Finding properties online is just the beginning. Let us marry your interests with market analysis and our network of potential off market opportunities to ensure you buy for less. For the savvy investors, allow Hershel Strother Home Services to help you locate properties that fit your ROI expectations, short/long-term goals and assist you with balancing your risk and returns. Our collaborative approach delivers the results you can take to the bank.
Choosing the perfect home can be one of the most difficult tasks you will face during this process. Some potential buyers have a clear vision and others have a few basic ideas. Once you throw neighborhoods, schools and commutes to work in the mix, that task for a perfect home can get tricky.
Working with our team gives you immediate access to locating your perfect home with our proven tools and methods that will analyze each of your desired communities to see which one is the perfect fit for your lifestyle and needs moving forward.
Together, we’ll be able to narrow your search. To begin, we recommend that you develop a “must have” list, a “would be nice to have” list and a “deal breaker” list. It would be wise to work on these lists as a family being that transitions are often hard on kids and seeking their thoughts can bring more excitement to the process.
Now that you have cultivated a detailed list, start prioritizing the “must haves” from the “optional.” Once you have completed this task, we will start locating possible matches based on your criteria.
When targeting your perfect home, my team and I want to know your style, what you envision in your community, whether it’s a single story, three-car garage gourmet kitchen, etc. Do you entertain often? Are you looking for outdoor living space? All these fine details help us get you closer to your goal.
Now that we have identified potential neighborhoods for you, the next step will be to:
Drive around the neighborhoods at various times of the day and week.
View nearby homes to make sure they have been well-maintained.
Ask about the property tax assessment, including any special assessments or pending bond issues.
Pay attention to zoning. Good residential communities are zoned to keep out commercial and industrial users.
Ask about other regulations, such as on-street parking. Find out if the area is governed by any covenants.
Get an idea of the neighborhood’s character by talking with people who live there.
As profession real estate Specialists, it is our job to present all of your potential options including the ones that may not be obvious to you. After we have established a relationship with you and your family, we occasionally show you property options that may be different in some areas but equally advantageous to you and your family.
We do not take your trust and faith lightly when it comes to delivering your real estate needs how you want it and when you want it. The truth is, buying a home is not the biggest decision you’ll make, it will be the memories you choose to create in your home that will be the most rewarding and fulfilling decisions of your life.
Can buying a home be challenging? Sure it can, and that is why you hire me to strategically transform and execute your vision from beginning to end. Our job is to unravel the process of home buying and deliver a resolution to any complications that may arise.
Helping you weigh the pros and cons before committing to the purchase of a home is our top priority and we would like this process to be a joyful experience for you and your family. With a shared vision of your goals and aspirations along with our expertise and knowledge, we believe anything is possible. Our commitment to service excellence includes:
- HSHS Advisors talking about why you want to buy a home at this stage of your life.
- HSHS Advisors discussing affordability and market conditions.
- HSHS Advisors talking about your desired lifestyles and neighborhoods of choice.
- HSHS Advisors outlining ways to view and compare homes.
- HSHS Advisors narrowing the choices and showing you the very best options available.
- HSHS Advisors serving as your trusted advisor to ensure you receive the best home, at the very best price, in the time frame that best meets your needs.
- HSHS Advisors will work with you on the offer.
- HSHS Advisors will coordinate the inspections.
- HSHS Advisors will explain your pre-approval benefits.
- HSHS Advisors will be side-by-side with you at the closing.
- HSHS Advisors will help you turn your house into a home by connecting you and your family to our concierge and interior design services that ensure a smooth transition if you desire.
Now that you are seriously looking for a new home, the first thing you will want to know is:
What is my buying potential?
We recommend that you contact your lender to get pre-qualified and then, pre-approved for a mortgage. If you have not chosen a potential lender, I can assist you with referrals of reliable lenders through Coldwell Banker.
A pre-qualification is a guideline that may help you determine a general price range that is within your budget.
A pre-approval is a firm amount based on the lender’s analysis of your credit scores, assets, debt-to-income ratios and other financial information you provide the lender.
To get pre-approved, you must provide your lender with personal information including your social security number, bank statements, debts, and obligations such as child support, so they can run a credit check.
A pre-approval confirms the maximum amount you qualify to borrow, but you can certainly spend any amount below your maximum amount as well. Check with your loan advisor for more details and if you aren’t currently working with anyone, we can provide vetted referrals.
When deciding to purchase a condo or single family resident, there are a few questions you may want to ask yourself:
- Are you looking to buy something low maintenance or are you ok with a sizable amount of maintenance responsibility?
- Is it important for you to be dis-attached and not sharing a common wall with your neighbors?
- Are you comfortable with shared amenities?
- Are you comfortable with common issues you may have in an apartment style living community such as limited parking and shared laundry facility for example?
- Are you comfortable paying a homeowner’s association fee in the neighborhood of $100-400 per month to have someone else manage the property?
- Are you willing to submit to the rules and regulations of your community, like no swimming pool access after 10:00 pm?
You can learn a lot about the character of a neighborhood just by driving around and talking to some of the neighbors about concerns such as:
- Is public transportation available for commuting or shopping?
- How far away is your place of worship?
How far are the schools and parks if needed? - How far are restaurants, stores and other necessities?
- Do any local ordinances affect pets, parking, lawn care or other activities?
- What are the disadvantages of the neighborhood? Freeway, railroad or airplane noise?
- Are there homeowners’ association restrictions?
We also recommend that you do the following:
- Drop in on local school board, government or other open community meetings.
- Visit the desired schools for your children.
- Dine and shop in local establishments.
- Learn about what the city offers and the current crime rate.
Once you select an HSHS Advisor, they will go over the check list with you for your peace of mind throughout the process.
Preparing to offer and negotiate will consist of:
- Deciding how much you should offer.
- Considering factors such as the home’s length of time on the market and the circumstances on why the sellers are selling.
- Knowing what happens to your earnest money.
- Requiring the seller to do a title search to prove the title is clear.
- Deciding what conditions (contingencies) you want to place on buying the house.
- Stating what you’re buying such as specified in the contract.
- Determining what special provisions should be included, such as for property taxes, insurance costs etc.
- Determine the closing date and possession date you want.
- Adding additional items to ensure your offer gets noticed and accepted.
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- What takes place next? We will take the offer to the seller or seller’s agent. The seller will accept, reject or counter your offer with changes in some of the terms. You may either sign or counteroffer at this point.
- Then what? We will aggressively negotiate the right deal that makes sense for you and your family.
- Can I withdraw my offer? In most cases you can withdraw your offer up to the point when it is accepted.
- What happens when both parties agree to the terms? It then becomes a valid contract.
Now that you have signed all of the necessary documents, an HSHS Advisor will walk you through the process for your final wire transfer to cover your down payment, closing costs and other fees associated with the transaction.