Buy

Whether you’re looking for a condo, single-family, or multi-family home, I’m happy to talk with you in detail about their pros and cons. My clients have bought properties across the whole spectrum, and my personal experiences owning some of each can help provide you with unique perspectives when searching for your own.

I use a range of strategies to help you with your home search, going beyond those that are simpler and more standardized. Along with notifying you of matches the minute they hit the market, I’ll be manually looking through for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) websites daily to see if any match your criteria. I’ll also use predictive analytics to identify off-market homes in your search areas whose owners are more likely than others to want to sell, and I pay for the postage to start the conversation.

If you’re paying close attention to finances, I’ll help you calculate different purchase limits for each individual town based on their unique tax rates. The large range of tax rates in Greater Boston can make your allowable purchase price vary by over $50K on a $2,500-per-month mortgage payment from one town to another!

We’ll weigh the pros and cons of 14 different strategies when we craft your offer together. Sellers care about more than *just* price, and that doesn’t mean you have to waive your home inspection either. Despite the current seller’s market, many sellers are worried about potential pitfalls during the transaction. On top of wanting a good price for their home, they want to ensure they won’t need to go back onto the market to find another buyer or drop the price after the appraisal. With an eye on what sellers are looking for, I’ll help you present the most attractive offer possible using a menu of options.

The home inspection isn’t just about hiring an inspector. In addition to recommending some of the best inspectors in the industry, I’ve developed a checklist to help us dig into more than 35 different factors together before an inspection period ends. For example, is the home priced low because it’s on a private road? What about lead paint? We’ll discuss any concerns you may have and address them before the end of your inspection period.

Acting as your home-buying “project manager”, I’ll work together with your lender, attorney, home inspector, pest inspector, radon inspector, roof / chimney inspector, the list agent, building department, board of health, condo owners’ association, condo management, and even contractors, as necessary.

There are many hurdles and common pitfalls on the way to closing on a home. We’ll discuss those, along with other choices and deadlines well in advance so you won’t need to make snap judgements on one of the largest financial decisions of your life.

The buyer checklists I created cover an array of issues related to the purchase process, many even before we write an offer. I elaborate on many of these concepts within the checklists themselves on a collaboration website called Trello.com, and you’ll have access to it all on your smartphone, computer, or tablet. Although many of my clients have been impressed with the way Trello keeps track of the checklists and their progress within the buying process, I’ve also used a more traditional approach instead when that’s what a client preferred.

Because everyone is different, I tailor my approach based on preference, personality type, and needs. If you want to see all the statistics and charts on homes sold over the past year, I’ll make that happen! If you’d rather focus your attention on how a home makes you feel, regardless of price, I’ll make sure you get a chance to thoroughly check it out! We’ll discuss your preferences, along with any other factors you want to consider, and build it into your process.

My job isn’t finished when you walk away from the closing table with keys. In addition to being a resource in the future, there are many things you’ll probably get in the mail that often confuse buyers. I’ll give you a list of scams to watch out for and explain which bills will be paid on your behalf, etc. I’m happy to answer questions anytime, even after closing, about any aspect of your purchase or home ownership in general.