
Pre-qualification vs. Pre-approval

Many buy-and-hold investors choose to purchase a condo for many reasons, but mainly because they are usually cheap enough to buy with cash or own outright within a few short years. Another advantage of owning a condo is yard work and exterior maintenance is handled by the condo association. Make sure you pick a competent real estate agent who can guide you over the many pitfalls that can come with purchasing condo.
Let’s start with the basics: A condominium, or condo, is a unit that privately owned, while common areas are collectively owned by all condo owners in a complex. In other words, a condo owner usually owns their individual units, but not the building or land it is on.
“Do I need a real estate agent? I found the property I want to buy online, myself.” If I had a dollar for the number of times I’ve heard this said, I probably would be on vacation in the Bahamas instead of writing this post from my home in Washington, DC. Only licensed real estate agents have access to the multiple listing system, a real-time database of properties listed for sale. Hence, online search engines of properties for sale may not include every listing or may include listings that are no longer available.
Finding the home of your dreams is just the beginning stage of my job. Actually, the beginning, or warm-up, is getting my clients pre-approved with one of my mortgage partners who can best meet their needs. Once my buyer client is clear on how much buying power they have, we go “house hunting.” Fast forward, my client finds the property they want to find purchase and I help them submit an offer. Having a buyer’s agent comes in handy if you are unfamiliar with drafting contracts and the legal statutes surrounding them. Fast forward past negotiation (another task for your agent) and the buyer’s agent helps to coordinate appointments with appraisers and home inspectors. A good buyer’s agent will aid you in selecting a title company and will keep their ear to the ground for any issues that surface concerning chain of title or any liens.
There are numerous procedures, research steps, and processes involved in a real estate traction. A real estate agent has the skill, knowledge, experience, and network to guide you through to closing smoothly.