Buying? Allen Brothers Realtors, helping clients with their home, business and investment properties since 1986.

Buying a home is intimidating for a lot of people, but with a little up-front planning, it isn't that confusing. So you'll know exactly what to expect, we like to furnish our buyers with a road map of the whole deal. These are our nine steps to buying a home.

Step 1 – Get ready to purchase
There are many things you'll want to consider prior to beginning your home search. When you begin your search, you'll probably want to make a check list of features you want, get an idea of what school districts and neighborhoods you'd like to live in, and begin planning your budget. A good rule to follow is that your mortgage payment should be around 30 percent of your net monthly income.

Step 2 – Talk to a real estate agent
This is where we can help. We'd be more than happy to plan a time to get together with you and speak with you regarding your real estate needs and get an idea of your plans for the future. We'll talk about neighborhoods, schools in the Houston area, the mortgage industry, and any other economic factors that may potentially affect your buying decision today or in the future.

In addition, we'll help you start the loan process. There are some great mortgage professionals in Houston, and we work with a lot of them, so you can rest assured that you're in great hands. They will assist you with figuring out which type of loan is best for you and help you get approved.

Step 3 – Begin house hunting
Following our first meeting, we'll begin looking for houses on the market that are good for you. We'll get a sneak peek of many of the houses and remove the bad ones, and then we'll schedule appointments to view the houses whenever it's most convenient for you.

When we tour the homes, we'll call attention to good features and negative ones. we'll even ask you to tell us about things you like and dislike. Most often, buyers change their list of must-haves as we tour homes and some items become more substantial than others. If that's the situation, we'll search all the listings one more time and trim it down to the house of your dreams.

Step 4 – Get a grasp of the housing market
Your agent's awareness of the Houston market is a crucial element in your home search. And we assure you we're well-versed in all the school districts and neighborhoods, and we'll let you know which districts are "hot" and require immediate action and the rest that are "cold" and allow for careful analysis.

As we tour homes, we'll be sure to tell you if the seller's list price has room for negotiation or if we believe the house is "priced to sell." When working with an agent, be on guard and be sure to ask plenty of questions. Any REALTOR^® in Houston will convince you they truly know the market. If things don't add up, just call us at (713) 524-2292 or e-mail us at admin@allenbrothersrealtors.com and we'll be glad to answer your questions. Our market knowledge will keep you a step ahead throughout the entire deal.

Step 5 – Find the house you've been waiting for
We're positive we'll find your dream house in the Houston area. When that happens, we'll thoroughly create your home purchase offer. The offer will be tailored with your needs in mind, including many contingencies, such as acquiring financing, finishing the home inspection, and a clean title.

Upon presenting your offer, you'll probably want to submit "earnest money." This is a cash deposit given to the seller to secure an offer to buy the property, and it's typically applied to the cost of closing. If the seller accepts your offer, we should close about 30 to 60 days after. This allows plenty of time for your mortgage financing.

Step 6 – Negotiate the deal
A lot of contracts don't close on the initial offer. It's pretty common to receive a counter offer. But don't let this discourage you. We'll figure out whether or not to consent to the counter offer, present our own counter offer, or decline the seller's offer and move on.

Market circumstances will play a vital role in how aggressively we negotiate the contract. In addition, we'll work within your budget. And when it's all said and done, we'll formulate a contract that is best for you.

Step 7 – Obtain financing
After the contract is complete, you'll begin working with your mortgage lender to close the loan. If you've been pre-approved, this won't take very long at all, but you'll need to keep in close contact with your lender. And we'll look after all the property information your mortgage lender needs to close the loan.

Step 8 – Close the deal
You'll get a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) outlining your closing costs from your lender within three days of taking your loan application. This estimate is formed from the loan amount, and RESPA requirements order that it has to include all closing costs and fall within a precise range of accuracy. we'll review the estimate and let you know if it all looks permissible.

Then it's time to close on your house. This will probably happen at a title company or escrow office and will likely be a smooth and relaxing affair.

Step 9 – Move in
You made it! Now you can move into your new house. Enjoy it. And if you need anything or have any questions, be sure to call us at (713) 524-2292 or send us an e-mail.