There are many questions when you are a first-time home buyer. Often, I find most of my clients become overwhelmed by the process. They often don’t know where to begin and I am regularly asked by them how the process works.

Here are the steps I layout for them:

1.) Meet with lender and obtain preapproval letter from financing institution to learn financing capability

2.) Finding the right property (Home Search)

3.) Submitting the offer: Choose purchase amount, discuss contingencies (i.e. home inspection, appraisal, well/septic test, survey, etc)

4.) Acceptance of your offer

5.) Collect earnest money in the form of a check or money order-typically in the amount of $500-$2000 (amount will vary based upon the price of the home being purchased) upon acceptance of your offer.

6.) Upon acceptance of the offer: a time frame starts for contingencies to be completed (i.e. appraisal,home inspection, radon test, water test, survey, etc)

7.) Notify loan officer at the bank of acceptance of your offer

8.) Close on home-typically it is around 6-7 weeks for most lenders we work with to have all purchase paperwork completed, this is largely affected by how quickly the buyer provides the information the loan officer requests.

This is a just a general overview and each step will vary for each person but hopefully this helps paint a picture of the steps involved in the home buying process.

If you have questions about the home buying or selling process in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, feel free to contact me. Whether your purchase or sale of a property is in the near future or further down the road, I’m here to help you on your real estate journey. My name is Rick Curtis and I am a licensed Real Estate Agent with Key Realty Delta County in Escanaba, MI. Call/Text (906) 280-6118 or email Rick@KeyRealtyUP.com