Let’s start from the very beginning
First off, I want to make a few things clear.
1. You do not need to have anything figured out or started in order to meet with me.
2. You are not wasting either of our time if a buyer consult is the first thing you’re doing, I promise.
3. By starting this conversation you are gathering information to make the best decisions you can with data you have, instead of reacting to a possibility. THIS is exactly what I am here for, and I am thrilled you asked me to help you!
MY PROCESS
A “Buyer Consultation” is just a fancy way of saying a quick meet & greet with an agent. This can be over a cup of coffee or on a GoogleMeet, whatever is most convenient for you. There really is not anything that you need to prepare for, and you certainly do not need to feel like you are going into an interview! If anything, it is the other way around- you are interviewing your agent.
This meeting is for you to put eyes on your future agent, feel them out, and make sure they are someone you feel you can trust and work well with. You will be spending a lot of time with this person, so make sure that your personalities mesh well too!
I can’t speak to what other agents do, so unlike other overviews, this post is going to be an overview of what it is like working with me. I like to start with easy questions to reinforce the nature of the conversation is for me to gather information on how best I can help. I ask questions to get to know you a little bit more, what you think your timeframe is, what you’re looking for in your next home, and if you’re pre-approved. This is usually the bulk of our conversation.
TYPICAL QUESTIONS
Tell me about yourself, what do you do for a living?
Are you renting? Do you own a home now or have owned a home in the past?
Is there a timeframe that you are hoping purchase in? Or any specific dates I need to know?
Have you talked with a lender/ are you pre-approved?
EDUCATIONAL TOPICS
I want to touch on that last question a bit more and why it is so important. It is a big point I make in my first talk with my potential clients because talking with a mortgage expert is imperative to your success! It allows you to know where you stand in the market- what you can borrow, what your interest rate will look like, and what your downpayment/ closing costs will look like based on your personal finances. This also gives us, as a team, a strategy moving into the market, as well as what our price bracket should be to achieve your goals.
I also go over the first set of vocabulary words: Down payment, Earnest Money, Option Fee, Option period. These are words that I touch on multiple times in our first few discussions in order to make sure the terms and action items are clear. These words all effect your offer, your overall closing costs, and are terms for funds that inform the price point we search in. It also dictates our strategy as we start looking at homes.
NEXT STEPS
After our meeting I always follow up with high level overview of what we spoke about via email. In this email I also reiterate the definitions of our key words for you to reference anytime. If you have not spoke with a lender, I also list a few of my my trusted partners for you to look into. Once you decide the team(s) you are interested working, I send an introduction email connecting you. you to any and all of my partners in order for you to start working with them & as you do you can decide with whom you would like to work with moving forward.
What are your thoughts on this? is there something you would want me to add? Did anything surprise you? I would love your feedback, but even more I would love to set up a buyer consultation with you! If you are looking to make buying a home a goal of yours this year, I would love to be a resource. Reach out here!
