Steps to Buying a Home For Sale in Fort Collins, Colorado

Pre-Qualification: This is the initial process to determine how much of a loan you qualify for. You will need to provide the Lender with information on your credit, assets, debt and income. This is important, as sometimes buyers must act quickly on a property they are interested in. This can show the seller that you are serious and ready to negotiate.

Pre-Approval: This is a conditional agreement upon a specific loan amount. You will have completed a loan application, the Lender will have reviewed your debt to income ratio and analyzed your credit. This loan will still be conditional upon a successful appraisal and title review of the property. But you can get a loan rate locked in at this time, so that the rates do not rise on you.

Property Search:

Now that you know what you can afford it is time to find your dream home. The Keller Williams process starts with an initial consultation with your agent. Your agent will listen to everything from the most basic needs to your dreams and help to steer you in the right direction. With years of local experience in the Fort Collins Real Estate market, your agent will be able to help you identify the area of town, the neighborhood and the house for you. Your Keller Williams agent will be able to discuss the neighborhood, the schools, local amenities, and even be able to create a report of comparable properties so you can see if you are getting a good deal or not.

You can also search available properties on our website.

Once you and your Keller Williams agent have located several possible properties, it is time to go view them. This process can be done during business hours or after business hours. It generally takes about a half an hour to view one property.

Making an Offer:

So you have decided on the house you want to buy. Maybe it is priced to high for you or maybe it just came on the market and you are expecting competing offers. Your Keller Williams agent will help you write a formal offer on this property.

This will not only indicate the price you are wanting but also financing conditions, form of earnest money, inclusions/exclusions, deadlines for the inspection and insurance, terms of cancellation and any other contingencies (like selling your existing house) to buy this property.

Once the offer has been submitted, the seller must review the offer and then respond. The response will either be acceptance, rejection or a counter offer. In the case of a counter offer, your Keller Williams agent will be able to help you determine the best course of action, so that you get the best deal possible. This negotiation period goes back and forth until both parties are satisfied, and agree on terms, or agree to disagree in which case the offer is not accepted.

Due Diligence Period:

When you settled on the price and terms with the seller, it is now time for you to really inspect the property, financing and insurance. Your Keller Williams agent will help you through this very important process. There are very important deadlines that must be meat in order to satisfy the buyers end of the deal. Your Keller Williams will be able to provide you with many options for Professional Inspectors, Surveyors, Title Companies, Appraisers and any other specialist that might be needed in order to make sure the property is in good condition.

The specific events that every buyer must acknowledge and adhere to:

• Loan Application
• Title Work Review
• Home Owners Association Document Review
• Physical Inspection of the Property
• Lease (when applicable for Investment Properties)
• Appraisal
• Property Insurance
• Loan Commitment

Again, your Keller Williams agent is trained and supported to help make sure you are following the dates and deadlines of the Contract, but also making sure that you are not buying a lemon.

Closing:

Assuming all the events in the above section were successful, it is now time to close on the property. A title company will usually host the closing event. This is where the transfer of title will happen. Generally a day or two before closing, your Fort Collins Real Estate agent will be able to review the settlement sheet to check for errors and be able to answer any questions you might have. While at the closing table, you will be singing many documents and this is another appropriate time to ask your well trained agent questions of any sort. Once the paper work is done you have become a home owner and you will receive the keys to your new house.

Moving:
You now own the house. You can move in. Your Keller Williams agent, will be able to give you resources on moving. This will include, moving companies, storage facilities, rental properties, carry-out menus, or whatever else you might need.

Keller Williams Downtown is truly here to service all of your needs from the beginning to the end of the transaction.