we said to decide on your budget—not determine how much the mortgage company will give you. In many cases, a mortgage company will pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why you need to determine the monthly payment you feel comfortable with before talking to a lender. This likely includes doing a full household budget and taking into consideration what changes other than a mortgage payment will occur once you move into your new home. If you’ve lived in an apartment or with roommates, you may overlook new expenses like garbage, water, or HOA fees that could easily blow your budget.

Step 3: Get Prequalified

Just because you think you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree. Just as they may approve you for too large of an amount, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or deny you a mortgage altogether. Lack of time at a job, insufficient credit, past bankruptcies, or other financial issues can cause major problems when trying to secure a mortgage. Before you get your heart set on a home, talk to a mortgage professional to find out what amount you can qualify for. This will also be an advantage when you make an offer on a home, as some sellers won’t entertain offers from those who aren’t already prequalified for a loan.

Step 4: Choose a Real Estate Agent

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without a real estate agent? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for agents like us to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will we help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but we also have knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where our expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let us show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.

Step 5: Find the Right Home

This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). We will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that are within your price range. Take notes about what you like and don’t like, and make sure to pay attention to details. Turn light switches on and off, open and close doors, and run the faucets in various rooms. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.

Step 6: Make an Offer

Once you have selected the perfect home, work with your agent to craft a fair offer based on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price. We will be able to help you negotiate if you receive a counteroffer and reach an agreement. At this point, the house will go into escrow.

Step 7: Have the Home Inspected

In most cases, your offer will be contingent on having the home inspected to ensure there is no major structural damage or large repairs needed. We can help you arrange this, and you can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process goes to step eight. If there is, you can renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed, or you can withdraw it.

Step 8: Select Your Loan

Now is the time to go back to the mortgage lender who pre-approved or pre-qualified you and choose your mortgage. You will be presented with various options based on your unique financial situation, including fixed-rate, variable-rate, 15-year, 30-year, or special programs such as VA loans or FHA loans. Work with your mortgage lender to select the option you feel the most comfortable with.

Step 9: Get a Home Appraisal

Your lender will have your new home appraised so they have their independent value of it. The appraisal is to ensure that all parties involved are paying a fair price for the house.

Step 10: Finish Paperwork

No one looks forward to all the paperwork involved in buying a home, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you’ll know you are the legal owner of your new home.

Testimonials

Robert C.

Brandon was wonderful to work with in helping me find the right place. Very knowledgeable of the areas and what to look for, and worked superbly with me to get moving.

Alex R.

Working with Lana and her entire team was a complete dream! They ensure that you are not only getting a team full of MVPs but also people who treat you more like family and want the best for you, they go above and beyond. I cou...

Sydney U.

Walter Daly is the best realtor ever! Personable, knowledgeable, and flexible. Honestly, I could go on and on! He is an incredible individual and very professional. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a house in the De...

Riley R.

Extensive knowledge of the market. Supported us completely throughout our experience! Alyssa made our first home-buying experience feel tremendously special and professional! Her continuous, round-the-clock communication with a...

Sieger H.

Great experience working with Brandon and his team again! Very personable, professional, and trustworthy, making the process easier! Great listener who helps when needing recommendations. Made this process a lot easier. Thank y...

Sylvia L.

We have always been impressed with Lana and her extensive real estate knowledge and experience. When we decided to sell our home, Lana helped plan out the timing for listing, marketed to potential buyers, and helped navigate th...

Janessa D.

Loved working with Walter and Brandon during the process of selling our home. They were very knowledgeable and even gave us a color-coded to-do list to help us sell for the best price. Would recommend them to anyone looking to ...

Vishnu P.

Brandon and the REBL team were the best! As a first-time home buyer, he made the process as easy as possible. His knowledge of the industry, insight, and advice left me with no worries throughout the process. He is a thorough p...

Neon F.

Walter and his team provided the best service. Walter is very knowledgeable and when he did not have an answer he would find one. He is a nice person and a great agent. We enjoyed working with him. Toni is the Transaction Manag...

Skyler Z.

This is my second time working with Alyssa and have loved her each time. She and her team work quickly and will work around your schedule. I work nights and there were many times she wouldn't send me things till later in the da...

Adam R.

We worked with Lana for around 8 months before we finally purchased a home. She stayed patient with us throughout the entire process, confidently and knowledgeably guided us through the steps, and ultimately was able to close a...

Eric M.

Working with Jamaal and the rest of the team was great, they made it easy for a first-time home buyer and made it a very comfortable experience. Thank you!

Beverly C.

This team was amazing to work with! I especially enjoyed working with Alyssa! She went above and beyond on the sale of my house, she was very caring and so helpful with everything. Alyssa is someone I feel very blessed to have ...

Tatyana H.

Lana is seriously the best! This is our second house purchasing together and I couldn’t be happier. She was patient with us, very knowledgeable, and pointed out any possible pitfalls! Best agent you can find! You won’t regret it!

Diana F.

Very professional, personal, hard-working group of dedicated Realtors who helped us navigate the home-buying process while we were living overseas. Walt and Stephanie helped us through the process daily. So grateful for their t...

Daniel F

Lana Kuznetsova and her team made fantastic partners in our home search. Lana was gracious with her time in conversations, showings, and walking us through contracts. She was very knowledgeable to begin with, and on questions, ...

Tanya H.

We've bought and sold several times with REBL and they make it as easy as possible. I can't say enough about Brandon, Lana, and their whole team!

Dwight C.

I'm very grateful for all of their help. And they went above and beyond what was expected.

Michael S.

Great team. Just wished we had waited and bought the place sight unseen. Pictures, not your fault, looked great, in reality, the place was not ready for sale.

Kevin H.

Alyssa was great! We met her over 3 years ago and she continued to follow up with us over time. When we were finally ready to buy a house she connected us to the right mortgage broker and walked us through every step. We closed...

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Buyer's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Buyer's Guide