As a realtor, it is important that we give our clients the information they need in order to make informed decisions. One of the ways we do this is through a buyer consultation. A buyer consultation is a meeting with your realtor where they will go over the buying process. This meeting is important whether you are a first time home buyer or a seasoned buyer. Some items the consultation will cover are:
Mortgage Information - We'll go over different mortgage information like why you need a pre-approval prior to looking at houses, what are some loan options, what not to do when applying for a loan, and how to calculate a mortgage payment.
Contract - what does a contract to close timeline look like, what contingencies will be in place to keep you, the buyer, safe, and what should you expect after you have an accepted offer.
Costs - We'll go over the different costs involved with purchasing a home
Terms - We'll go over different terms you might hear come up and what those terms mean.
Representation - We'll explain just how you will be represented and how we will work for you.
Available Homes - We'll go over where we find the available homes we send you and what all homes are available.
Selecting the Right Property - We'll go over how to select the right property for your needs
Touring Homes - We'll go over some things to keep in mind as we tour homes
Inspections - We'll go over what you can expect at inspections and what all the inspector will look at
Closing - We'll go over what you can expect on the day of closing
Lastly, a buyer consultation will give both of us a chance to go over expectations. What your time frame is for finding a house, what you're looking for in a house, and what your concerns are moving forward. Your realtor will answer any and all questions you may have, go over the best way to communicate, and their availability. The length of a buyer consultation depends on whether you are a first time home buyer, and the questions you have. If you've purchased before than this might be more of a refresher where we go over the timeline, but focus more on what our expectations are for one another. Either way, it's a great idea to sit down with your realtor prior to looking at houses. We have found this to be very beneficial in creating a smoother, less stressful transaction for the buyer.