How I Help You Buy a Home in the Tri-Cities

Most buyers start by looking at houses. They scroll Zillow, book a few showings and then find out halfway through an offer that their pre-approval doesn't cover it, or that the house needs work they can't afford. That's how people lose the home they actually wanted.

I start somewhere else. Before we tour a single home, I make sure you're ready to win one. I run buying in four steps:

• Ready: your financing and our agreement in place before you fall for a house.
• Educated: what your budget actually buys here, and every cost that shows up along the way.
• Aligned: a search built on what you need, not everything on the market.
• Locked: the offer, the inspection, the appraisal and the closing, handled so nothing catches you off guard.

I teach every step in order. One of my buyers wrote that I "clearly explained each step to us to make sure we knew ALL of our options before making any big decisions." That's the goal for every client, whether it's your first home or your fifth.

The worst way to spend a month is falling in love with homes you can't buy. So before we tour, we look at what your budget actually buys in the Tri-Cities right now: which areas, what size, what age of home. It's the step that saves buyers the most time.

Then we go through the costs that show up after your offer is accepted, so none of them is a surprise mid-contract:

• Earnest money. A good-faith deposit that shows the seller you're serious. Traditionally it's around 1% of the price, but the amount is negotiable and set as part of the terms of your offer. Plenty of my buyers put down less than 1%. It's held by escrow and goes toward your down payment at closing.
• Home inspection. Usually about $500, more if you add specialty inspections like septic, well, pool or roof.
• Appraisal. Usually about $700, ordered by your lender.
• Closing costs. Usually around 2% of your loan amount. Ask your lender how yours will be covered.

Your lender gives you the real numbers for your loan. My job is to make sure you know every cost is coming and roughly when.

If you're moving up and need to sell your current home too, this is where we lay out the whole picture: what you'll walk away with from the sale, what the new payment looks like next to the cost of staying where you are, and how to time the sale and the purchase so you only move once. If you're holding a low rate you don't want to give up, we run the full comparison before you decide anything. If the numbers say wait, I'll tell you to wait.

A few terms you'll hear, in plain words: escrow is the neutral third party holding your earnest money and paperwork until closing. Contingent means an offer has been accepted but a few conditions still need to be met. Clear to close means the underwriter has approved everything needed to fund your loan.

The offer. Price is only one part of a strong offer. Financing, contingencies, the closing date and the earnest money all matter to a seller. We write an offer that's competitive on the points this seller cares about and protects you on the points you care about.

Under contract. The moment your offer is accepted, the clocks start: the earnest money deadline, the inspection period, the seller disclosure timeline and your loan application window. I track every one of them so you don't have to.

Inspection. Your inspection usually happens within the first 10 days after your offer is accepted. Your inspector checks what isn't obvious on a walkthrough: roof, foundation, electrical, plumbing. You'll get a full written report, and I recommend being there in person so you can ask the inspector questions. I'll be there too. If something comes up, we have options: ask the seller to make repairs, ask for a price reduction, or ask them to cover the cost. If we can't reach an agreement, you can walk away and get your earnest money back. Skipping the inspection almost never makes sense. Some of the most expensive problems aren't visible to someone who isn't trained to find them.

Appraisal. Your lender orders an appraisal to confirm the home is worth what you agreed to pay. If it comes in low, we're not stuck. We go back to the table: a price reduction, the seller covering part of the gap, or you covering the difference if the home is still worth it to you. I recently negotiated a low appraisal where the seller reduced the price to the appraised value, which saved my buyer $12,000. Negotiating after the inspection and appraisal is where I push hardest. One group of first-time buyers I worked with came away with about $29,200 in negotiated concessions.

Closing. In Washington, closing runs through escrow and a title company. A day or two before, we do a final walkthrough together to confirm agreed repairs were made and nothing new has come up. At the closing table it's usually you and the escrow closer. Bring a photo ID and the funds you owe, either a cashier's check or a wire sent ahead of time. There's a lot of signing. Ask questions the whole way through, that's what I'm there for. Then it's keys in hand, and the home is yours.

This page describes my general process for buyers in Washington. It isn't legal, tax or lending advice. Your lender, escrow officer and the terms of your contract govern your transaction.