FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS GUIDE TO SUCCESS! Presented by Mike Cordell with Platinum Realty

FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS GUIDE TO SUCCESS! Presented by Mike Cordell with Platinum Realty

So where do I start? Okay so you know that you are ready to purchase your first home, but where do you start? What you may not know, is you have already started. Congrats!!! The first step in the home buying process is to look up information on how to purchase a home and how to get help.

Find your realtor! One of the first and most important steps is to find your realtor. You and your realtor will be working side by side through the whole process of purchasing your new home. They will help you find a trusted lender, send you homes to view on line, schedule showings, negotiate on your behalf, manage paperwork and much more. Make sure that your realtor has knowledge of the area that you are looking in, and is readily available to you with great customer service. Contact Me! My name is Mike Cordell, and I specialize in helping first time home buyers with their new home purchase. I am licensed in both Missouri and Kansas with Platinum Realty LLC. I promise I will work hard to get you the home you want. Please feel free to check out my Zillow reviews and see what my clients think of my customer service. Mike Cordell C: 816-745-0771 O: 888-220-0988 teamcordellkc@gmail.com www.teamcordell.com

Find a lender and get your pre-approval Now that you have found your realtor you need to find a lender. Your realtor should have a list of lenders to help you find the best loan and rate for you. For first time home buyers there are several options MHDC, FHA, Conventional, VA (for veterans) and the list goes on. These loan options offer anywhere from $0 Down to 3.5% down. Make sure that you know what you can afford. Go through your finances and write down a list of your income vs debts. This should help you determine a comfortable monthly mortgage payment. Once you have that amount call your lender to start your preapproval process. *We have attached a worksheet to help you compute your income vs debts*

Now you have your preapproval let s figure out what you want This is the fun part deciding what you want in a home. How many bedrooms? Bathrooms? How far are you willing to commute? Do you want a move in ready home, or are you willing to put in some sweat equity? Give this some serious thought but be realistic and share your must haves and wants with your realtor. We have attached a checklist to help guide you through this part.

You found the home now what? Woo-hoo! You ve found the home you have been dreaming of, so now what? At this point your realtor will help get the offer prepared and presented to the seller. They will also negotiate terms and potential counteroffers. Once everything is agreed upon, you ll deposit your earnest money, arrange for an inspection and appraisal, secure financing, order home owners insurance, home warranty and more. Your realtor will guide you through the process between offer and closing to keep you on track.

WE RE ALMOST THERE!!! We are just weeks or days away from closing on your new home but we are not out of the woods yet. Here is a list of Do s and Don ts during this stage of the process. DO CALL YOUR MORTGAGE CONSULTANT If you are unsure if something will impact your loan, call your representative. DO KEEP ORIGINAL DOCUMENT Keep originals of all paystubs, bank statements and other financial documents. DO PAY ALL YOUR BILLS ON TIME Late payments on current accounts like mortgage, car payment, charge cards, etc. will impact your credit score which identifies your likeliness to repay your debts. Make your mortgage payments on time but call your loan representative before you make any payments that are scheduled within two weeks of closing. DON T APPLY FOR NEW CREDIT or INCREASE ANY CREDIT LIMITS Avoid making major purchases such as cars, lines of credit for furniture, appliances, computers, etc. If you receive an invitation to apply for new lines of credit or to increase existing credit, don t respond. If you do, that company will pull your credit report and this will have an adverse effect on your credit score. DON T MAX OUT or OVER CHARGE EXISTING CREDIT CARDS Running up credit cards is the fastest way to bring a credit score down. Try to keep credit cards below 30% of the available limit. DON T CONSOLIDATE DEBT or CLOSE CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS This may change your qualification ratio of debt to available credit which also affects your credit score. You want to keep an active beneficial credit history on your record. If you really want to do these things, do it after you close your mortgage loan. DON T RAISE RED FLAGS Don t co-sign on another person s loan or change your name and address. The less activity that occurs while your loan is in process, the smoother the process will be. DON T CHANGE JOBS Employment stability is a big factor in the underwriting process. Quitting, changing jobs or even changing positions in same company can greatly impact your loan approval. Inform us immediately of any changes to your job, position or income.

IT S CLOSING TIME!!! We are now what lenders call CTC, or clear to close. Due to changes in regulations in lending you will get a closing disclosure 3 full business days before you close. This is an important document, make sure you go over it with your lender if you have questions and sign it no later than 3 full business days before closing. At this point you will make sure that you have transferred utilities into your name. Closing day is here and we are ready to finish the paperwork. Make sure your realtor schedules a time with the title company that works for your schedule. Morning closings are the best because we are all human and if anything gets missed we can make sure to get it resolved and make sure you are able to move in on time. CONGRATS!!! You just bought your first home.

WORDS YOU SHOULD KNOW APPRAISAL A written estimate of a property s current value. CLOSING COSTS Fees associated with buying a house that your lender charges and/or you rack up from various third parties. CONTINGENT A status in which a house has accepted an offer but relies on meeting certain criteria, such as passing a home inspection or appraisal. CONVENTIONAL MORTGAGE A mortgage loan not insured by the government or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration. It is subject to conditions established by the lending institution and State statutes. COMMISSION A percentage of the sale that is paid to the real estate professional. In most situations, commissions are paid by the seller of the property. DOWN PAYMENT The amount of your home s purchase price you pay upfront. FHA MORTGAGE A mortgage that is insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). FHA loans are designed to make housing more affordable. FORECLOSURE A property seized by the mortgage lender due to the homeowner failing to make full payments on their mortgage. In hopes to recover the balance of the home loan, the lender will sell the house. EARNEST MONEY A deposit made by the potential home buyer to show that he/she is serious about buying the house. INSPECTION An evaluation of the home in which a professional inspector determines the current condition of the home and its systems. LISTING A list of information about a home that is currently on the market. MLS A.K.A. Multiple Listing Service The MLS is a database that includes all available homes for sale in a particular area. PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) The monthly insurance payment a lender must pay if the down payment is less than 20% of the sale price. PRE-APPROVAL An evaluation by a lender that determines if the potential buyer qualifies for a loan and, if so, the maximum amount the lender would be willing to lend. REO An acronym for Real Estate Owned. A REO property is owned by the bank due to a foreclosure. REO properties can be purchased from the bank; however, they are often sold as is. SELLER CREDIT Money given from the seller to the buyer at settlement to pay for part of the closing costs. The amount varies depending what the mortgage company allows.

What Can you afford?

Loan Application Checklist

Moving Checklist

About Me and My Company!!! My name is Mike Cordell and I have been in the real estate business for several years. I specialize in helping first time home buyers find their perfect home. Buying your first home can be very stressful and that is where I come in. I like to make the process less stressful by walking you through the home buying process step by step and making it more fun for you. Platinum Realty LLC is a well known company in the Kansas City area. We have well over 1,000 agents and have been on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies. I would love to help you find your new home feel free to contact me at 816-745-0771 or teamcordellkc@gmail.com.