Let Kiva Realty assist you in buying a home in Portales

With a little planning ahead of time, purchasing a home isn't very complex, but it still is stressful for many people. We like to give buyers an outline of the whole deal so they'll know exactly what they can expect. Below are our nine steps to buying a home.

Step 1 – Prepare to buy a home
There are several things you need to consider before you look for a home. It's likely that you'll want to form a list of items you want to have, get a feel for what school districts you want to live in, and begin working on your budget. Keeping your mortgage payment around 1/3 of your net monthly income is a good guideline to adhere to.

Step 2 – Speak with a real estate agent in Portales
This is where Kiva Realty comes in. We'd be happy to arrange a time to meet with you and speak with you about why you want to buy a home and get an idea of your plans for the future. We'll discuss everything from neighborhoods, school districts in the Portales area, the mortgage and housing industries, to any other economic factors that could potentially affect your purchase today or in the future.

In addition, we'll assist you in getting started on your loan. Kiva Realty partners with some of Portales's best mortgage professionals, so you're in great hands. They will help you choose which kind of loan is best for you, as well as help you get qualified.

Step 3 – Start looking for a home
After we meet for the first time, we'll start searching for available houses on the market that are a great fit for you. We'll research many of the houses and eliminate the bad ones, and then we'll set up appointments to tour the houses whenever it's convenient for you.

When we view the houses, we'll show you the good features and negative ones. we'll also ask you what things you like and dislike. It's widely common for buyers to change their must-have list as we view houses and some features become more substantial than others. If that's the case, we'll look through the listings once more and narrow it down to the house you've been wishing for.

Step 4 – Know the housing market
Your agent's knowledge of the Portales market is an imperative aspect in your house search. And we assure you we're in touch with all the neighborhoods and school districts, and we'll alert you to some areas are "hot" and call for immediate action and the others that are "cold" and allow for more analysis.

When we tour houses, we'll be sure to tell you when the asking price has room for bargaining and also when we believe the house is "priced to sell." Be on guard and be sure to ask plenty of questions, as every real estate agent in Portales will claim to truly know the housing market. If it appears they don't know everything, just call us at (575) 356-5555 or e-mail us at [email protected], and we'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. Our knowledge of the market will keep you a step above the rest throughout the entire deal.

Step 5 – Find the house you've been looking for
We know we'll find your dream home in Portales. When we do, we'll thoroughly create your home purchase offer. The offer will be tailored to suit your needs, including a lot of contingencies. A few examples are getting financing, completing the inspection, and a clear title.

Upon turning in your offer, most likely you'll need to submit "earnest money." This is a cash deposit given to the seller to secure an offer to purchase the property and is usually applied to the closing costs. If the seller accepts your offer, we should close on the home about 30 to 60 days after. This allows enough time for your mortgage financing.

Step 6 – Negotiate
A lot of contracts don't close on the beginning offer – it's pretty common to receive a counter offer. Don't let it alarm you. We'll talk over whether or not to take the counter offer, submit our own counter offer, or reject the seller's offer and move on.

How aggressively we negotiate the deal depends on market conditions. In addition, we'll work within your financing limits. And at the end of the day, we'll put together a contract that's best for you.

Step 7 – Get financing
Upon signing the contract, you'll start working with your mortgage lender to close the loan. If you've been pre-approved, this won't be a long process at all, but you need to keep in close contact with your mortgage lender. And we'll look after all the property information your lender needs to close the loan.>

Step 8 – Close the deal
Your lender will send you a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) of your closing costs within three days of taking your loan application. The estimate is based on the loan amount, and RESPA requirements dictate that it has to involve all closing costs and be within a close range of accuracy. we'll examine the estimate and let you know if everything looks okay.

Then we'll close on your house. This will most often happen at a title company or escrow office and should be a smooth and hassle-free event.

Step 9 – Move in
You made it! It's time to move into your new house. Enjoy it. And if you need anything, just call us at (575) 356-5555 or send us an e-mail.