Buying in Sacramento

Choose a realtor who is responsive, knowledgeable, and professional. You’ll be spending a lot of time with your agent so pick someone who is easy to get along with and works at your pace.

For starters, it’s a bummer to look at homes and THEN realize they’re out of the price range. Secondly, it can take a few days to get pre-approved. Being pre-approved allows you to make the offer right away when you do find your dream home.

I encourage my buyers to check out different neighborhoods and different styles of homes. You may not realize what you like and don’t like until you see it in person. There is no substitute for seeing a home in person and getting the “feel” for it. Zillow can give you a lot of info, but it can’t tell you how it smells.

Offers are more than just the dollar amount. You will decide on things like: who pays for the escrow cost - who pays for title insurance - how many days until we close - how long will our inspection period be - how will city and county transfer fees be split - do we make an as-is offer - etc. While it sounds like a lot, I’m here to help with all of that.

I’ll be in contact with the listing agent, building rapport and trust. This way I’ll be able to communicate what I know and when I know it. If we need to negotiate, you can rely on my years of experience to get us through.

To put it clearly, escrow companies are essentially a neutral, third party. Escrow companies are in charge of getting both the parties to sign the closing documents, providing a title report, and issuing environmental hazard reports. Once we’re “in escrow” it means that we’re actively working on the purchase of your house, and that nobody else can buy it from under you.

One of my most important roles is helping you determine the condition of your future home. The investigation period is when I’ll arrange various inspections, typically home, pest, sewer, and roof inspections. We’ll also receive disclosure paperwork from the sellers, who are legally bound to record any known issues. This step concludes with removing the inspection contingency, asking for a repair or credit, or canceling the purchase entirely if needed.

All lenders will have an appraisal completed to ensure you’re not overpaying. Typically, the appraisal period lasts about 17 days (they run concurrently with the inspection period).

You’ll remove the contingency once you’re done with your inspections, the appraisal, and after your loan officer tells me the loan will be funded (there could be other contingencies too, such as the sale of an existing property). Often, they are removed one at a time after the task is completed.

You’ll sign the closing paperwork, get all your documents, wire any down payment, and do any final paperwork from the seller or myself. On the last day the funds will transfer and the home will be recorded with the county recorder. Once it’s on record, the house is yours!

Need a recommendation for a contractor? Need to have a seller pay a portion of their rent-back deposit? When is trash day? I’m still your realtor even after you move in. I’m here to help, so reach out if you need anything!