Buyer's Resources
Buyer Resources
This page is designed to be a comprehensive resource for real estate buyers and their representatives. We are including all of the checklists, forms, and calculators that our licensed professional REALTORS® use to advise their clients and manage their transactions. If you are involved in buying real estate, or if you are representing a buyer, then you should bookmark this resource page now! It is the most complete resource that you will ever find anywhere!
Don't forget to read our "Feature Stories" section to get valuable insight on topics related to buying real estate!
Introduction to Buying Real Estate for 1st Time Buyers
Preparing to Buy Real Estate
What You need to Know About Home Ownership
Home Ownership has often been referred to as the fulfillment of the American Dream. Indeed, the desire to own your home is born in the hearts of all people. It is instinctual. A person's home is often their largest investment, but it is also a very big responsibility. It can become a nightmare if it is not maintained and managed well. The following links will help you learn about home ownership and the responsibilities that come along with it.
- Consumer Guide
- Home Maintenance Costs
- Tax Considerations of Home Ownership
- Property Insurance
- What you Need to Know about Radon
- What you Need to Know about Lead
- What you Need to Know about Asbestos
- What you Need to Know about Mold
- What you Need to Know about Septic Systems
Prepare Your Finances
Once you have learned about home ownership and you feel you are prepared to take the plunge, the first step is to prepare your finances. The following checklists and calculators will help you to prepare your finances so that you can qualify for a mortgage.
- Get your Annual Free Credit Score Now!
- How to Repair Your Credit Score
- Protect Your Credit Rating!
- Mortgage Loan Paperwork Checklist
Learn About Your Financing Options and Get Pre-Approved!
Do some research on Banks, Mortgage companies, or independent mortgage brokers, and find a mortgage lender that you want to work with on this transaction. Talk to the mortgage specialists at these institutions and get pre-approved. Work them to determine what their fees are and have them estimate your costs of doing business with them. Banks and mortgage companies often run discounts on origination fees. Starting a relationship with a mortgage specialist at this step of the process will help you when you have finally made an offer and are ready to move forward with financing. Get Pre-Approved!
- FHA
- VA
- Conventional
- First Time Home Buyer Programs
- Down Payment Assistance
- HUD - Home Ownership Voucher
- Free Grant Money
- Hamilton County Home Improvement Program
Decide What is Important to You in a Home
Now that you know how much you can afford, begin thinking about the home that you need. How many bedrooms, how many bathrooms, how big is the lot, how big is the garage, basement, etc. Start with what you need so that you end up with something you can afford. Use the forms below and create a version for needs and another version for wants.
Start Your Property Search
Why You Need a REALTOR®?
REALTORS® who work with Buyers are called "Buyers Agents". All of the homes for sale in Cincinnati that are listed in the MLS are secured by lock boxes that only a REALTOR® can gain access to. You need a REALTOR® to assist you in gaining access to those homes. The Buyer Agent's commission is paid for by the Seller, so there is no cost or penalty for hiring a REALTOR® (Buyers Agent) to represent you in a buying transaction. In addition, a Buyers Agent will work for your interests in the transaction. They will assist you in writing the best offer, help you negotiate the final price, navigate through the inspection and repair process, work with your finance company to secure your mortgage, and review the contracts all the way to closing to make sure that every "i" is dotted and every "t" is crossed.
At Cincinnati Real Estate Today, we work to ensure that all parties in a transaction are Winners! If you need a REALTOR® to represent you, then look no further! Call us at (513) 401-5777 or chat with us from this page!
Tell Your REALTOR® What You Want
Help your REALTOR® get to know you and tell your REALTOR® what you want in a home and what you expect from the home buying process. At Cincinnati Real Estate Today, we have checklists and training that help our REALTORS® get to know you and understand your needs, wants, and expectations. If you are meeting with a one of our REALTORS® for the first time, then be prepared to complete these forms together, so that our REALTOR® can get to know you better.
Keep Your End of the Bargain
Your REALTOR® will be dedicating a significant amount of time on your behalf in this process. Since they only get paid by the Seller when a transaction closes, they are working on your behalf in good faith. Buyer Agents work hardest for you when they have a Good Faith Promise and a Loyalty Agreement from you. If you want to have a totally dedicated Buyers Agent, then give them the Good Faith Promise and Loyalty Agreement. You will not regret it!
