Don't worry about anything! We will let you know what you need to do… and when you need to do it… whenever that appropriate time comes.

In general, we always advise our clients to compare lenders. And we also recommend working with a small, local, top-tier lender. One common theme with most of our clients' negative experiences with lenders has been that they didn't work with a small, local, and top-tier lender.

Different lenders will offer different products — some lenders have only one program to offer (a bank, for example, only has their money to loan so they are limited) — and others are brokers and have access to dozens of different funding sources (they call them investors) who each have their different terms. We generally recommend working with a broker because brokers will have the best of the below three qualities because there are so many options to shop your loan to.

There are three main components that a lender brings to the table when financing a borrower's purchase:

So it's critical when shopping and comparing lenders to put each of these, and all of them together, at the top of your mind when choosing a lender.

The good news — we know who to recommend and who to stay away from. We have worked with, in one capacity or another and sometimes in multiple instances, with probably every lender in our area and even outside our area. And we get to experience lending situations both on our clients' side when buying, and our clients' side when listing and selling their real estate. So we see a wide variety of different lenders each week and there are good lenders... and ones we recommend staying away from. If you're unsure of what to do or who to work with, just ask us, and we'll provide you with lenders we recommend for your unique situation.

It's fairly standard for the buyer to pay for their own inspections on the home and you have the ability to use whoever you want. We have a few inspectors we can recommend if you would like help with that. Once we know who you are working with, we will coordinate a time that works for everyone including the homeowner.

Yes! Whenever possible we encourage our clients to attend their inspections. We try to be present for every inspection for our clients as well. So if you're unable to make it, just let us know, and regardless, we hope to be there as well. The inspector will go over the report with us at the inspection and provide you with a printed copy and an emailed one for your reference.

If you can't make the inspection, however, don't worry! Your inspector should provide you with an emailed copy of the entire inspection results with details... and pictures. Being present is always best just so you can get clarification on items while there with the inspector, but if you can't make it, this is a good second option.

In most cases, I negotiate for the seller to provide us with a well and septic inspection and for the seller to pay for that. Once we get that, we'll pass that on to you, and you'll have the opportunity to review it and approve the results. There may be rare instances where you've agreed to do your own well and septic inspection. If you have any questions or concerns, email us at teamdarrelldeward@gmail.com

NO! Under no circumstances reach out to the seller in any way. All communication including questions or concerns should be directed to us, and we will do the same with you. Part of our job as your agent is to get all of your questions and concerns answered. Having communications between the buyer and seller without the involvement of the agents can and usually does lead to misunderstandings and problems.

Additionally, most of the time we see this desire to communicate directly with the seller/owner comes from insecurity or a lack of confidence and/or knowledge, and that's usually during a negotiating process involved between the owner/seller and you. The last thing we would want, as we attempt to use our specialized knowledge and negotiating skills to your benefit, is to have that interrupted or compromised because of anything that resulted in that extra communication. At any time, let us know if you have any questions about anything.

NO! It might sound like an innocent thing for them to do... or for you to respond, but our recommendation is to not respond. If it's a friend request they are seeking, you can always be "friends" after they close. See the FAQ directly above this one for more details.

In most cases, the date on our purchase agreement for the closing is a deadline to close, not an actual closing date. If you are financing your purchase, the lender is going to provide us with a clear to close once all of their conditions are met and then we'll be closing within 3-5 business days thereafter in most cases. In most cases, if it's a financed purchase- usually about a month from the time there's an accepted offer, and typically within a few business days of the agreed-to closing deadline.

On your purchase of this home, your transaction is pretty solid. The only conditions of the purchase are those specified in the accepted offer which are most commonly your ability to obtain financing, your approval of the results of the inspections, and possibly other things, whichever may be applicable. The seller has limited ways of backing out unless there are special conditions that apply- any of which would be specified on the purchase agreement or any addendums.

So if you have an accepted offer on a home, in most cases, as long as you close on time and follow through with your obligations, you're sitting in a pretty good spot!

You should have the utilities put in your name on the date you take possession of the home.

Yes, you need insurance to properly protect your home. In most cases, if you are financing your home, your lender will require it as a condition to close. However, if you are paying cash for your home, you'll have to remember to do this on your own. Contact your insurance agent right away and well in advance of the closing of your purchase so that your insurance agent can get things setup for you properly and ensure you are properly insured and protected.

Every accepted offer has different terms on possession. You can find out when you get possession of the home you're buying in the Possession section of the purchase agreement. Or if you'd rather, just email us at teamdarrelldeward@gmail.com for clarification. As we get closer to your possession date, we will communicate with you and keep you posted on updates from the seller so that you can plan accordingly.

We will be closing at a title company and the title company will tell us how much money you need to bring to the closing. Most real estate purchases are done so with financing, so in most cases, your lender will know what that dollar amount is long before we will since they are handling the financial aspect of your purchase.

If you are buying the home with cash, we will let you know what amount to bring to closing and who to make that certified check payable to prior to closing once we're close to closing- typically within a few days of the scheduled closing and once we've received final figures from the title company.

Bring your driver's license with you for identification purposes. And also bring a certified check for whatever funds you need for the purchase made payable to the title company. Your lender will tell you what amount you need to bring to close. But feel free to email us at teamdarrelldeward@gmail.com with any questions.