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Buying Services for Brentwood Home Buyers

Buying Services for Greater Nashville Area Home Buyers

“I’m ready to search now…” Greater Nashville Area Home Search  

Congratulations!  You have decided to purchase a Greater Nashville area home or are thinking about buying one.  You’ll be joining the ranks of hundreds of families who realize that home ownership offers a number of benefits including building equity, saving for the future, and creating an environment for your family. 

When you own your own home, your hard-earned dollars contribute to your mortgage. The equity you earn is yours.  Over time, your home will increase in value.

Buying a Nashville Area Home with a Real Estate Advocate

Outlined below are the steps that need to be taken when buying a home in Nashville and the surrounding area!

Establish a Relationship with a Lender

The lending market changes every day! Interview several lenders and choose one that you feel comfortable working with.  We can provide you a list of lenders in the Brentwood, Franklin, and greater Nashville areas, if you don’t know one.

Lenders will prequalify you over the phone based on the information you provide them.  They will consider all forms of income and all forms of debt to determine what price range you may purchase per lending guidelines.  They will also be able to give you an estimated monthly payment, as well as the down payment.  The lender and your real estate agent will talk with you about the closing costs involved in your purchase as well.  Don’t get ahead of yourself looking at homes you may not be able to afford.  You will save yourself time, money and heartache if you will take this first step of consulting with a lender!

Searching the Greater Nashville Real Estate Market with Your Real Estate Advocate 

Give your real estate agent the parameters of what’s important to you.  What are the amenities you must have?  What are the amenities you would like to have?  Where is your office located in relation to the homes being considered?  Is the school district important? Do you need to be close to day care? What about the floor plan? Would you rather buy a resale or new construction?  How about a neighborhood with amenities like community pool or golf course?

You may want to ask your real estate realtor questions like these.

  • What floor plans resell best in this area?
  • Do homes in some school districts resell better than others?
  • Are there grocery stores, banking, shopping, or entertainment venues conveniently located?

Have your agent schedule showing appointments to see the available homes for sale in Nashville, Brentwood TN properties and other homes in the surrrounding area, then narrow them down to your “short list”.  Compare each with a pro and con list.  Rank the homes in your order of preference.  Your Greater Nashville real estate agent will help you compare your choices to other homes in the area that have sold within the last six months to determine value.

Writing an Offer  

Your realtor will prepare and explain the various real estate forms that are required to present your offer.  You will also need to include an earnest money check with the offer.  This is usually 1% of the purchase price, but is negotiable.  After signing the offer, it will be presented to the listing agent with a time frame for getting a response back to you.  There is a process of negotiating back and forth, if necessary, to culminate in a binding contract.

Inspection Contingency 

An inspection period will be outlined in the contract.  During this time you will have an inspector perform a professional inspection of the Greater Nashville property.   We can provide you with a list of licensed inspector, if you do not have one. It would be wise to meet with the inspector towards the end of his inspection to review his concerns and see them for yourself.  An inspection report, complete with photos, will be emailed to you by the inspector.   A form will then be generated by your real estate agent to outline the repairs you are requesting.  This, too, can be negotiated back and forth. 

Financing Contingency

You must apply for your loan within 5 days of the binding agreement.  On the 20th day after the binding date of the contract, your lender will need to send your real estate agent a conditional commitment letter showing reasonable assurance the loan will close.  Having an appraisal will be a condition of the loan.  The lender will order this.

Getting Ready to Close the Purchase of your Greater Nashville Property

We can provide suggestions for a title/closing company to help this part of the process go smoothly. Remember, the lender and realtor will have given you an estimation of closing costs when you started this process to help you prepare. 

At this point, the title company will generate the final costs on a HUD-1 settlement statement.  The goal is to get this to you for your review at least a day before closing for your review.  This time frame is largely dependent on the lender getting the loan finalized through underwriting.

The real estate team will coordinate transferring utilities by providing contact numbers and setting the date of transfer.  A time will be coordinated at the title company for signing documents.  Then you will be ready to move in and enjoy your life in the Nashville area!

In the following reports, you’ll find the information you need to make a wise buying decision.  We’ll take you through the planning process step-by-step , to help you determine which middle Tennesee home for sale is right for you.  You’ll find a host of informative articles on mortgages, viewing homes, the offer, closing details and moving.

Please contact me if you have any questions about buying a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Mount Juliet, Nashville or elsewhere in Middle Tennessee.

Home Buyer Reports

Your Advocate in the Greater Nashville Real Estate Market

We help our clients understand the ever changing real estate market with the goal in mind of making informed, forward thinking choices.  Whether you’re ready to buy in the Greater Nashville area or you’re thinking of selling, The Linda Seaton Team is your real estate advocate!  Give us a call to discuss your real estate needs or even easier – just drop us a note right here.

The Linda Seaton Team – Your Advocate in a Changing Market

Linda Seaton – 615.478.9977