Smarter Property Search
Finding homes for sale that meet your criteria in your target area is the specialty of our REALTORS® and the Research Group at Cincinnati Real Estate Today. There is a good chance that the home you end up buying is not on the market today. When that perfect home comes on the market, you need to be the first to see it. If you are not the first to see it, then there is a good chance that someone else will beat you to the table. Thanks to the work done by our Research Group, when you hire a Buyers Agent from Cincinnati Real Estate Today you will get immediate alerts when a home hits the market and our Buyers Agents will act quickly to get you access. When you find your dream home, move quickly! In today's real estate market there is a lot of competition and another Buyer can quickly jump in front of you.
Preparing to Make the Offer
You have found your dream home, now you need to make an initial offer, which is the first step along the path to negotiating a final contract. There are many things to consider when making an offer. Your Buyers Agent will advise you on all issues, such as how much earnest money to put down, if you want to include the appliances and/or other personal property in the offer. You can ask the Seller to pay for a home warranty, property upgrades, and closing costs? Be sure to include a final walk through in your agreement. You may want to include contingencies for inspections, financing, and the selling of your existing home, etc. Be aware that contingencies weaken your offer in the eyes of the Seller. All offers include a time contingency and will expire if the contract has not been accepted or a counter offer has not been received.
- Checklist for Preparing the Offer
- Checklist for Writing the Offer
- Buyer Estimated Closing Costs Calculator
Make the Initial Offer and Negotiate the Terms
Once you make your offer, the Seller can do 1 of 3 things. They can accept it as is; they can make a counter offer; or they can ignore it and let your offer expire. If they let the offer expire, then you may want to reconsider your interest in the property. You can submit a higher offer, or you can move on to another property. A counter offer means that they are interested in selling to you but they want a change to the terms of your offer. Through the process of counter offering, eventually you will come to some agreement on the terms of a contract.
Do Inspections and Re-Negotiate the Terms
Schedule the inspections as quickly as possible. The purpose of the inspection is to alert you to any material defects in the property that were not included in the Seller disclosure. If the inspection finds material defects in the condition of the property, then the Buyer can re-negotiate the terms of the contract and ask the Seller to fix the defects. If the Seller refuses to fix the defects, then the Buyer can walk away from the contract. Since the Buyer is not reimbursed for the cost of the inspection, if the buyer walks then it could get expensive.
Secure Your Financing
There many choices available to you. Hopefully you prepared for this moment because of the preparation you did in the beginning of this process. Our Realtors work with many different mortgage providers and we can recommend the mortgage companies that are performing best in our experience. We do not get compensated by referring a mortgage provider and our recommendation is based on the mortgage company that performs best in our experience.
Select Title and Insurance Providers
Often your financing institution may have a preferred title company. If not, then your Cincinnati Real Estate Today REALTOR® can help you select the Title and Insurance companies for your transaction. There are many companies that provide these services in the Cincinnati area.
Prepare for Closing - Final Walk Through Inspection
Your Cincinnati Real Estate Today REALTOR® will work on your behalf with your lender, title company, insurance company, and contractors doing repairs to make sure that your transaction goes smoothly. Prior to closing, you will have a final walk through inspection of the property to ensure that the condition is according to contract. Your Cincinnati Real Estate Today REALTOR® will also prepare you with a pre-close estimate of closing costs so that any discrepancies in the closing documentation can resolved at the closing meeting.
Close the Deal
Once all of the paperwork is complete by your lender, and all of the details of the transaction have been arranged and the paperwork prepared for everything, a closing meeting will be scheduled to close the deal. You, your cosigners, a closing agent representing the bank and title company, and your REALTOR® will be present at the table. The closing agent will review all documents with you and get your signature on all documents. Closing usually takes about an hour if there are not issues.
Congratulations! I hope you open a bottle of champagne! You are experiencing the American Dream! Now you get to move in and make it your own special home!
