Buying your first home in Madison? We can help!

If you’re a first-time home buyer seeking to buy a home in Madison or Dane County, we can help. We’re here to simplify the home buying process for you, as you begin your journey toward home ownership.

Here are just a few of the ways we help you with the purchase of your first home.

Connect you with the right lender

As a first-time home buyer, the first thing you should do is get your mortgage pre-approval. As you apply for your pre-approval, your lender will educate you on the home loan process, and you will learn about the home loan programs that are a good fit for your personal situation.

The question is which lender should you choose? The answer depends a lot on your personal circumstances and the type of property you wish to buy. There are many excellent lenders to choose from, but you will want to select a lender who has the experience and the knowledge to deliver the loan program that is the best fit for you.

For example, if you are someone seeking down payment assistance, you will want to select a lender who is well-versed in the variety of down payment assistance programs available in Madison and Dane County.

Similarly, if you are seeking a low down payment loan program, you should select a lender who has the ability to educate you on your many options and help you choose the program that is the best fit for you.

If you’re buying a condo, we highly recommend you select a lender who has a strong track record of successfully closing many condo loans.

If you’re buying a duplex and using your rental income to pay your mortgage, you should choose a lender who has experience with income properties in our market.

If you’re a veteran, you’ll want to work with someone who is well-versed in the VA Loan program.

The list goes on…Depending on your specific needs, we’re here to refer you to an excellent lender who is a great fit for your real estate goals.

Be your guide through your home search

Once you have your financing plans in place, then it’s time to look at homes. This is where your buyer agent comes into play. A great buyer agent will help you in a number of different ways. These include:

• Simplify the home buying process by implementing a plan that keeps you focused and saves you time, as you go about the process of finding the right home at the right price.
• Introduce you to the communities and neighborhoods that are of interest to you.
• Schedule and coordinate all of your showings.
• Help you obtain answers to all of the questions you may have about an individual property and the home buying process as a whole. You will have a lot of questions. A great buyer agent will provide you with all of the answers you need throughout the entire process.
• Keep you up-to-date on the latest market trends in your neighborhoods of interest.
• Draft your offer to purchase for you, and negotiate on your behalf once you’ve found the perfect home at the perfect price.
• Manage and track all of your contingencies, including your earnest money, financing, inspection and testing, and any other contingencies that are a part of your offer.
• Attend your home inspection with you, and assist you with any further negotiations that are required based on the results of your inspection.
• Be your guide throughout the entire process, from the time of your first showing, to the day of your closing and beyond.

We recommend you “test drive” your buyer agent before you sign a buyer agency agreement. This will give both you and your agent some time to work with each other, to ensure you have a good working relationship before you move forward with your home purchase plans.

Guide you through your home inspection

Your inspection is a critical step in your journey toward buying your first home. After all, your home is the biggest investment of your life. You want the security of knowing your home is a safe and sound investment.

We take this part of your job very seriously. We attend your home inspection with you, and we help you negotiate any necessary follow-up based on the results of your inspection.

We also help you hire the right home inspector. Your home inspector should be extremely thorough and willing to share his knowledge about maintaining a home.

Your inspector should also use the latest technologies, such as a thermal imaging camera. A thermal imaging camera can detect moisture problems that can’t be seen by the naked eye. A good home inspector often finds defects that other inspectors can miss.

Your inspector should also document all defects with a digital camera. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Sellers are more likely to agree with a finding when a picture clearly exposes the defect. The photos will help us advocate for your goals as we negotiate the follow up to your inspection.

Do you have questions?

You’re likely to have a lot of questions, so feel free to contact us for a consultation. We’re happy to meet with you and answer any questions you may have about the home buying process. In the meantime this article provides more details on how we serve our buyer clients.