Buying a Home Can Be Overwhelming.

The Hayes Team Makes It Easy.

Buying a home can be a complicated, time-consuming, and often stressful process. Learn how The Hayes Team can help make your home buying experience a breeze as your Buyer’s Agent. Along with the pressure of making one of the largest investments of your life, the transaction is also a legal contract that can have legal implications for you, both during the process and in the future. Choosing The Hayes Team means choosing a friend who will walk with you through every step of the process, no matter how difficult.
Home Buyers

BUYING & SELLING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Your guide on buying boldly & selling successfully.

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Buyers & Sellers Handbook

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New Home Sales

New construction is definitely one of The Hayes Team’s strongest assets!

Ensuring you have an expert negotiator at the table with you is essential to make sure you receive all the incentives, closing costs, and “freebies” the builder has to offer!

Remember – the sales representatives work for THE BUILDER – The Hayes Team works for YOU – FOR FREE!

A Buyer’s Steps to Closing

Step #1: Pre-Approval

Get pre-approved with the lender of your choice! Pre-approval ensures you are comfortable with your monthly payment and price range. You must have a pre-approval letter in order to submit an offer on any property.

Step #2: Choose Your Agent & Start Your House Hunt!

You will work exclusively with ONE real estate agent that can show you ANY home on the market! This agent knows you, your personal needs, and the criteria for your home search. Remember, when you call the agent listed on the sign, they work for the SELLER.  Your BUYER’S agent works for YOU! Upon finding the home of your dreams, your agent will run a market analysis for the homes in that neighborhood and advise you on the offer you will make based on the sales of homes in your particular area.  Once the Seller accepts the offer and everyone has signed off on it, you now are in an executed legally binding CONTRACT. Your agent will ask you for Earnest Money to be deposited at the Title Company.  Earnest money is typically 1% of the sales price. This Earnest Money is applied toward your down payment and/or closing costs. Earnest Money is made payable to the Title Company listed in your Contract. The Title Company will then “open title” and begin obtaining the Title Policy.  Your agent will also ask you for an Option Fee check. You have an option period in your contract (normally 7-10 days) in which you have ALL of your inspections completed (home, pool, septic, well, termite, etc.). The Buyer pays the Seller for the option period and this option fee is NON-REFUNDABLE. The option fee check is made payable to the Seller.

Step #3: Inspections

Once all inspections are completed, you negotiate any repairs with the Seller.  If negotiations are NOT successful and the contract is terminated, the Seller keeps this option fee but the Earnest Money is refunded to the Buyer.  If negotiations ARE successful and the Buyer proceeds with the purchase of the home, the option fee and earnest money are applied toward the home.  All inspection fees are BUYER expenses and will be paid out of pocket by the Buyer.

Step #4: Get Quotes

Start searching for homeowners insurance and getting quotes. This could make a big difference in your monthly payment! Your lender will need this information.

Step #5: Appraisal & Survey

The lender will order the appraisal of the home. The appraisal must come back with a value of the sales price or it will have to be negotiated with the Seller to reduce the price or the buyer pays the difference. If the home does not appraise for the sales price and no agreement is made between the Buyer and the Seller, the Buyer may terminate the contract and receive their Earnest Money back. The appraisal is a BUYER’s expense. Your Lender may request you pay it out of pocket or they may put it on the Closing Statement to be paid when the home is closed. NOTE – It is very important to provide the Lender any and all information requested as quickly as possible. Without the appropriate information, the Lender is not able to proceed with your file and the closing could be delayed. If not already provided by the Seller, a Survey will need to be done on the property to ensure you know the boundaries of the property you are purchasing! Most title companies handle ordering the Survey.

Step #6: Closing & Warranty

The Lender is doing all the work to get the file ready to submit to underwriting and we are waiting on those THREE very special words – CLEAR TO CLOSE! This means the Lender has all the documentation they need and we have a green light to set the closing of your new home! If you would like a home warranty, now is the time to review those and choose the one you want. Advise your agent and they will provide the information to the Title Company.

Step #7: Closing Disclosure

The Lender prepares the Closing Disclosure (previously known as HUD) which is a line by line detailed itemization of all fees being paid for by the Seller and Buyer. You will receive a copy 3 days before closing and you MUST acknowledge receipt of it. We cannot close with less than 3 days’ notice to you. It will advise you of the amount of money you need to bring to closing. ALL FUNDS BROUGHT TO CLOSING MUST BE A CERTIFIED CHECK MADE PAYABLE TO TITLE!

Step #8: It’s Closing Day!

A walkthrough of the home is scheduled prior to closing to ensure all agreed repairs were done and that the home is in clean and presentable condition. The closing will take place at the Title Company! The address of the Title Company is at the top of Page 2 on your contract. You will need to bring that cashier’s check and your driver’s license to the closing. Closings normally take about an hour – there is a lot of paperwork!

Step #9: Funding

Funding takes place once all documentation is signed and reviewed by the Lender. This can take 20 minutes or a few hours – The buyer will not be allowed to have keys to the home until the transaction has FUNDED.

TITLE COMPANY INFORMATION

The reference, “title company”, implies a purpose of assuring title, but the title company goes further than that. The title company actually handles the closing of the transaction by coordinating all parties-the lender, the buyer, and the seller- and assembling all necessary documents, and preparing, based on the contract of the parties, the settlement statement (HUD-1).

It also handles all the money involved in the closing. Through all this, the title company’s main function is to provide title insurance to the prospective buyer and any lender financing the purchase.

Title insurers differ from other kinds of insurers in that they attempt to research and “eliminate” all risks of the title defects rather than to “assume” risks. It is the ancillary function of the title company, then, to handle the actual closing to assure that the documents necessary to convey title have been properly executed and filed, and that previous interest in the property has been disposed.Coordinate – Working with all parties, i.e., realtors, lenders, buyers, sellers & other entities of the transaction for a successful closing for all parties.

  • Cure – The search and examination of titles sufficient to prepare a commitment for title insurance and to cure any issues regarding the title to be able to close the transaction.
  • Closing – The closing of the transaction is the handling of all documents necessary to effect the transaction and disbursing the funds accordingly as escrow agent.
  • Coverage – The issuance of the title insurance policies to the buyer and any lender insuring the title as transacted.