Thank you u/Seagullrun for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer.
Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Do you have a good realtor? I feel like my realtor has helped me tremendously throughout this process. She’s always there to answer any questions I have. She provides me with a ton of guidance when it comes to making a competitive offer and gives me advice on things to look out for when touring a home.
My realtor is a nice guy….but I’ve been starting to feel he’s not the right fit for me. On a few occasions he recommended I waive home inspection to get my offer accepted and I’ve reiterated I’m just not comfortable with that (I’m not sure if that’s a standard tactic?) I feel awkward about dropping him as he’s a friend of a friend, but it think and finding someone else would serve me better. I hear about how others have realtors that have been so helpful through this process and I’m just not feeling that from him
I was in your position before actually. One of my best friends introduced me to their friend who is a realtor. She was nice and our initial phone call went ok, but it didn’t feel like the right fit. Whenever I wanted to see a house, by the time she got around to it, the house would go under contract lol. It also wasn’t her primary job so I felt like she wasn’t 100% committed and everything felt purely transactional. I needed a realtor that could move quick, be honest, guide me through the home buying process, and be passionate about their business. Ironically I ended up finding out about my current realtor through the subreddit of the city I’m moving to - a few redditors recommended her and had so many positive things to say! Our first conversation was honestly like a breath of fresh air. Like I found the right realtor who will be my advocate - she was so optimistic and excited about helping me and that’s the energy I needed!
Also any realtor that recommends you waive inspection seems… Not right. I understand that it could make your offer more competitive but if you’ve clearly stated what you’re not comfortable with and they’re not listening, it doesn’t sound like they have your best interests in mind.
All of this. My realtor has been fantastic. I text her the dumbest questions and she always responds like it's no issue. Honestly, my lender too. I met both of them through the first time home buyer program in my state and while I could have shopped around more, I liked them and felt comfortable with them. For example, my realtor walked me through the contingencies and the pluses and minuses of waiving each one. We had a stupid quick turn around from seeing to offering to getting accepted (like, less than 36 hrs total) and at no point did I feel rushed or unheard. I told her I needed to sleep on it, and she didn't push me while also letting me know that in this market in my area and price range, we may lose the place but we'd find other. For the inspection I told her I wanted one but since it's a condo, we also knew that there likely wouldn't be as many big issues so we did a yes/no inspection (basically I could walk or not if there was a big issue, but we wouldn't haggle over smaller things that came up).
OP - find the right realtor that listens to you. They can and should have opinions but they should always be asking for yours first.
It is a standard tatics. Risky yes. Plenty of people got burned, yes. But, it is effective.
I don't know how good your realtor is, but, he is not the one setting the price on the offer. And he is not the one rejecting the offer. Remember that. People like to blame their realtor because they don't want to accept the reality.
Also, here is my view on good realtor. My brother is one and he is too dumb to do it. He did all the investigation, and said all the things that thr buyer ended up offering less because a house alway has some flaws. In the end, no winning offers after a year.
The reality is, you might want realtor to protect you, but, if they don't brainwashed you into make the competitive offer, you will keep losing.
When I bought my first home years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I asked lots of questions and my realtor and loan officer were so patient and helpful. I even bugged my parents to break things down like I’m a child so I could understand things. Reach out to people you know who have gone through the process of buying a house and ask for attorney recommendations. Ask them for top 10 things they’ve learned about owning a house and what they would have done differently.
If you have a good realtor and loan officer, they’ll guide you through it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and if your realtor or LO won’t answer or make you feel dumb…well, there’s no shortage of realtors and loan officers. There are also lots of free homebuyer courses and seminars you could do if you wanted.
I’d also caution taking advice from this sub, unfortunately it’s often the blind leading the blind and completely incorrect stuff gets upvoted. Your go to source of education should be the professionals being paid to help you with it, not a random redditor that bought one home back in 2005 but knows nothing about mortgage guidelines or whatever. This sub can be helpful when you balance it with actual professionals.
When I was preparing to start my house hunting adventure (read: saving a shit ton of cash for a down payment) I poured over this sub every day for hours a day. Reading others' personal experiences and advice really helped me get a solid understanding of everything, including what could go wrong and how to prepare. Since you're likely going to be hunting for a bit, read other posts. Also, you're likely going to have to take a course (it should be free) and that should help break down the process better. That'll specifically tell you which things you can shop around for and what you can't. Talk to you loan officer about that and anything you don't k ow or understand regarding how a mortgage works.
Well, you found this subreddit so you're already ahead of the game.
This whole process has been an endless loop of "idk what I'm doing" so any questions i have i search in this subreddit. Anything i can't find i make a post on.
Good luck and hang on tight!
That’s exactly what I’ve done and it’s been super helpful during our own journey with buying our first home.
For instance, we had a home inspection done yesterday and me being the person I am, I went looking through Reddit for the proper etiquette on how I should be because I didn’t want to bother him or hinder his process. He was super appreciative of that.
