Buying a home
How I Help You Buy
How I work with buyers on the South Coast and Cape Cod, from the first conversation through closing, including what I check before you are committed to a house.
First we work out what you are actually looking for
Most buyers open with a list of features. Bedrooms, a garage, a yard. That list is useful and it is not the thing that decides whether you are happy in a house.
So I ask about the life instead. How you spend a Saturday. Whether you want neighbors within sight. Whether the water has to be out the window or ten minutes away, which is one of the largest price decisions on this coast and people rarely frame it as one. Whether anyone is going to be taking care of the grounds in fifteen years.
The feature list usually changes once we have had that conversation, and it changes toward houses people are happier in.
Tell me what you are looking for
The lender conversation comes before the looking
It is the step most often skipped and the one that prevents the most disappointment.
One conversation with a lender tells you what you can borrow and, more usefully, what the monthly cost actually looks like with taxes and insurance included. On this coast those two lines are larger than people expect, and the number that matters is not the loan amount but what you are comfortable paying every month.
I can point you to lenders who work in this area regularly and understand coastal property, which matters more than a rate quote. You are under no obligation to use anyone I suggest, and I do not take anything for the introduction.
How I Help You Buy
How we agree to work together
Before we get far, we put our arrangement in writing. I will explain it in plain language before you sign anything, and you should ask me every question you have about it.
The agreement says what I do for you, how long it runs, and how I am paid. Compensation is agreed between us and it is negotiable. No rate here is standard or customary, the arrangement can be structured in more than one way, and I will walk you through the options rather than handing you a form.
If any of it does not suit you, say so. It is a negotiable agreement, which means negotiating it is the normal thing to do rather than an awkward one.
This describes my general process and is not legal, tax, or lending advice.
Looking at houses properly
A showing is not a tour. It is an inspection you are conducting, and I am there to point out the things you are not looking for because you are busy imagining your furniture in the room.
On this coast that means the roof and the siding on the weather side, which age differently near salt. How the lot drains and where the water goes in a heavy rain. Whether there is town sewer or a septic system, and if septic, how old and how large. Well or town water. The heating system and what it costs to run. Windows, which on an older house near the water are frequently the largest deferred expense in the building.
I will tell you what I see, including on houses I think you should buy. Every house has something, and hearing it from me is better than hearing it from an inspector when you are already attached.
What I check before you are committed
Some questions cost nothing to ask early and a great deal to discover late. On a coastal purchase these are the ones that matter.
- Flood zone and elevation, which affect your lender and your premium, not only your peace of mind.
- Insurance, including whether wind is a separate policy, before you assume a number.
- Water access, because frontage, a view and a right of way are three different things with three different values, and a mooring is often permitted to a person rather than to a property.
- What can be built nearby, since a view over an empty lot is a view somebody may be entitled to take away.
- Septic and well, their age, their capacity and what a sale requires of them.
- Conservation and wetland restrictions, which quietly decide what you can and cannot do with the land later.
Some of these will change what you offer. One or two of them, occasionally, will end the conversation about a house, which is the system working.
Writing the offer and getting to the closing
An offer is a set of terms rather than only a number, and the terms are frequently what wins or loses the house.
I hold the Real Estate Negotiation Expert designation, and the work here is knowing what the other side actually needs. Sometimes it is price. Often it is timing, or certainty, or a seller who needs to stay in the house for three weeks after closing. Matching the offer to what the seller needs wins houses that a higher bid loses.
After acceptance there is a long list of dates and conditions. I run my own transaction management rather than passing you to a coordinator, so the person tracking your deadlines is the person you have been dealing with from the start. You will know what is happening without having to ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the first step in buying a home?
A conversation about how you want to live rather than a list of features, followed by a conversation with a lender. Those two together decide almost everything about which houses are worth your Saturday, and doing them in that order saves months.
Do I have to sign an agreement to work with you?
We put our arrangement in writing before we get far, and I explain it in plain language first. It sets out what I do for you, how long it runs and how I am paid. Compensation is agreed between us and it is negotiable, and asking questions about it is the normal thing to do.
How are you paid as a buyer's agent?
It is set out in the written agreement we sign, and it is negotiable. No rate here is standard or customary, and the arrangement can be structured more than one way. I will walk you through the options rather than hand you a form to sign.
What do you check on a coastal house that other agents might not?
Flood zone and elevation, insurance including whether wind is separate, what water access actually conveys, what can be built nearby, septic and well age and capacity, and conservation or wetland restrictions. Those cost nothing to ask early and a great deal to discover late.
Will you tell me if a house has problems?
Yes, including on houses I think you should buy. Every house has something. Hearing it from me now is better than hearing it from an inspector when you are already attached, and far better than finding it yourself in year two.
Does the highest offer always win?
No, and assuming it does loses houses. Timing, certainty and terms frequently matter more to a seller than the last few thousand dollars. Working out what the other side actually needs is most of the job.
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