The real estate process for the home buyer can be very easy and straightforward; however it is a process that requires a level of understanding about the laws that govern the sale of real estate, the options available at each point in the transaction and the obligations and expectations of both parties during the transaction. Realtors spend all of their time and effort trying to understand those things for each transaction, since each transaction is different. Before you even start this process, perhaps you should have a good answer to the question - Should I buy or Rent?

The best advice that we can give you, whether you are a first time buyer or a person who has bought and sold many properties during your life is to get a good Realtor to help you. To understand the process better, we have used the mechanism of the Frequently Asked Questions below. Please read through it and then ask us about anything that you did not understand or that you feel wasn’t covered. Here’s an article from Realty times titled First Time Buyers Do’s and Don’ts that might also help. Also from Realty times is this article on some of the real estate terms that you’ll be hearing. Reading it will help remove some of the intimidation from the process.

There is also a nice Web presentation by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) people about home buying, which you may wish to read through


What should I do before I start looking?

What about condos, detached condos, site condos and Co-ops?

I’m ready to look. Now What?

I’ve got a short list of houses to visit. Now what?

I think I like one particular house and want to make an offer. What now?

OK, I’ve signed a Purchase Agreement and put down earnest money. What comes next?

My Offer was accepted. What do I do now?

How do I avoid post contract pitfalls?

All my inspections went well and my mortgage was approved. I’m happy with the final walk-through. What can I expect at closing?

What if everything didn’t go well or I couldn’t get a mortgage? What happens then?

That was a great real estate buying process overview, but I’m thinking about becoming a real estate investor. What do I need to know?

Other topics that you might need to know something about.