1.                  Your Initial Interview with the Caton Team

a.      Determine needs, wants & desires for your new home

b.      Discuss parameters and time frame

c.      Discuss financial qualifications

d.      Buyers Agents are generally compensated by the Listing Broker

2.                  Get Pre-Approved for Your Home Loan

a.      Contact your Financial Institution (Bank, Credit Union, etc) for a pre-approval of a Home Loan or let us help you find a loan with one of our preferred lenders

b.      Obtain a Pre-Approval letter once you have provided the Lender with all necessary documentation (income verification, taxes, debt)

c.      Once you know your purchase power we can target the right homes

3.                  Property Tours

a.      We will preview many homes in your criteria prior to showing them to you

b.      We will then show you available properties that match your needs & wants

c.      We will listen carefully to your feedback to fine-tune the search for your ideal home

d.      We will provide information about the current market conditions, recent comparable property sales, cities, schools and other information to help you with your decision

e.      We will provide an estimated closing statement so you know before hand the cost of buying a home

4.                  Write an Offer on the Home That Fits Your Needs & Wants

a.      When possible – we obtain the Seller’s Disclosure package beforehand so you can review the disclosures before we write an offer

b.      Writing an offer will take between 1 to 3 hours

c.      Complete the purchase agreement contract and review, complete and sign all the disclosures

d.      The Buyer will need to provide the earnest money deposit (this can be in the form of a personal check & will be held until an accepted contract is created – generally 1% - 3% of the purchase price is acceptable)

5.                  The Caton Team Presents Your Offer

a.      Prepare a presentation by highlighting the strengths of the offer and your strengths as the buyer

b.      Present the offer to Sellers and the Sellers’ Real Estate Professional

c.      The Seller with either accept your offer, counter it, or reject it

6.                  Counter-Offer

a.      Discuss the counter-offer with you and how it relates to your goals and prepare a response

b.      Negotiate the counter-offer in your best interest to a successful ratification

7.                  Escrow

a.      When the offer has been accepted & signed by all parties, escrow is opened

b.      Earnest money will be deposited

c.      The Escrow Officer will order the Preliminary Title Report & send copies to the Lender & us – your representatives

8.                  Contingency Period

a.      Buyers approval of Seller’s Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement

b.      Buyers approval of the Preliminary Title Report

c.      Buyers approval of any disclosures not provided prior to writing the offer

d.      Conduct all desired Physical & Pest Inspections

e.      Verify that the Property Appraisal & Loan have been approved & secured

9.                  Homeowners’ Insurance Coverage

a.      Select an insurance company and discuss coverage (it is best to start with your car insurance company – they often offer umbrella policy discounts)

b.      We will give your insurance agent escrow information.  They will need to order a copy of the policy for the new Lender prior to escrow closing

10.              Signing Documents at the Title Company

a.      The Lender will send the loan documents directly to the Title Company several days before close of escrow

b.      The Buyer will receive copies of the Title documents and the Lender documents (We will review your loan documents with you prior to our signing appointment to make sure all the terms & conditions are what you agreed to – changes to the loan documents must be made before our escrow signing appointment so we will close on time)

c.      Buyer will need to bring current photo identification

11.              Down Payment and Closing Fund

a.      You may bring a cashier’s check to the Title Company several days prior to closing or have funds wired directly from you bank

b.      The Escrow Officer will provide a Buyer’s Estimated Closing Statement, which will itemize costs and credits, estimating the total money due at closing and also provide wiring instructions if you are doing a wire transfer of your down payment

12.              Funding

a.      Lenders will send funds directly to escrow the day before closing

13.              Close of Escrow

a.      The deed will be recorded at the County Recorder’s office by the Title Company (Buyer will receive the original back from the County Recorder in approximately 6 weeks)

b.      We will coordinate the transfer of the house keys to you

14.              Move In!