How Can You Make the Most of Your Buying Experience?

There are many great Pittsburgh area homes for sale. Click here to search Homes for Sale, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (412) 303-3600 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Many home buyers don't understand how important it is to have a face-to-face meeting with an agent before starting the home search. However, there are three reasons why such a meeting can greatly enhance your buying experience:

1. We need to understand your wants, needs, and expectations. What do you expect from the buying experience and from your agent? With this information in hand, we can put together a road map to success.
2. We need to establish clear lines of communication. How would you like us to reach you and how would you like to reach us? Do you prefer texting, calling, emailing, or in-person chats? Communication can be the difference between buying a home and losing a home.
3. We want to make sure all your paperwork is in order. We would like for you to work with one of our preferred lenders. You can turn all your paperwork in to them - if there are any questions or backup documents that need to be handled, we can get it taken care of upfront. It's better to get this taken care of at the beginning of the process because it's often time consuming and can cause delays once you find a home.

We just want to make sure everything in the buying process is done properly. There's no reason buying a home should be a nerve-wracking experience. To learn more about how we can make the buying process a whole lot easier, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would truly love to hear from you!

Why Getting Pre-approved Matters

There are many great Pittsburgh area homes for sale. Click here to search Homes for Sale, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (412) 303-3600 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

It's not uncommon for people who come to us for help finding homes to get nervous when we ask about pre-approval. Why is it so many people back away when we ask whether they've been pre-approved? Today, we explain why it only serves to benefit buyers to see a lender before starting a home search.

When you get sick and go to the doctor, the first thing you have to do is show your insurance card. That card is proof that you can afford the services the health clinic is going to administer that day - it's a form of pre-approval. The home buying process is no different. When you have a lender run your numbers and give you a pre-approval letter, it is your proof to the seller that you can afford to purchase their property.

When you go to your healthcare professional, they will give you a clipboard with a few pieces of paper on it. They want to know your history, your family's history, and what exactly is bothering you. A buyer counseling interview is the same concept - an agent wants to know what style of home you want, how many bedrooms you need, and what area of town you want to live in, so they can help you as much as they can.

When an agent has all the information they need, they will be better able to show you a home, write up an offer, negotiate the offer, and get you into a home before another agent comes along. Agents ask for your information simply because they are trying to help you achieve your real estate goals!

So, the next time an agent asks for your information when searching for a home, know that it's in your best interest to share it. Getting that pre-approval and filling the agent in on what you want will go a long way toward making your real estate transaction a success!

As always, don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you have about the Pittsburgh area market. We look forward to hearing from you soon!