Agents at Greene Realty are happy to help you get your finances in order, and help you create a timeline for when you will be able to purchase a home. An agent can walk you hand-in-hand through the entire process of planning, getting your finances in order, finding a lender, getting pre-approved, searching, submitting an offer, negotiating on your behalf, establishing escrow and closing.

Focus on your finances first. Finding a local lender who can vouch and fight for you is essential in today’s market. Especially with how saturated Thurston County is with buyers currently. Your lender is a key player on your team to help you get your offer accepted, your other teammate being your agent. Agents at Greene Realty know lots of great local lenders and are happy to introduce you to multiple to find a great fit.

Very early on in the process you need to write down your wants and needs for your property search. Meaning bedroom count, bathroom count, garage size, location, neighborhood amenities, and budget just to name a few. Having these written down helps you come back to this list when a good match for a home comes to market. It also helps your agent set you up with automatic “Just Listed” emails that will notify you when a home that checks all of your boxes comes to market.

Once you start the search for a home, you’ll need to pay attention to the condition, size, price, and location. Keep an eye out in particular for any problems with the foundation, power, heat, exterior or weird odors within the home. Some problems might be fixable, but others might be worth avoiding altogether.

Once you find a home that checks all of your boxes and is within your pre-approved price range, you tour the home, and decide to make an offer, your agent will write up that offer and submit it to the seller and the seller’s agent. After submitting, you may be in competition with other buyers who have also submitted offers. Having a well-respected agent from a well-respected brokerage is a huge advantage when trying to get your offer accepted. Also, having a well respected lender from a local lending office are the two most important factors you can control to make your offer more favorable. A seller’s agent is going to present all of the offers to their seller and then advise them on what they should be looking for in an offer. If the seller's agent has networked with your agent and lender before, you are going to be in a strong position.

The offer you submit to the seller will most likely be contingent on a home inspection of the property. Greene Realty Group agents always advise buyers to obtain a home inspection. They will help you arrange to have an inspection conducted within a few days after your offer has been accepted by the seller and provide you with an opportunity to determine if the property has met your needs as a result of the inspection.

Your lender will arrange for an appraiser to provide an independent estimate of the value of the property you made an offer on. The appraiser is a vendor that is not directly associated with the lender, but they are engaged to inform the lender and you of their opinion of the property's value.

It is always good to do a final walkthrough before you close on a home. This walkthrough allows you to check and make sure that the seller has made the repairs you requested and has properly cleared out of the property. Check the systems and functioning mechanisms to make sure everything is in working order. This walkthrough should make you feel confident when you are ready to close and take possession.

Your lender is required to give you a closing disclosure, which informs you on what you owe at closing and summarizes your loan details, three days prior to closing. Comb through this disclosure and make sure the numbers don’t vary too much from your loan estimate, which you should have received just a few days after your initial loan application. Once you’ve reviewed your closing disclosure, it’s time to attend your closing meeting. Bring your ID, a copy of your closing disclosure and funds for your closing. At closing you will sign a settlement statement, which lists all costs related to the home sale. If you are getting a loan, here is when you pay your down payment and closing costs. You’ll also sign the mortgage note and deed of trust, which states that you will abide by your monthly mortgage to repay the loan. Congratulations!