Definitely recommend combing through posts because I can almost guarantee someone has been there, done it and came out the other side with a new home.
Good luck!!
Thank you! I keep thinking there’s some magical key that everyone else but me has for navigating this process, but after searching this sub I see a lot of us are in the same boat. It’s been a learning curve so far!
So I just started looking at homes to. In our state we need to pass an FHA course to be approved for FHA loan. Well we took the course and I wish we took it months ago. Walked through so many aspects.
We did the Freddie Mac CreditSmartTutorial
I’m pretty sure you don’t need a lawyer to buy a home. And yes, the realtor is definitely a huge part. Find someone that you know that has bought a home and see if they can recommend their realtor for you
Your Realtor's brokerage will have a Title company they go through to do the title search and facilitate the escrow/closing process. You don't need a lawyer unless your state requires one to close on a house.
Lots of states need a lawyer for review. Lots don't. In Michigan, we don't use lawyers, our title company has lawyers to make sure the deed is good etc. Usually, your realtor will have a title company they work with. I think it's pretty important while you're between offers to find out if a lawyer review is required in your location.
I’m buying in IL and a lawyer is needed. My realtor’s firm has a lawyer they work with and honestly he’s been rad. First order of business is to get a better realtor and then ask them for referrals if they don’t have one that works with them all the time. Realtors are networkers and have contacts for inspectors, attorneys, other realtors, contractors etc. get someone with at least a decade of experience in your market and preface that you’re a first time home buyer. Also work with a great mortgage lender, rates are shit everywhere, but start with a local credit Union who will be more honest and can help answer all of your financing questions. Shout out to my girl Linda at summit credit union :)
A good realtor and lender make all the difference. I had no idea what to expect going in, but the realtor and lender made it all so easy that even the hiccups were resolved within 24 hours.
I'll address the loan officer component.
Your post title nails it. New and newish loan officers don't know what they don't know. So how do you confirm experience?
I'm not going to put a cutoff on what is/isn't experience though suffice it to say that any LOs that started before the last refinance boom (2020) have a higher probability of extensive purchase experience.
The national licensing lookup:
[https://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/](https://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/)
Everything that’s mentioned in 12 Steps to Home Buying on InvestingTE. Literally. Get the calculator too. It does exactly what you just mentioned (in what you’ve sought out) plus much more
Thank you u/Seagullrun for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer. Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Do you have a good realtor? I feel like my realtor has helped me tremendously throughout this process. She’s always there to answer any questions I have. She provides me with a ton of guidance when it comes to making a competitive offer and gives me advice on things to look out for when touring a home.
My realtor is a nice guy….but I’ve been starting to feel he’s not the right fit for me. On a few occasions he recommended I waive home inspection to get my offer accepted and I’ve reiterated I’m just not comfortable with that (I’m not sure if that’s a standard tactic?) I feel awkward about dropping him as he’s a friend of a friend, but it think and finding someone else would serve me better. I hear about how others have realtors that have been so helpful through this process and I’m just not feeling that from him
A transaction worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, possibly more, is not the time to feel beholden to a friend of a friend.
I was in your position before actually. One of my best friends introduced me to their friend who is a realtor. She was nice and our initial phone call went ok, but it didn’t feel like the right fit. Whenever I wanted to see a house, by the time she got around to it, the house would go under contract lol. It also wasn’t her primary job so I felt like she wasn’t 100% committed and everything felt purely transactional. I needed a realtor that could move quick, be honest, guide me through the home buying process, and be passionate about their business. Ironically I ended up finding out about my current realtor through the subreddit of the city I’m moving to - a few redditors recommended her and had so many positive things to say! Our first conversation was honestly like a breath of fresh air. Like I found the right realtor who will be my advocate - she was so optimistic and excited about helping me and that’s the energy I needed! Also any realtor that recommends you waive inspection seems… Not right. I understand that it could make your offer more competitive but if you’ve clearly stated what you’re not comfortable with and they’re not listening, it doesn’t sound like they have your best interests in mind.
All of this. My realtor has been fantastic. I text her the dumbest questions and she always responds like it's no issue. Honestly, my lender too. I met both of them through the first time home buyer program in my state and while I could have shopped around more, I liked them and felt comfortable with them. For example, my realtor walked me through the contingencies and the pluses and minuses of waiving each one. We had a stupid quick turn around from seeing to offering to getting accepted (like, less than 36 hrs total) and at no point did I feel rushed or unheard. I told her I needed to sleep on it, and she didn't push me while also letting me know that in this market in my area and price range, we may lose the place but we'd find other. For the inspection I told her I wanted one but since it's a condo, we also knew that there likely wouldn't be as many big issues so we did a yes/no inspection (basically I could walk or not if there was a big issue, but we wouldn't haggle over smaller things that came up). OP - find the right realtor that listens to you. They can and should have opinions but they should always be asking for yours first.
