1st-Time Home Buyer Advice
Charlottesville, VA
11-01-11

Sponsored by: 1st Access Club

The real estate transaction isn't really that complicated. It's charged with emotions, and it's probably THE biggest single expenditure the average person makes in their lifetime, but it's not complicated.

We, the many participants in its course, may add to the confusion by mounding more and more onto the net with our blogs and re-blogs, along with the zillion informational web sites, how-to videos, and even TV shows.

So, here's a little advice for you, the 1st-time home buyer in Charlottesville.

1. Read what you see on the net, but read it"properly". Realize that a lot of it is NOT specific to our area--and hence, not particularly relevant.  Unfortunately,  originality is often compromised, as we've taken to copying and pasting in our efforts to be timely and consistent in order to attract the favor of search engines.

2. Get pre-approved with a reputable, LOCAL mortgage lender. This T-H-E biggest step and most important.

As I often say, you don't go to the store, start taking stuff off the shelves and into your cart, only to get to the check-out counter and say in disbelief: "what, I need money?" No, you need to not only find out how much house you can afford, but also what that would translate to in a monthly mortgage amount. The risk you pose to the bank will determine a lot of factors--amount of up-front reserves they'll require to pre-fund certain escrow accounts, the interest rate they'll charge, and even some of the contractual verbiage that they will or won't include to protect themselves.

So, even though I have this as the second thing to do, it really is more of a chronological thing--because, you'll probably start looking, first. Then, as you get more comfortable with the dream, you'll then start to realize that to make this work, you're going to have to jump in and play the game. And to play, you need money, and usually, that means financing through a mortgage lender.

I have relationships with several very good mortgage brokers. I usually recommend according to personalities--in other words, since rates are pretty standard across the board, I tend to recommend, for instance, Jim because he's got a dry sense of humor and from here, or Susan because she's very sweet but very knowledgable, or Gary because he is so good explaining and holding your hand from start to finish. *names changed to protect the innocent--whatever that means! ;) *

3. Next, you'll want to get access to an IDX based property search, preferrably one that not only provides you access to every listing by every Realtor and every real estate agency, but also allows you to manipulate the data, search parameters, and save your searches to view later. I highly recommend joining the 1st Access Club of Charlottesville. It's free and it's up-dated by the minute ensuring the most current feeds.

4. So many agents, so many companies. If I were looking to buy a home, I'd choose me, and you should, too. Here's why:

-18+ years experience
-Friendly, tall and handsome, and professional
-with Keller Williams Realty, an agent-centric real estate business, which means I have much more freedom than the typical agent, in a typical real estate company, to do those things, and go that extra mile, to serve you, without the constraints of management requiring this or that for the betterment, ultimately, of their brand.
-Expansive knowledge of the area from doing bank appraisals throughout the land, but also from my community involvement in a variety of organizations.
-The fantastic resources I've developed to make your home search, and subsequent purchase, smooth and as headache free as possible. (like 1st Access Club)

But, enough about me.

Now, it's time to meet and get the ball rolling.

Call or e-mail me, now, and we'll get you hooked-up with one of our mortgage brokers.

Then, we'll set-up a time for our first meeting at my office. At that meeting, we'll discuss your particular situation and begin to strategize best practices and plans to make your 1st-time home buyer dreams, a reality!

Thanks for reading! Talk, soon!

Sponsored by: 1st Access Club