Stonebrook Real Estate
Our local experts go above and beyond to provide an amazing experience.
our services
Buying a home
An exciting and challenging process in this increasingly competitive market. A Stonebrook Agent will allow you to rest easy while you find the home you’re dreaming about.
Selling a home
There is more to selling a home than simply putting it on the market. Let Stonebrook show you how to get top dollar in the shortest time possible.
Investment Properties
Finding an investment property that matches your portfolio is one of the services that Stonebrook agents excel in the most. We’ll help you find the property to match your investment goals.
Steps to buying a property
Much like the first step in selling a property, it is important to understand why you are buying a house. the things that you shoudl consider when buying a home are very similar to selling a property. What you should consider:
- Cost
- Market
- Location
- Convenience
Your costs as a buyer differ from the seller. Here are some items that you may be
responsible for:
- Loan fees
- Title fees
- Inspection fees
Before you get started on picking an agent you will want to get pre-approved by a loan officer of your choice. If you have an agent that you would like to use, call them and ask them who their preferred lender is. Using a loan officer that your agent recommends will typically make the process that much smoother as they have most likely done a lot of deals together. However, if you have someone else that you would like to use, then your agent will gladly work with the lender of your choice. A pre-approval allows you and your agent to see what you can afford so that falls within the criteria in the pre-approval letter.
An agent can help a buyer substantially. They have access to all the homes that are currently on the market through the MLS. Plus, a good agent will go above and beyond to search other websites to ensure that you get your dream home. An agent will sit down with you and go through all the items that you want in a home. This allows the agent to narrow the search and find the home that best fits your criteria. You will also sign an exclusive buyer broker agreement allowing the agent to represent you during this process. Much like the seller process, you need to find an agent that has the following attributes:
- Organization Skills
- Punctual
- Ethical
- Good negotiating skills
- Knowledgeable
- Communication skills
- Dedicated to you
This is the time that you are looking for your dream home. Your agent and you would have discussed a schedule on when you can view properties. Your agent will likely pull anywhere from 3-6 homes based on your criteria and availability. Finding YOUR home can be difficult, but do not get discouraged and be patient with the process. With a good agent who stays on top of the market, you will indeed find your perfect home.
This is the time where you will write an offer on a property that you cannot live without. Your agent will advise you based on the current market and comparables to write an offer that looks attractive to both the seller and yourself. Your agent will give you a professional opinion what he/she thinks is a solid offer. You get to choose whether you would like to follow the advice of your agent or request a different offer.
Once you’ve gone through the negotiating process and have finally come to an agreement, you are under contract. First, you will get your earnest money deposited with your agent’s brokerage (can occasionally be held at the title company). It is important that you understand that you have 4 calendar days after acceptance to turn in the earnest money. The next step is to think about what title company, inspector, and home warranty company you want to use. Your agent will give you some recommendations for this if you
have no one in mind. Once you decide what title company will be used, your agent will send it over and order title. Typically, a buyer has a couple of weeks to do their inspections, so you want to get on that as soon as possible. Your agent will go over a range of tests that you can do. You will then choose a home warranty company (if applicable) that you would like to use
As a buyer you will have some documents that will be sent to you for you to sign and initial before closing. These documents include:
- Buyer Due Diligence
- Seller Disclosures
- Lead Base Paint (if applicable)
- Addendum (if applicable)
Congrats you have closed on your dream home! Once the property records and
funds, your agent will help you in obtaining the keys from the seller. Once this is taken care
of all you have to worry about is how you will decorate your new home
Steps to listing a property
Understanding what your goals are is crucial for the success of selling it quickly and for top dollar. Things you should think about when considering selling your property:
- What you think your home is worth
- Location
- Overall quality of your home
- Convenience
- Price
- Market
Understanding your costs as the seller is crucial. It will help you to make the decision on whether to sell your home now or wait. Look at these aspects when selling your home:
- How much do you currently ow on the house? Obviously the first thing your proceeds for the sale of the property will go to is, paying off your loan if there is one present.
- Here are a couple of costs that you may be responsible for:
- Commission to the agent
- Taxes
- Home Warranty for the buyer
Most sellers who are not familiar with the real estate industry will hire a professional
Realtor to assist in the process. Another interesting fact is that sellers who use a Realtor typically
sell their home for what it’s worth and a lot quicker than if they were to list the property on their
own. Be wise in making this decision. What to look for in an agent:
- Organization skills
- Honest
- Ethical
- Good negotiating skills
- Knowledgeable
- Communication skills
- Marketing plan accustomed to your home
Once you have chosen an agent, you can move on to listing your home. Here are the steps to listing your property:
- Your agent will pull comparable’s for your property to obtain an accurate listing price.
- Your agent will do a walk through of the home and then sit down with you to fill out the listing forms, seller’s property condition disclosure, lead-base paint disclosure (if applicable), and an exclusive right to sell agreement.
- Your agent will give you ideas to make your house more presentable. Such as: painting, fixing plumbing issues, staging, cleaning, etc.
- Your agent will put a for sale sign on the property and key box for ease in showing the property
- Professional pictures will need to be taken.
- Your agent will list the property on the MLS, and various other websites.
- Your agent will advise you to not be present during showings.
- Showings will be scheduled with your agent and your agent will schedule a time with you.
Once an offer(s) is received your agent will present it to you and advise you what to do. The decision will be your decision. Your agent is going to give you professional advice and you have the choice of following that advice or going another direction
Once you have decided on a deal that you want to accept, it puts the property under contract. What that means is that your property will come off the market and we will start the journey to closing. Once under contract your agent will ask if you have a preference on what title company you want to use. Once that is decided your agent will send it over to that title company. They will then pull title on your property to ensure there’s no judgements/liens.
On the journey to closing the agent will send you various documents to ensure that the property is closed appropriately. This can range from additional addendum, brokerage forms, etc. The buyer will also be doing their inspections and making sure there are no huge defects within the home at this time. Your agent will coordinate with you to schedule a closing time.
Congrats your home has sold! You will be signing a lot of documents on this day at the title company that you chose. Your agent will attend closing with you, unless otherwise discussed before closing. Once the deal is done your agent will remain in contact with you should you have any more concerns or questions.