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Buying a home, step by step.

Ten steps from first phone call to keys in hand. The ones that trip people up are the early ones.

  1. Find a real estate agent

    Interview more than one if you can. When you choose, you will sign a buyer representation agreement, which sets out what your agent does for you and how they are paid.

  2. Get pre-approved with a lender

    Your agent will point you to a lender they have worked with and trust. That referral is worth taking seriously. They have watched that lender perform under pressure across many closings, and a lender who communicates well is half of a smooth transaction.

    Get pre-approved before you tour a single home. It tells you what you can truly spend, and it tells a seller you are a real buyer. Without it, you risk falling for a house you cannot buy.

  3. Tour homes

    With a budget you trust and an agent who knows your list. This is the fun part, and it goes faster than people expect once the first two steps are done properly.

  4. Make an offer and go under contract

    Your agent writes the offer, you negotiate, and once everyone signs you are under contract. The date that acceptance gets communicated back is the effective date, and every deadline that follows counts from it.

  5. Deliver earnest money and the option fee

    These go to the title company shortly after the effective date. The option fee buys you a short window to inspect and walk away if you need to.

  6. Inspections and the option period

    Get your inspections done early in this window so you have time to negotiate repairs or terminate. The option period ends at 5:00 p.m. on the final day and it does not extend for a weekend.

  7. Survey, title commitment, and appraisal

    This is where I come in. We open the file and get to work on your title, your lender orders the appraisal, and a survey gets ordered for the property.

  8. Loan underwriting

    The longest stretch, and the quietest. Answer your lender fast and do not open new credit, change jobs, or move large sums of money around.

  9. Clear to close

    Your lender signs off, we finish any title work, and figures get finalized. If you are financing, your lender sends you the Closing Disclosure to review.

  10. Closing day

    Your closing can happen wherever works for you. Our office, your kitchen table, your agent's office, or anywhere else you would rather be. Bring a valid, unexpired photo ID for everyone signing.

    The title company will ask for your closing funds to be wired ahead of your appointment, so plan for that rather than being surprised by it on the day.

    After everyone signs, the loan funds and the deed records. Signing and funding are not the same moment, and the keys come once it has funded. Then it is official. Congratulations, and welcome home.

Selling a home, step by step. The order is similar. You interview agents and sign a listing agreement, prepare and price the home, go on the market, review offers, and go under contract. From there it mirrors the buyer side. The difference is that your work happens early: anything odd about how you hold title, a deceased co-owner, a divorce, or an old loan that was never released is best handled when you list rather than the week you close.

Every transaction is different, and this is general information rather than legal or tax advice. Ask your agent, your escrow officer, and where it matters, an attorney.

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