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Confused about how to get a home? You’re not alone – even experienced home buyers forget how the process works. Follow these steps to a successful home buying success:

1. Talk to a mortgage professional. This MUST be your FIRST step. I highly recommend Chris & Debbie Thomas, of America’s Mortgage, they were awarded 5280 magazine’s 5 Star Mortgage Professional’s distinction in 2011 and they are the best in the industry. You can get pre-approved today by clicking here. This way you know exactly what buying a home will cost and how much you can afford to buy before you start looking. (If you would like to take a FREE class on how not to get ripped off when buying a home click here to register.)

2. Call me at 303.887.1883 or email me at beth@bethskinner.com and let me know what type of house you’re looking for and I’ll start the research for you right away.

AND/OR

3. You can click here and start searching the Denver area MLS (idx) for your new home.

4. When you find a house you would like to see in person, don’t call the guy whose name is on the “For Sale” sign in the yard. He works for the SELLER. You need someone who will be working for YOU. Call me because I would be delighted to help you out.

5. When you find a house you want to buy, we’ll put together an offer (contract). I write offers online so it’s simple – I draft the official offer, email it to you, you look it over and then sign online. EASY and hassle free.

6. The seller may reject the first offer which is fine, that’s when we start to negotiate and this is why you need a BUYER’S AGENT (that’s me) to represent your best interests, and to drive a hard bargain with the sellers. A buyer’s agent works for you, and should be dedicated to getting you the best deal possible. Not the seller!

7. If/when we ultimately come to an agreement on the price, and terms of the deal, we will officially be “under contract.” You will need to write a check for the earnest money at this point which is often anywhere from $1,000-$2,500 depending on the price of the home. YES, THEY WILL CASH THE EARNEST MONEY CHECK!

8. Next we schedule a professional inspection of the home to make sure there are no hidden surprises; such as an ancient hot water heater or leaky roof or bad plumbing, etc. If we do find any issues with the home, that you want to have fixed, I will prepare an Inspection Notice and present it to the seller’s agent. (This is AGAIN why you need a buyer’s agent who looks out for just YOU!) At this point we may end up negotiating on terms again over which items the seller will agree to fix, before the sale of the house. If there are too many problems with the house, that can’t be fixed at this point, you can back out of the sale and get your earnest money back.

9. You will also need to meet with your lender and finalize your loan application. Chris & Debbie Thomas of America’s Mortgage will come to your home or office to finish the loan application. They will walk you through the entire process step by step and explain EVERYTHING to you in detail.

10. After getting this far in the process, the appraisal will need to be done to make sure the house is worth what you would like to pay for it. Generally the buyer pays for the appraisal and the lender requests the appraisal, but has NO control over who will conduct it. It will likely cost anywhere from $300-$450. If the appraisal amount comes up short, the seller will have to agree to sell you the house for the appraised price or the deal will likely fall through.

11. Once the appraisal, inspection, loan application, etc. are finalized at this point it’s mostly a matter of waiting for the title company, insurance company and so on to get their end of the paperwork finished as well.

12. Finally, it’s closing day and the exact time of closing will likely be scheduled by the title company that conducts the closing. You’ll need to bring a certified check for the amount your lender tells you that you need AND your driver’s license. The person conducting the closing will help explain what you’ll be signing.

THE END. Now you move in and start making those mortgage payments!

Beth I. Skinner

As a Denver area real estate agent I'm intensely devoted to my home buyers and sellers; fighting for you every step of the way for the VERY best results. I'm definitely not your "typical" salesperson. I probably won't remember to ask about your kids' ages or how long you've lived in Colorado. I don't engage in small talk just so you'll think I'm nifty and hire me. What I ALWAYS remember however, is who I am working for - and that's YOU. I'm on YOUR side; I take my responsibilities as your agent very seriously and will work my brains out for you. So if you're looking for the kind of real estate agent who always remembers to say "good morning" or asks about the little ones soccer game then you should move along - I'm too cranky for you. But if you're looking for the kind of real estate agent who will fight like crazy to help you, then you've come to the right place. And when I'm not helping clients I'm usually walking dogs at the shelter, training at the gym, or watching Star Trek re-runs on Netflix.