First, you need to know how much you can borrow! Knowing how much home you can afford narrows down online home searching to suitable properties, thus no time is wasted considering homes that are not within your budget. Second, the loan estimate from your lender will show how much money is required for the down payment and closing costs. Being pre-approved for a mortgage demonstrates that you are a serious buyer to both your real estate agent and the person selling their home. Most real estate agents will require a pre-approval before showing homes!

The first out of pocket expense that you’ll have is the earnest money - this is dependent on the sales price of your new home - typically 2-3% of the purchase price. If a home inspection is issued this is another cost to the buyer (typically $300-$400). Other fees due at the time of closing include the down payment for your loan, and closing costs - these are fees paid at the closing of a real estate transaction.

This varies in terms of your financing! From start (searching online) to finish (closing), buying a home takes about 10 to 12 weeks. Once a home is selected and an offer is accepted (HAPPY DANCE), the average time to complete the escrow period on a home is 30 to 45 days (under normal market conditions). Though, home buyers who pay cash have the opportunity to purchase a property at a faster rate. Market conditions are a major factor in how fast homes are sold. In hot markets with a lot of sales activity, buying a home may take a little longer than normal. That’s because several parties involved in the transaction get behind when business suddenly picks up. For example, a spike in home sales increases the demand for property appraisals and home inspections, yet there will be no increase in the number of appraisers and inspectors available to do the work. Lender turn-around times for loan underwriting can also slow down. If each party involved in a deal takes a day or two longer to get their work done, the entire process gets extended.

For most home sales, there are two real estate agents involved in the deal: one that represents the seller and another who represents the buyer. Listing brokers represent sellers and charge a fee to represent them and market the property. The property will also be placed in the local multiple listing service (MLS), where other agents in the area (and nationally) will be able to search and find the home for sale. Agents who represent buyers (a.k.a. buyers agent) are compensated by the listing broker for bringing home buyers to the table. When the home is sold, the listing broker splits the listing fee with the buyer’s agent. Thus, A buyers agent is a free service to you as a home buyer!

Down payments can be as little as no money down! Buying a house does not take a minimum 20% like you may have been taught to believe! I highly advise you to reach out if you have any further questions and I will get you in contact with a few local lenders available!

Selling your house before buying a new one is the more practical solution for most people, but it’s not always the most convenient. Selling first is beneficial if you need to access your current home equity to buy your new home. However, selling first may require temporary housing while buying your new house. From a real estate market standpoint, selling before buying makes the most sense for people who are selling in a buyers market. In this situation, you know the your current home may take longer to sell, and you probably don’t want to or can’t afford to pay for two homes for an extended period of time!

Earnest money is essentially a down payment/ made in good faith to demonstrate to the seller that your offer is genuine! The deposit can be as little as 1%-3% of the purchase price. The money is deposited in a trust or escrow account for safekeeping. If a deal is struck, the earnest money is applied to the down payment and closing costs. If the deal falls through, the money is returned to the buyer if stated in the purchase agreement.

Yes! Home inspections are highly recommended because they can reveal defects in the home that are not easily detected. They bring peace of mind to one of the biggest investments of a lifetime and may just protect you in the long run!

This varies depending on your areas market! In most cases, the spring months are the best time to be selling a home. Since every home sellers situation is different, you should discuss the timing of your home sale with a local Real Estate Agent. In some cases, selling a home during the fall and winter months actually maybe better than waiting until the spring real estate market. This is due to a combination of many factors including lower competition and that serious buyer’s are always looking for a home!

There are several things you can do to add value to your home before getting it on the market, lets run through a few: 1. Address any obvious or necessary repairs. 2. Declutter and clean—make it feel spacious! 3. Depersonalize your home. 4. Keep it as neutral as possible - this appeals to most buyers. 5. Set the stage—make it feel like home! 6. Keep it clean and consistent. 7. Prep yourself and your family to make the home easily accessable for any potential buyers to view!

Although this cannot be answered with a generalized answer, I am here to help! One of the best perks to owning a home is the ability to make it your own and improve it how you’d like. Finding out how much your home is worth is something that should be done by consulting with me to run a CMA (comparative market analysis) which is a tool used to estimate the value of a specific property by evaluating similar ones that have recently sold in your homes area! Heres a quick rundown of what will be considered: 1. Location 2. Square footage 3. Number of bedrooms 4. Number of bathrooms 6. Age of the home 5. Upgrades 6. Condition of the home 7. Lot size 8. Special features

Commission is completely negotiable! The percentage (or a flat rate) is determined by you (the seller) and me (the sellers agent) which is always split by the selling and buying agent. Have questions? I'd love to speak more about my rates with you!

An appraisal is required by the buyers lender to ensure the home value is sufficent for the borrowed amount. This isn’t always the case - In a market where homes are selling for above asking price the home may not be worth the negociated sales price. An appraiser will come and determine the actual value of the subject property and if the value comes in lower than the agreed purchase amount, there are a couple different scenarios that can happen: 1. Seller Makes Concession. - This is the most common result when an appraisal comes in too low. The seller must agree to sell the home for what the appraiser determines as the acceptable value. 2. Buyer Comes Up With Difference. - The buyer must bridge the difference between the purchase price and the appraised value. This scenario can vary as many buyer’s find it hard to pay more for a home than their bank appraisal indicates it’s worth. 3. The Transaction is Cancelled. - Unfortunately for both the seller and buyer, this may come into play if the buyer does not want to bridge the difference and the seller does not want to make the concession and adjust the sale price, the transaction is cancelled. 4. Challenge Appraisal. - Challenging an appraisal is not an easy task! It is something that must be done with much care and consideration by a real estate agent, otherwise the chances of an appraised value being changed, is slim.

Inspections are another common contingency that buyer’s make their purchase offers subject to. There are many different types of inspections and tests that a buyer has the right to perform if stated in the purchase agreement. In most cases, inspections are at the expense of the buyer. They have a specified number of days to complete the inspections and also a specified number of days to either remove the inspection contingencies or request the seller address findings from the inspections which is always negotiable.

This varies! Typical closing expenses for home sellers include title transfer fees, real estate commissions, and loan payoff. Other fees may come into play depending on the purchase agreement!

Great question! Although this cannot be answered with a generalized answer, depending on the time of the day, there are a few types of lighting for real estate photography you can go for. Exterior :: 1. Rule of thumb is to pick a sunny day to make the photo bright and warm. 2. My personal favorite is "golden hour" - 1+ hours after sunrise or 1+hours before sunset. This is generally very attractive will all the different colors and lighting! 3. Twilight - this is generally taken at night time and is used to give the property an alluring appeal. Interior :: I almost always recommend shooting during the daytime to ensure their is plenty of natural light beaming throughout the home!

Preparing the house before taking professional pictures can make or break a first impression to any potential buyer. So, decluttering most/ all personal items and doing a thorough clean is always best practice! You can also print off a full list of to-do items here: https://www.homesbykinsey.com/services

When your album is complete, I will immediately send a link to your email via WeTransfer, from that point you will have access to your online gallery to download to your personal device!

My current lead time for most homes is the same day! I typically try to shoot in the AM or afternoon and immediately get right to editing! Otherwise, you should receive the next morning at the latest.

Once I email you a link to your gallery, I will immediately send another email with an invoice and quick payment options! Payment is due within one week.