Buying A Home "The Right Way"

Sooner or later everyone either plans to buy a home or is going to buy a home. The latter is greatly dependent on their ability to be guided down the right path to home ownership. The former could be largely due to an individual dealing with the wrong lender, an informative realtor or even being uninformed about the pros and cons of buying a home, and what to expect during the process. I hope this post sheds some light on what I teach and believe to be the right way to go about purchasing a home.

1) Real Estate Agent: Finding a good agent is critical to a successful home buying experience. The right agent will inform you about necessary inspections, explain the sales contract and their role in the transaction and what to expect from him or her. The right agent is also critical to finding the right home for you and your family. You will want an agent that you can relate to and who will show you homes that meet your specific criteria. A good agent should return phone calls in a timely fashion, answer any and all questions, help you negotiate a good sales price while at the same time looking out for your best interests with honest advice and dialog.

Local Columbia, Missouri Agencies:

ReMax Boone Realty
First Tier Realtors
Plaza Real Estate Services
House of Brokers
Reece & Nichols
Central Missouri Real Estate
The Jones Team

2) Lender: The right lender is imperative to a nice smooth home buying experience. They will perform the pre-approval, explain the lending process and give you honest advice on rates and products. Also your lender will be honest when troubling issues present themselves. The lender has a deadline to meet per the sales agreement. Their job is to give you the best possible home loan in the most efficient, ethical, and effective manner. The wrong lender can spell disaster for your home buying experience. You do not know how many horror stories I hear about clients being promised one A and get B. The loan process is fairly straight forward as long as you are dealing with someone you trust and who does his or her job the right way.

Local Columbia, Missouri Lending Institutions:

The Professional Mortgage Group, Inc.
Bank of Missouri
Boone County National Bank
First National Bank

3) Title Agencies: Title companies are the final link to a successful home buying experience. They will explain the closing documents thoroughly and answer any and all questions the home buyer has. They are also responsible for ensuring the proper vesting and that your property has the correct and appropriate lien. If for some reason the title company makes an error and misses something you could be in for a long day. The last thing you want is to find out that your neighbor has an easement to drive their car across your front lawn.

Local Columbia, Missouri Title Companies:

LandAmerica Commonwealth
Archer Title Company
Boone-Central Title Company
Guaranty Land Title


Now, there are a lot of smaller steps, but for the most part, these are the three keys to a smooth and memorable home buying experience. Of course there are appraisers, inspection specialists and other smaller parts to this process, but your realtor or lender can help you out with those individuals.

Your comments are always welcomed!