Contemplating purchasing your new home in Orange County? Twin Palms Realty can help.

	When you're ready to get started, you can contact me here or send e-mail to brian@twinpalmsrealty.com. I'm happy to address questions you have regarding this information.

Step 1 – Prepare to purchase a home
There are many things you'll want to take into account before you start searching for a home. You'll want to make a list of features you need to have, get a feel for what neighborhoods you want to live in, and start working on your budget. It’s also a good time to do some preliminary searching so you begin to become familiar with the market and homes in your price range. You can do that right from the Twin Palms Realty home page.

Step 2 - Talk to a local real estate broker
This is where I can help. I'd love to plan a time to meet with you and communicate with you regarding your real estate needs and get an idea of your upcoming plans. We'll discuss everything from neighborhoods, schools, the mortgage and housing industries, to any other economic factors that may potentially affect your purchase today or in the future.

Step 3 – Get Pre-qualified on your loan

I can refer you to some of the area's finest mortgage professionals, or you can use your own bank or other lender of your choice. The important thing is that you start now to get your loan ducks in a row. You’ll need to know the price range you qualify for, and when we find a great home you want to make an offer on, we’ll need to submit your pre-qual with your offer. If you don’t have it, your offer won’t be considered, so this is a very important step!

Step 4 – Rev up the search
Now it’s time to kick our search into high gear. I'll begin looking for homes on the market that are great for you. If you're like me, you'll want to do some more searching on your own as well, so I'll make sure that I have you set up to make that easy for you. I'll research the homes that you like, and set up appointments to view the best ones whenever it's convenient for you. When we view homes, I'll point out the positive features and bad ones. I'll also ask you to continue to tell me what things you like and dislike. Often times, buyers revise their list of must-haves as we tour homes and some things become far more important than others. We'll continue revise and refine your search criteria to narrow our search results down to the homes you really like.

Step 5 – Understand the market
Even if the first few homes we see don't quite meet with your approval, it will have been time well spent, as this will allow you to become more familiar with the local market and what is available in your price range, which is important! My knowledge of the Orange County market will also be a valuable benefit in our house search. I'm familiar with the schools, neighborhoods, and I can provide you with detailed information as to demand, price and sales trends, and more for any area you may be interested in.

 Step 6 – Find the house you've been looking for

As we view homes, we'll discuss the seller's asking price and how it compares to other local sales, whether there is room for bargaining or if the home is "priced to sell," if it is a distressed sale, or there are any other special circumstances which may present a great buying opportunity. If you are interested in making an offer, we'll discuss our offer and negotiation strategy in detail. The offer will be tailored with your needs in mind, including basic contingencies, such as acquiring financing, completing the inspection, and a clean title, as well as any particular issues or concerns we may have. We'll also take into account special circumstances, and what may most appeal to that particular seller. When presenting your purchase offer, we'll need to include "earnest money." This is a cash deposit submitted to a home seller to secure the offer to purchase the property and is applied towards the purchase price and closing costs. If the seller accepts your offer, we'll have a specified number of days to take care of some important issues, such as completing and reviewing inspections, reviewing title, and of course, get your mortgage financing ready.

Step 7 – Negotiate
Many, if not most offers aren't accepted the first time around – it's extremely common to receive a counter offer. Don't let it alarm you. We'll consider whether or not to agree to the counter offer, propose our own counter offer, or reject the seller's offer and go on. In every case we’ll highlight the strengths of your offer and present your ability to close escrow in the best light. This is a factor of extreme importance to the seller.  Market conditions will play a role in how aggressively we negotiate the deal. In addition, we'll work within your financing budget. And at the end of the day, we'll assemble a deal that is best for you.

Step 8 – Get your loan ready
Once the offer is accepted and we open escrow, we'll notify the lender immediately and provide them with everything they need to be ready to close the loan. Since you've already been pre-qualified, we’re well on the way to making this happen. I'll provide the lender with contract and property information they will need, and, if you like, assist you in making any loan decisions that arise. You'll get a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) outlining closing costs from your mortgage lender within three days. The estimate is based on the loan amount, and RESPA requirements mandate that it includes all closing costs and is within a close range of accuracy. We'll review the estimate and make sure that rates, fees and everything else is correct.

Step 9 – Complete and approve inspections

We’ll be inspecting the condition of the property, title, termites, and other key aspects of the property early on in the escrow. If there are any concerns or issues that need to be addressed, such as repairs, we’ll address them and make sure everything is in order before we close.

Step 10 – Close the deal and Move in
Following a final walk-thru and final approval of all docs, we’re ready to close the purchase of your home. The title company and escrow officer will confirm that the deed has been recorded. Congratulations! Now you can move into your new house and make it into your home.