 | What You Must Know Before You Write A ContractBefore you begin looking at homes, you should read this helpful guide. By following the key tips in this document, you can save yourself hours of work and protect yourself from common mistakes.How To Guide Includes
Know your credit scoreBefore you begin looking at homes, you may want to check the condition of your credit. Mortgage companies will review it when determining if you are eligible for a loan. By checking your credit in advance, should an error be present, you will be able to address it and have it corrected. There are three large national credit bureaus that supply most credit reports, and each of them may have a report on file for you. The three national bureaus are:
 This is a critical beginning. Leon and Tina have dedicated Buyer's Agents who can guide you as to the necessary steps to correct errors on your credit report. They can also offer recommendations on how to repair your credit. This scenario is all too common in real estate today. The best way to avoid heartache (and the headache of rushing around to get pre-approval at the last minute)! is to get pre-approved before you even start looking. Leon and Tina have a long-standing relationship with many of the top mortgage lenders who can get you pre-qualified with a just a few questions asked over the phone. Get Pre-Approved for a LoanWhy is pre-approval so important? Imagine finding the home of your dreams after weeks of searching. It's absolutely perfect and you want to put in an offer right away. You go back to your agent's office, write up a contract and send it over to the listing agent. The first thing they ask, "Can you actually afford to buy the house?" A simple "yes" won't do. You need a letter, called a pre-approval letter, from a lender stating that you can indeed afford the mortgage before they'll even consider the offer. In the meantime, another offer comes in from a buyer who has already been pre-approved. It's understandable that the sellers would want to go with the sure thing…and that's just what they do. Leon and Tina have affiliations with several local mortgage companies who can get you pre-qualified for a mortgage. After you are pre-qualified, your mortgage company will give you a pre-approval letter, which is necessary for you to successfully write an offer. Know how much home you can afford The last thing you want to do is waste your time looking at homes you can't afford. Contact a mortgage company before you start house hunting and know exactly how much home you can afford to buy. Then, when you find the home of your dreams, you'll know it's within your means. Your “must-have” criteria should include: price, location, number of bedrooms and number of bathrooms. Leon and Tina recommend you keep your must-have criteria you want to a minimum so that you narrow your options without eliminating everything. Leon and Tina's team will help you locate the home that fits your lifestyle and meets or exceeds your requirements. Find the home that's right for you and your family Before you can find the home of your dreams; You'll need to decide just what is important to you and your family. Its best to start with a list of must-haves then make a list of criteria that you would love to have in your new home, but could live without if they didn't fit into the budget. With experienced licensed Buyer's Agents on their team, Leon and Tina make it easy for you to find your dream home. One of their agents will take you out to visit various neighborhoods and tour the homes that fit your criteria. Work with an experienced licensed real estate agentBecause the seller pays the realtor fee, there is no cost to the buyer for utilizing the services of a real estate agent to find a home.Licensed agents are members of a  Multiple Listing Service (MLS) that allows them the ability to put your specific criteria into the MLS database and pull only those homes that match your needs. This saves you countless hours of driving around aimlessly and pouring through newspapers and other real estate publications. When you work with an experienced Buyer's Agent on Leon and Tina Robbins' team, you can be sure each has the experience, objectivity and skill to represent you at the negotiating table, ensuring your satisfaction. Furthermore, they have the backing of Leon and Tina's nearly 20 years of experience to draw upon. Making an offerOnce you locate a home that meets your requirements, you'll want to write an offer as soon as possible since many homes don't stay on the market long.Your agent will help you determine fair market value based on his/her knowledge of the market and on the information contained in a survey of comparable homes in the area or in the neighborhood that have recently sold.  Once you have established an offer price, your agent will then write a contract and present it to the co-op agent. The co-op agent presents your offer to his/her seller and they may reply with a counter-offer. This is where your agent's negotiating skills go to work for you! This process continues until all parties come to an agreement on a fair price. This step is vital to a smooth closing. Draw upon the experience of Leon and Tina's team. Their expertise and professionalism make them the ideal resource for finding a list of qualified vendors and service providers. Know your rights and obligationsOur experienced buyer's agent will recommend that you have the home inspected by a qualified inspector who is a member of the Council of American Building Officials, CABO, or American Society of Home Inspectors, ASHI. Other issues your agent can help you address include finalizing the loan process, getting insurance coverage per the terms of your loan, and much more. While the closing process is usually straightforward, you will find that having an experienced professional by your side can be re-assuring. When you work with a Buyer's Agent from Leon and Tina Robbins' team, you can rely on their experience, education and strong real estate knowledge should questions arise. At the Closing You will want your Buyer's Agents at your side to represent your interest at closing. Should questions arise at closing, you have the assurance that a professional can help you clearly understand, so that you will feel confident about every decision you have to make for the closing of your new home.  |
Selling - How To Guide
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Georgia real estate is hot! The Leon and Tina Robbins Real Estate Team specializes in North Metro Atlanta Real Estate including Cobb County Georgia Real Estate, Marietta Georgia Real Estate, Fulton County Georgia Real Estate, Canton Georgia Real Estate, Cherokee County Georgia Real Estate, Alpharetta Georgia Real Estate, and Roswell Georgia Real Estate. This includes information about homes for sale in East Cobb and Towne Lake. Our Team of Cobb County Realtors is an award winning team of real estate agents. Our Free Home Value Report will give you all the information that you need for buying or selling a home in the Georgia real estate market. |