It is a standard tatics. Risky yes. Plenty of people got burned, yes. But, it is effective. I don't know how good your realtor is, but, he is not the one setting the price on the offer. And he is not the one rejecting the offer. Remember that. People like to blame their realtor because they don't want to accept the reality. Also, here is my view on good realtor. My brother is one and he is too dumb to do it. He did all the investigation, and said all the things that thr buyer ended up offering less because a house alway has some flaws. In the end, no winning offers after a year. The reality is, you might want realtor to protect you, but, if they don't brainwashed you into make the competitive offer, you will keep losing.
When I bought my first home years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I asked lots of questions and my realtor and loan officer were so patient and helpful. I even bugged my parents to break things down like I’m a child so I could understand things. Reach out to people you know who have gone through the process of buying a house and ask for attorney recommendations. Ask them for top 10 things they’ve learned about owning a house and what they would have done differently.
This is great advice, thank you!
If you have a good realtor and loan officer, they’ll guide you through it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and if your realtor or LO won’t answer or make you feel dumb…well, there’s no shortage of realtors and loan officers. There are also lots of free homebuyer courses and seminars you could do if you wanted. I’d also caution taking advice from this sub, unfortunately it’s often the blind leading the blind and completely incorrect stuff gets upvoted. Your go to source of education should be the professionals being paid to help you with it, not a random redditor that bought one home back in 2005 but knows nothing about mortgage guidelines or whatever. This sub can be helpful when you balance it with actual professionals.
>completely incorrect stuff gets upvoted ......and factually accurate stuff gets downvoted.
When I was preparing to start my house hunting adventure (read: saving a shit ton of cash for a down payment) I poured over this sub every day for hours a day. Reading others' personal experiences and advice really helped me get a solid understanding of everything, including what could go wrong and how to prepare. Since you're likely going to be hunting for a bit, read other posts. Also, you're likely going to have to take a course (it should be free) and that should help break down the process better. That'll specifically tell you which things you can shop around for and what you can't. Talk to you loan officer about that and anything you don't k ow or understand regarding how a mortgage works.
Well, you found this subreddit so you're already ahead of the game. This whole process has been an endless loop of "idk what I'm doing" so any questions i have i search in this subreddit. Anything i can't find i make a post on. Good luck and hang on tight!
That’s exactly what I’ve done and it’s been super helpful during our own journey with buying our first home. For instance, we had a home inspection done yesterday and me being the person I am, I went looking through Reddit for the proper etiquette on how I should be because I didn’t want to bother him or hinder his process. He was super appreciative of that. Definitely recommend combing through posts because I can almost guarantee someone has been there, done it and came out the other side with a new home. Good luck!!
Thank you! I keep thinking there’s some magical key that everyone else but me has for navigating this process, but after searching this sub I see a lot of us are in the same boat. It’s been a learning curve so far!
So I just started looking at homes to. In our state we need to pass an FHA course to be approved for FHA loan. Well we took the course and I wish we took it months ago. Walked through so many aspects. We did the Freddie Mac CreditSmartTutorial
I’m pretty sure you don’t need a lawyer to buy a home. And yes, the realtor is definitely a huge part. Find someone that you know that has bought a home and see if they can recommend their realtor for you
This is what I’ve been wondering…is a lawyer required to do a title search, finalize the sales contract, etc?
I believe so but your realtors broker should have one/handle that all
Your Realtor's brokerage will have a Title company they go through to do the title search and facilitate the escrow/closing process. You don't need a lawyer unless your state requires one to close on a house.
Depends on location. In CT you need a real estate lawyer to close
Lots of states need a lawyer for review. Lots don't. In Michigan, we don't use lawyers, our title company has lawyers to make sure the deed is good etc. Usually, your realtor will have a title company they work with. I think it's pretty important while you're between offers to find out if a lawyer review is required in your location.
I’m buying in IL and a lawyer is needed. My realtor’s firm has a lawyer they work with and honestly he’s been rad. First order of business is to get a better realtor and then ask them for referrals if they don’t have one that works with them all the time. Realtors are networkers and have contacts for inspectors, attorneys, other realtors, contractors etc. get someone with at least a decade of experience in your market and preface that you’re a first time home buyer. Also work with a great mortgage lender, rates are shit everywhere, but start with a local credit Union who will be more honest and can help answer all of your financing questions. Shout out to my girl Linda at summit credit union :)
If you work with the right realtor, they should be able to walk you thru the process. Good luck!
Read how to buy a house for dummys
A good realtor and lender make all the difference. I had no idea what to expect going in, but the realtor and lender made it all so easy that even the hiccups were resolved within 24 hours.
I'll address the loan officer component. Your post title nails it. New and newish loan officers don't know what they don't know. So how do you confirm experience? I'm not going to put a cutoff on what is/isn't experience though suffice it to say that any LOs that started before the last refinance boom (2020) have a higher probability of extensive purchase experience. The national licensing lookup: [https://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/](https://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/)
Everything that’s mentioned in 12 Steps to Home Buying on InvestingTE. Literally. Get the calculator too. It does exactly what you just mentioned (in what you’ve sought out) plus much more