Step 1 – Obtain a loan pre-approval from a legitimate mortgage professional BEFORE you do anything else. In doing so, you learn two valuable pieces of information.

 

• You learn your credit rating, which is by far the most critical piece of information used to evaluate your creditworthiness. In the vast majority of cases, you can IMPROVE YOUR SCORE significantly within a short period of time with little effort.
• You understand how much house you are able to qualify for so you don’t waste your time looking at property you can’t afford. We can’t stress these two prerequisites enough!

 

Step 2 – Identify WHERE you want to live based on what is most important to you. Whether you want to be close to work, within walking distance to shopping or nightlife, in close proximity to friends or family, WHATEVER is important to YOU!!

 

Step 3 – After steps 1 and 2 are complete, then and only then can you move to Step 3. Now it is time to define what you MUST HAVE in your new house. Examples are the type of architecture, the construction materials used (brick, stucco, concrete siding), style (modern, colonial, etc), minimum number of bedrooms and baths and their locations, date of construction, size of property, etc.

 

Step 4 – Define your WANTS, which are much different than your needs!! Remember, very seldom are you successful in getting everything you need, much less want.

 

Step 5 – Search with Flat Fee Realty for available properties that meet your needs. With us way you can keep a list of what you like and dislike and together we can begin to filter the potential houses to a manageable list.

 

Step 6 – Once you have found a property that meets your criteria, drive by the house, tour the neighborhood, notice the adjacent houses or buildings, and assess the overall condition of the neighboring houses or buildings. Can you see yourself living there?

 

Step 7 – Call us to schedule a showing of that house and any others that meet your needs. Do not tour more than 4 or 5 houses per day (the fewer the better), as they will all begin to look the same. Take notes on what you like and dislike about each house. Take a picture of the front to help you remember. Note those things that you think you would need to change immediately which will cost you money!!

 

Step 8 – Once you have either found your dream house, exhausted the possibilities, or simply run out of time, whichever comes first, decide for which one you want to present an offer. Flat Fee Realty will help you make the offer and any counter offers.

 

Step 9 - At this juncture is where you may most need Flat Fee Realty, as there are pitfalls that can kill any deal in the contract to closing phase. The sales agreement is a legal document and should be treated as such. You must pay particular attention to the dates within the contract, which, if missed, can lead to a breach of the contract. This is often a very traumatic time in the process and must be given appropriate consideration. In our opinion, the Contract to closing phase is when a competent real estate agent is invaluable as you prepare to purchase a very valuable asset.

 

Step 10 – You have now arrived to closing day, the day that should be celebratory. However, without the proper preparation, it can be stressful. You will be required to confirm the terms and conditions of your loan, execute many documents regarding your loan,

 

It is our intent at Flat Fee Realty to be your support throughout this process, particularly in those areas where and times when you need us most. We feel confident that your experience will be pleasant and stress free.

 

Call us at (507) 6480-2020 or email us at sammy@panamaflatfeerealty.com to get started now!