1.) Inspections - Once you're under contract, you will want to order a home inspection and a sewer scope. These inspections will identify any major problems with the home (reviewing everything from rooftops to garbage disposals) in order to allow you to make an informed decision about whether or not the home will be right for you. It's best to schedule these inspections within 7 days of being under contract in order to give you time to review the report each inspector will provide and decide if you are going to ask the seller for any price reductions or repairs. Please make every effort to be at the property during the inspection so you can get any and all questions you might have about the home answered. Some recommended inspectors and sewer scope technicians are included below.
2.) Inspection Resolution - Once you and I have reviewed your inspection report (usually this takes a day or two following the inspection), we will prepare a form called an Inspection Objection. This is a list of items that you either want the seller to fix, or reduce the price accordingly. Even if a home is sold "as is," if anything major comes up in the inspections, it is not uncommon to still have an opportunity to negotiate with the seller. When the matters raised in the Inspection Objection have been resolved, we will sign an Inspection Resolution form.
3.) Appraisal - Once you sign the Inspection Resolution, your lender will order your appraisal. This is the process by which the bank funding the loan will determine their opinion of the value of the home - based on the condition of the home and the state of the current market. Only you, the buyer, will be made aware of the appraised value of the home. You do not need to be present during the appraisal - you'll receive a report upon its completion.
4.) Loan Documentation - You will want to be in constant communication with your mortgage broker so that you can get him or her everything he/she needs to issue a full approval. He/she is going to ask you for a lot of documentation, and then his/her underwriters are going to ask for even more. Just be prepared for that, and try to get them the necessary documents as soon as you can. If you can do that, you will avoid much of the stress that a lot of people go through when they buy a house. Most stress in any transaction, in my opinion, results from procrastination. So when they ask for it, assume they need it immediately. Trust me, you’ll save yourself a headache as you get closer to your closing date.
Those are the major steps in the process after going under contract. You will want to go ahead and call the home inspector and sewer scope technician, and get them scheduled. It is helpful to me as your agent to know the dates and times these are scheduled so that I can communicate that to the listing agent.
While you are free to choose any home inspector or sewer scope technician you like, here are a few that I recommend.
Inspectors:
Andrew McClish, PE
Certified Home Inspector & Structural Engineer
www.mcclishteam.com
mcclishteam@pillartopost.com
303-586-1494
If you have any questions for me whatsoever, feel free to let me know!