Palisade Realty's Five Step Approach To
Buying A Home In San Diego
- GET APPROVED FOR A LOAN. Even before you start looking for a home you must have your financing in place. We can help you get qualified by referring you to qualified lenders or work with another lender of your choice. We have assisted our clients and worked with many lenders in all types of loans, FHA, VA, CALVET, conventional, etc. Many sellers (especially REO listings) require a pre-approval letter from a lender before they will accept or consider an offer.
You should get completely pre-approved before you submit an offer to buy a property. There is a big difference between being pre-qualified and pre-approved for a loan. Pre-qualifying determines how much a lender will lend you. It involves obtaining a letter from the loan officer who looks at your debt ratios, gross income, and work history to see if you're qualified to make the monthly payments. The lender at this point has not actually reviewed all of your financial documents and taken all necessary steps to approve you for a loan. Pre-approval, on the other hand, takes it a step further and usually involves non-refundable fees. This process takes into consideration your credit history report, income verification, confirmation of down payment, and ability to pay closing costs. Once approved, the pre-approval letter lets the real estate agent and seller know you're qualified to start to negotiate terms.
- KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CAN AFFORD TO PAY. You should have an understanding of how much you can afford for your monthly mortgage, principle, interest, taxes, insurance (PITI). Before you write an offer you should also know how much you are required to pay for costs such as a down payment, loan origination fees, escrow fees, insurance, taxes, etc. Typically you do not have to put down a lot of money to buy a house. In many of our transactions we have been able to get the seller to pay for most of the closing costs.
- KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. Location, location, location. The larger you expand your possible locations the higher the likelihood you will find a suitable property. Take the time to learn and identify as many possible locations as you can. Once you know your possible communities then we can focus on homes that fit your criteria and budget.
- START LOOKING AT HOUSES. Looking at listings is a good start to finding a suitable home. We will send listings in the areas that meet your criteria, however, you cannot locate a suitable house by just looking at listings. You have to go out and start looking at houses. This is the best way to evaluate and understand the market. Our agents will show you available houses until we find the one for you.
- TEAMWORK. It requires teamwork to get your deal to the finish line. As your Realtor, Palisade Realty will coordinate all aspects of your transaction including the preparation of an offer, reviewing disclosures, working with your lender, dealing with escrow, recommending inspectors, insurance agents and other professionals typically involved in a real estate transaction. We will keep you informed about your transaction along the way. Our agents are available by cell phone and do take pride in returning calls within in a reasonable time.
619-794-0218
