When I finally made the decision to become a First Time Home Buyer, stop making my landlord’s house payment and start making my own, I didn’t know what to expect. I was worried about making mistakes or making a bad decision. But, as my real estate agent, Dan Bozza, led me through the process of buying my first home, my excitement grew and my fears subsided.
Dan told me that I needed to find a loan officer to help me attain pre-approval status. He said I could select a lending institution or that he could recommend a few loan officers some of his other clients had found courteous and thorough.
I really didn’t think that I would be able to borrow enough money to buy a home of my own. My loan officer assured me that there was no guess work involved. He explained that the lending institution would pre-approve me for a total mortgage loan amount, based on my income, monthly debts, credit history, and assets.
Once we knew I what I could afford, Dan asked me to tell him what I saw as my dream home. This was the most fun for me. Dan took me to see a variety of houses that fit my criteria and price range. I couldn’t believe what was out there for first time home buyers. I could have looked at houses forever. When we found the house for me, I knew it instantly. Not only did it have my dream kitchen, it had room in the yard for a vegetable garden. Dan wasted no time. He explained that we needed to make an offer.
Dan told me not to be shocked when I seen the paperwork. “This is just the first truckload,” he said with a laugh. We went over it all. Dan made sure I understood each piece. He went over the proposed selling price, explained earnest money, inspection contingencies, made sure that the contract included all interior and exterior items included in the sale. He answered all of my questions and told me of some areas where I needed to pay special attention. This was when I began to believe that it was really going to happen. I was on my way to owning my very first home.
When the day of the inspection came, I got nervous all over again. What if something was seriously wrong, and all this hope and excitement turned to dust? I watched as the inspector tapped, crawled and poked into every corner. The report was thorough. Although nothing really alarming came out in the report, we did end up with a list of small repairs to make sure the owner completed before the deal was complete. I was glad that Dan had advised me to make the sale contingent on the outcome of the inspection.
The next step was the appraisal. Dan and my loan officer explained to me that the appraisal would document for the lending institution and for me that the selling price of the property was appropriate for its size, location, age and condition. I could see that my lending institution was really looking out for me.
Dan, the seller’s agent and I went through the house to do the final walk through. We ticked off all the items on the list of repairs and made sure everything was in order. Dan showed me the link on his web page with all the phone numbers to transfer my utilities. I was set! Everything had gone so smoothly, I couldn’t believe that in just a few hours, the house would be mine.
When Dan and I arrived at the attorney’s office, I saw that Dan was right. There was more than a truckload of paperwork. We worked our way through it all until the keys were placed in my hand.
“Are you going to move in today?” Dan asked. I just looked at the keys in my hand and smiled. Straight from the closing, I drove to the house and walked around. Somehow, I just had to see it. As I walked through the rooms of the quiet, empty house, living room, bathrooms, bedrooms, I had one word going through my mind. Mine. Mine. Mine.
Thank you Dan!
Nancy
