Services

Buying

Searching for a new home can seem daunting at first—especially in a place like Los Angeles. The first step in buying a new home is identifying the neighborhoods you want to live in. What are the main things you’re looking for? What are your “must haves” and “like to haves?" I’ll provide you with:

local insight on inventory levels, neighborhoods, and market activity
understanding on market averages, price ranges, and investment potential
access to listings, off market deals, and more

Step 1: Get your pre-approval Letter

Pre-approval allows you to move quickly and be prepared when you find the perfect house. While you might just want to casually pop into an open house or two, getting pre-approved means your serious about finding your new home. If you don’t already have a lender, I can happily recommend a trusted professional who can talk to you about your financing options.

Step 2: Touring homes

This is the fun part. I’ll be there with you every step of the way to help you find your perfect home, based on your needs and wants.

step 3: make an offer

Once you’ve narrowed down your list and have a clear favorite, it’s time to collaborate with your agent and make an offer on a home. Make sure you have evaluated the market and make a well thought-out offer—one that protects all of your desires and interests!

step 4: make an offer, counteroffer, and accept

step 5: Inspections and contingencies

Depending on the home, you’re going to want to do a number of inspections to find out vital information about the home. I can recommend a trusted home inspector, roof inspector, mold inspector, and more.

step 6: Close!

Gather the required documents, sign the paperwork, and move in! As the buyer, you choose the title company for your title search and the closing. Your agent and lender can recommend reliable title companies.

Selling

Selling your home can be just as stressful, and a lot more lucrative. The first step in selling your home is getting it prepared. That often means fixing any minor issues, rearranging furniture or staging, and a new paint job. Or, you can decided to sell as is. Either way, I’ll provide you with:

local insight on recent sales in your neighborhood, price history
strategy to get the highest price, in your desired time frame
massive exposure and a huge network of professionals in Los Angeles and nationwide

STEP 1: prepare and show your home

A showing takes place either at an open house, which is a scheduled session where anyone can come by without an appointment, or during a scheduled appointment.

Before photos are taken and you show your home, you should:

Hire a cleaner to do a deep cleaning
Paint all or some of your house
do minor repairs such as caulking tubs and windows
stage your furniture to showcase your home’s best features.
remove all personal items such as family photos and declutter
upgrade your lighting and make rooms as bright as possible
consider the landscaping

Step 2: Receive and review offers

An offer to buy your home is a purchase agreement signed by the potential buyer, which includes the following:

the amount of the offer
an explanation of how the buyer will pay, such as cash or pre-approval for financing
terms and contingencies, which can include the sale of the buyer’s house, a final mortgage approval, a satisfactory home inspection, and an appraisal
a target date for closing
an earnest money deposit
a time limit for the offer

it’s important to review and consider each offer. Whether you have one or many, you need to look at the following:

how much was offered?
has the buyer included or waived any contingencies?
Where are funds coming from? Is it all cash? is the lender reputable?
What is the proposed closing date? Does this align with your needs?
Are there any special requests for items to convey for special inspections?

I’ll be there to walk you through the whole process.

Step 3: Inspections

What’s looked at during a home inspection?

structural conditions such as foundation, beams, floors, and roof
air conditioning and heat
appliances to make sure they are in working order
plumbing to make sure nothing is leaking or rusting. They will also check water pressure.
electrical systems to make sure outlets are grounded and there are no coding violations
safety issues such as stairs, handrails, mold, and chimney maintenance

Once the inspection report has been generated, you and your agent will discuss how to handle any issues a buyer mentions. You can negotiate, decide to fix an item, or provide money for the buyer to fix it. You can also provide documentation showing that the problem has already been addressed.

Step 4: Appraisal

An appraisal is an objective valuation of your property that serves as a safeguard for the buyer and the buyer’s lender. While the buyer pays for the appraisal, the appraiser actually works for the lender. The result is an appraised value of your property rather than the condition report

step 5: Close

What to do before closing:

take care of repairs required by the contract
keep receipts, invoices, and before-and-after photos of the repairs
gather all appliance manuals and warranties for your buyers
hire a mover, and cancel all utilities for the day after you move
cancel newspapers, change your address
review all settlement documents
clean the house
prepare for the buyers’ final walk-through

As always, stay in touch with your agent for future recommendations, service, or questions. And if you need to buy, your agent can help with that too!