Save Money on Services You Use Everyday
Now that you have purchased your dream home, why pay more for the services you use everyday. We've negotiated special discounts on many of the services you use everyday. To take advantage of the discounts we've negotiated, you have to access the vendors through the links on this page. If you have any questions, then please call us at 513-401-5777 or contact us through the chat window on this page.
- Save on Gas Rates!
- Save on Electricity Rates!
- Save on Your Cable Bill!
- Pay Less for Cell Phone Service!
- Get Your Credit Score!
- Refinance Your Mortgage!
- Get a 2nd Mortgage!
- Pay Less to Finance Auto/Boat/RV!
Testimonials
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Lauren did a great job selling my house. She brought in a professional photographer which I think really accentuated all the renovations I had done, her marketing of my home was top notch. It looked so good on line it sold within a few days. Very professional and enthusiastic.
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- jclaude100
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Lauren helped sell our house in 3 days! Her aggressive marketing and knowledge of timing were great. I would highly recommended her as YOUR agent as well!
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- markurton77
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Lauren and I worked very well together considering I was 7 hours away! We managed this by using emails and FaceTime to view properties that look like the right fit for us. When the right one came along, we cleared our schedules to accommodate the newly listed property that soon became our home. I would and will use Lauren again when the opportunity arises!
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- Sharon Needham
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Lauren was a lifesaver for us. Another realtor sold our home but dropped the ball when finding us another house (we ended up houseless for 3 weeks – staying at a hotel). We saw Lauren at a neighborhood party and, after finding she was again a real estate agent, knew she was the person we needed. The next day, she got things moving and “saved” us. We love our new home. She connected us with an outstanding mortgage company and we secured a very good loan. Her commitment to customer service is the best. We cannot say enough good things about her work ethic and professionalism – and could not be happier. Thank you Lauren!
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- my2004ers
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Lauren has been so amazing and patient in our house hunt. We are trying to buy long distance with multiple limiting factors and Lauren has gone above and beyond to help us. I would absolutely reccomend her to anyone looking for a home in the Cincinnati area and look forward to continuing our search with her!
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- bc pancioli
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Lauren is the best agent! She knows everything. I am a first time buyer and she is super patient and responsible. I would like to recommend
Lauren!
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- chinacxy
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Lauren did an excellent job helping me get my new home. When I found a listing I wanted to view, she always got me in the same day. This is important with the competitiveness of homes in today's market. She provided the guidance I needed to get my offer accepted. Lauren was invaluable in selling my house as well. It took a lot of hard work on her part, writing several contracts, guiding me to the best offer. I would definitely recommend her services.
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- Arnold
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It was nice experience to work with Lauren. I was a first time home buyer. During the home tour she helped me through look through every details. Explained the contract. Overall a very smooth buying experience.
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- Agnes
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Lauren had worked with our daughter and family they loved her. We had set aside three days to look and buy early in the week when listings were not plentiful. We were zeroing in on new homes a little further out than we wanted. Lauren never entered into decisions to tell us what she liked she just listened and watched and found a new listing that was right where we needed to be.
The result we are ten minutes from our Granddaughter and very excited and after the offer was accepted Lauren continued to insure the sell would go through without a hitch.
She was the best for us.
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- Ryan and Carole Easterday
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My wife and I were very lucky to run into Lauren during our home search. Her knowledge, patience, and understanding helped us be at ease, knowing that we are in good hands. This let us focus on the fun part of searching for a place to call home. She was very flexible and responsive, making it possible for us to see houses as soon as they pop on the market.
A few days before we were due to close on our new home, a storm had passed through town. With her realtor sixth sense she ended up driving by the house and checking up on it, to discover that a tree had fallen on the back porch and caused damage. She then promptly initiated the process to have the damages repaired by the seller. This shows the amount of personal care that Lauren takes with her customers. In the end, we found exactly what we were looking for thanks to her.
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- kanevnk
The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes
in part from the Broker Reciprocity™ program of the Multiple
Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati. Real estate listings held by
brokerage firms other than eXp Realty in Cincinnati are marked with the MLS ™ logo
(the small logo to the left) and detailed information about them includes
the name of the listing brokers. The information herein is furnished by the property owner in
