If you’re looking to buy your first home in California, this video is for you. Buying in California is tough, it’s a brutal market out there. But don’t despair, my realtors and I are having great success getting offers accepted. It all comes down to preparation. There are specific steps that you should take, before you even start looking at homes, that will greatly increase your odds of success. I’ve made this video to walk you through them. Ready? Let’s go!
OK, let’s get started. Tip #1 – Get Educated.
In my experience, home buyers that take the time to learn about the process of buying home have much greater success than those that don’t. And that makes sense, right? If you take the time to learn about how to prepare to buy a home, how to get qualified, and the mistakes to avoid, you will be more confident and knowledgeable, and you’ll make better decisions. I always have the back of my buyers, but the process always runs smoother when my buyers know what’s going on.
And you’re in the right place – YouTube. “Especially this YouTube channel, (smile wih graphic) Watching videos about the home buying process is a great way to start.
Tip #2 – Work with Experts
Getting educated and learning the ins and outs is a fantastic way to start, but you will never be an expert at it. That’s my job. An experienced Loan Officer and Real estate agent are invaluable. I’ve been doing this for over 15 years, and have even trained others to do it. It’s my job to guide you through the process, help you avoid all the pitfalls, and keep you safe. I know where all the speed bumps are, and will guide you around them. And if there are complications, I know how to get them fixed. Let me do the heavy lifting, and always remember, I’ve got your back.
I only do mortgages these days, but I work with some amazing real estate agents. I’m very picky who I send my buyers to, my agents have to be experienced, have great communication, get the job done, and of course, be fun to work with. Life is to short to work with agents with huge egos, or don’t return your calls. I’d be happy to refer one of my great agents to you.
Tip #3 – How Much House Can You Afford?
House hunting without a pre-approval is a huge mistake in today’s real estate market. You’re just wasting your time. In our market, sellers will just ignore you.
Getting that pre-approval should be your next step. This accomplishes 2 things. First we can figure out your price range, so that you’re not wasting your looking at houses that you can’t afford, or missing out on homes that you can afford but thought you couldn’t.
The 2nd thing getting pre-approved does for you is when you make an offer on a home you love, you’re telling the seller that you we have taken the steps to ensure that you in fact can afford this house, and will have no problem getting a loan. Like I said earlier, sellers won’t even look at your offer if you don’t have one.
So, what is a pre-approval? Well, I look at everything the lender will be looking at when they underwrite your loan. Income, job history, credit, money for down payment – all of that stuff. And I can even take it one step further, I can submit the file to the lender so the underwriter looks at it, and does an approval. That like a gold stamp on your pre-approval letter. It means that you are already approved with the lender, we just need a property now.
Tip #4 – Making an Offer
The last tip is about making an offer, more specifically making an offer in a crazy market like we have now. Make your offer unique. Your agent and I will put together a strategy, using all the techniques that we’ve been using that are working, and put offer in writing. I’ve been having great success getting offers accepted, mainly because I’ve been using some strategies that most other loan officers and real estate agents aren’t using. Your offer will stand out against all of the other offers. It actually tips the scale in your favor, and that’s why it’s so important to pick the right team to back you up.
And once we get your offer accepted, your agent and I will guide you through the process, handle the paperwork and timelines, keep you safe, and hopefully make it fun and easy.
Thanks for watching and I hope you learned some new things that will help you find and move into the home of your dreams.
I’m Your first Call.
Your first step should always be to talk to a mortgage professional. Schedule a time speak with me today, it doesn’t matter if your’e already under contract, or if you are buying until next year. I need to make sure we get you ready, and that you’re doing the right things today, so when you do make an offer, you are all set. I see too many people that take advice from the internet or non-professionals and mess up their chances to buy.
Talk to Jesse – Mortgage Expert
My name is Jesse Rivera. I’m licensed in the State of California and I live and work in beautiful Long Beach, CA. I can do loans for the whole state of California, but I specialize in SoCal, especially Long Beach, Los Angeles County and Orange county.
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