When you’re buying a home for sale in Scottsdale, there’s a whole process that your real estate agent will walk you through. Here’s a quick run-down of how it all works.
Step-by-Step Guide to Buying a Home in Scottsdale
First things first: Working with a real estate agent makes the entire home-buying process easier. Your agent will help you find homes that meet your needs, point you in the right direction when it comes to financing and hiring contractors (like home inspectors and insurance agents), and complete all the necessary legal paperwork.
But your home-buying journey starts before you find an agent – it starts when you decide it’s time to buy a home for sale in one of Scottsdale’s beautiful communities. From there, you’ll:
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Make a list of must-haves and wants
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Start researching what’s available
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Hire a real estate agent
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Choose a lender and get preapproval
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Visit homes that interest you
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Make an offer
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Negotiate, if necessary
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Have the home inspected and appraised
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Close the mortgage so the home becomes yours
Step 1: Make a List of Must-Haves and Wants
One of the first things you’ll do when you decide it’s time to buy a home for sale is compile a list of the things you need – a minimum number of bedrooms and a garage, for example – and a list of things that would be nice to have but that you could live without. When you’re making your “must-have” list, consider:
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Size
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Age
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Amenities
Step 2: Start Researching What’s Available
Most people (more than 90 percent, in fact) start house-hunting online. While you can’t commit to anything yet, this can give you a pretty good idea of what’s available and how much homes cost in and around Scottsdale.
Step 3: Hire a Real Estate Agent
When you hire a real estate agent, he or she will help you look for homes that meet your criteria. Your agent will also help you find a lender if you haven’t already, as well as take you to tour homes that interest you.
Step 3: Choose a Lender and Get Preapproval
You need mortgage preapproval before you start looking for a home for sale. That’s because the preapproval tells you just how much your budget is. There’s another benefit, too – when you find a home you love, you can make an offer immediately and begin the official mortgage application process. (Preapproval gives you a head start on that.)
Step 4: Visit Homes That Interest You
Your real estate agent will schedule appointments for you to tour homes that meet your needs. You can visit as many or as few homes as you’d like to find the one that’s just right for you.
Step 5: Make an Offer
When you find your dream home, don’t wait. Make an offer. If you wait, someone else could beat you to the punch.
Step 6: Negotiate, if Necessary
The seller has the option to accept, reject or counter your offer. If the seller accepts your offer, you’ll move on to inspections and the appraisal. If the seller rejects your offer, you can try again – or you can consider other homes. If the seller counters your offer, negotiations can begin. Your real estate agent is a trained negotiator, and he or she will represent your best interests.
Step 7: Have the Home Inspected and Appraised
Your lender will require an appraisal, so it will choose an appraiser to value the home. You’ll need an inspection, too, so you can ask your real estate agent for a referral to a qualified local inspector who can tell you all about the home’s issues.
Step 8: Close the Mortgage
Once all the inspections are done and you and the seller are on the same page, you’ll be able to close the mortgage. When you sign the dotted line, the house becomes yours – and that’s what you do on closing day.