The Buying Process

Executed Date: The date that all parties agree and sign the contract is the executed date. You will have 3 days to deposit your earnest money to title (usually 1% of the purchase price) and your option fee directly to the seller. (The option fee varies based on the situation, but is generally 0.1% of the purchase price).

Option Period (5-10 Days): You will have a 5-10 day option period, during which you will have your property inspected (inspections are usually ~$500). It’s normal for your inspector to find some deficiencies in the property and we will usually negotiate repairs during this time. If there are too many repairs necessary to move forward, you can cancel the contract and you’ll get your earnest money back (though the seller keeps the option fee).

Appraisal (2-3 Weeks): As soon as you’re through the option period, you will instruct your lender to order the appraisal, which is ~$500 and can be paid at closing. We’ll get the results of the appraisal roughly 2 weeks after it’s ordered. The appraisal verifies to the lender that the property is worth what you’re paying. If the property doesn’t meet that value, you can walk away from the contract and get your earnest money back.

Underwriting (3-4 Weeks): Your lender's underwriter will review all loan documents, which usually takes 3-4 weeks. The underwriting process starts before the appraisal is in, but can’t be completed until the appraisal is received. During the underwriting process, it’s normal for your lender to ask you for additional documents. (This doesn’t mean the loan is in jeopardy in any way.)

Homeowner's Insurance & Utilities (5-10 Days Before Closing): You’ll want to have your insurance in place & the utilities scheduled to be turned on for the day of closing.

Review Settlement Statement (2-3 Days Before Closing): Your lender will provide you with a required disclosure 3 days before closing & the title company will provide you the settlement statement 2-3 days before closing. This is arguably the most important closing document because it tells you how much money you need to bring & an itemization of what you’re paying for. If you would like to see any other closing documents prior to closing, you can request them.

Closing Day (30-45 Days After Contract): This is the most exciting day of the process! Make sure you’ve wired in your proceeds prior to closing and bring a government-issued ID with you. If you can’t be in town for closing, we can arrange a remote closing where a mobile notary will come to you.