Buyer's Guide

Step 1: Research

Do you already know where you want to buy? If you want a condo, townhome, or single-family home? Which features do you like and dislike? What’s available on the market now? If you answered no to any of these questions, now is the time to start researching. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, also take note of any changes in asking prices. This could give you valuable insight into housing trends in specific neighborhoods and help you when the time comes to make an offer.

Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Notice we said to decide on your budget—not determine how much the mortgage company will give you. In many cases, a mortgage company will pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why you need to determine the monthly payment you feel comfortable with before talking to a lender. This likely includes doing a full household budget and taking into consideration what changes other than a mortgage payment will occur once you move into your new home. If you’ve lived in an apartment or with roommates, you may overlook new expenses like garbage, water, or HOA fees that could easily blow your budget.

Step 3: Get Prequalified

Just because you think you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree. Just as they may approve you for too large of an amount, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or deny you a mortgage altogether. Lack of time at a job, insufficient credit, past bankruptcies, or other financial issues can cause major problems when trying to secure a mortgage. Before you get your heart set on a home, talk to a mortgage professional to find out what amount you can qualify for. This will also be an advantage when you make an offer on a home, as some sellers won’t entertain offers from those who aren’t already prequalified for a loan.

Step 4: Choose a Real Estate Agent

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without a real estate agent? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for agents like us to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will we help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but we also have knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where our expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let us show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.

Step 5: Find the Right Home

This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). We will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that are within your price range. Take notes about what you like and don’t like, and make sure to pay attention to details. Turn light switches on and off, open and close doors, and run the faucets in various rooms. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.

Step 6: Make an Offer

Once you have selected the perfect home, work with your agent to craft a fair offer based on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price. We will be able to help you negotiate if you receive a counteroffer and reach an agreement. At this point, the house will go into escrow.

Step 7: Have the Home Inspected

In most cases, your offer will be contingent on having the home inspected to ensure there is no major structural damage or large repairs needed. We can help you arrange this, and you can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process goes to step eight. If there is, you can renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed, or you can withdraw it.

Step 8: Select Your Loan

Now is the time to go back to the mortgage lender who pre-approved or pre-qualified you and choose your mortgage. You will be presented with various options based on your unique financial situation, including fixed-rate, variable-rate, 15-year, 30-year, or special programs such as VA loans or FHA loans. Work with your mortgage lender to select the option you feel the most comfortable with.

Step 9: Get a Home Appraisal

Your lender will have your new home appraised so they have their independent value of it. The appraisal is to ensure that all parties involved are paying a fair price for the house.

Step 10: Finish Paperwork

No one looks forward to all the paperwork involved in buying a home, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you’ll know you are the legal owner of your new home.

Our Testimonials

See why our clients love working with us.

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Seller of 3310 Maxim Drive

“ Our first home buying process was probably not your typical process. Our realtor Melissa was a total rockstar throughout it all though. She sold our house in less than a day for the listed price. On top of that, she worked wi...

Bradley Gough

“I just wanted to take a minute to thank you (Kelly) and Lynn for helping Stephanie and I find our Dream Villa in Herron Preserve. My Family and I have done numerous transactions with you and your Team and you have always looke...

Rich and Kathi Honig

“We engaged Lynn Reecer and her team at Encore Sotheby’s International Realty as a “Buyer’s Agent” to find a home to meet our current needs. We wanted to downsize (slightly), simplify our lives (villa), move to a more convenien...

Mike Kubacki

Lynn really nailed it. She and her team understand the market dynamics of the lake scene very well. We got the right price. The whole process went very smoothly, and in only a few weeks. Very pleasant and professional.

Peter and Karen McMahon

“ We have now purchased two homes from Lynn, and could not feel any more fortunate to have met her. She is outstanding! I think she’s more like a “match maker”; she knew what we wanted in a lake house and when she got a new lis...

A. McCanna

Their team has been involved with our group’s recruitment of physicians to the Fort Wayne area and we have been very satisfied with their assistance. They have an outstanding knowledge of the local real estate market. Many of m...

D. Amen

When we first moved to Fort Wayne, Lynn gave us a tour of the city, introducing us to different neighborhoods. We have seen a variety of different homes with them, and they have demonstrated a unique ability to connect us with ...

L. Keys

After working with Lynn Reecer for five years at Aboite New Trails, Inc, I have the utmost confidence in her ability to see goals through and get the job done. Her sales ability, passion, and positive attitude are unsurpassed. ...

Joe and J. Malfait

They were always willing to go the extra step to get our lake house sold, and also to help us in our negotiations to purchase a new home. They were always available, either by phone, text, or email. We would highly recommend th...

B. Zielke

I would recommend Lynn Reecer, without any reservation whatsoever to handle your real estate needs...whether buying or selling. With 40 years of experience in business and not for profits, I have become convinced that things ge...

S. Fisher

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for all that you have done to secure the selling and closing of our home in a very short time. You went above and beyond our expectations and gave us a peace of mind I have not expe...

C. Tower

We presented Reecer Properties with an impossible task. Finding the perfect home to accommodate a blending family with many children in several schools. They showed us a few beautiful properties that were ideal and then present...

Wally and Beth

We began working with Reecer Properties because we were interested in pursuing the idea of buying a home or purchasing a property. They showed us several homes in an area we were interested in and none of these homes were liste...

Seller

I just had to send a letter to you and your marvelous team on the outstanding service and care they provided in listing my home. I was overwhelmed by the kindness and all the helpful advice they delivered as real estate agents....

Doug and M. Copley

We can’t thank Reecer Properties enough for doing such a great job of selling our Lake Wawasee condo. We had multiple showings and got multiple offers! When we first decided to sell the condo, we realized that it looked ‘old an...

F. Moore

When my wife passed away recently, I was left to sell a property that she owned in Fort Wayne. Living a thousand miles away in Boulder, CO, I had no idea how I could arrange for all the upgrades, listings, legal filings, find t...

M. Post and M. Nelaborige

Michael and I often talk about how grateful we are for everyone at Reecer Properties for the great job you did of selling our home. We appreciate so many things about our experience with your company: the research is done in pr...

Tom and M. Michael

We noticed Reecer Properties first on TV during a home show. We also have been to the cottage/office at Lake Wawasee, which is really cute. My husband Tom and I enjoyed working with Jeana as she was helpful, pleasant and gave u...

Jane and Dr. G. Schmitt

We couldn’t have been more pleased with the job done. Their combined talents result in a well- organized and efficient team. Communication was always prompt and accurate, they used state of the art marketing media and were exce...

Vicki and J. Brubaker

We liked the team atmosphere, everyone works together to get it done. We were ready to give a testimonial the first week out. We cannot think of anything they could do any better. How many realtors want to find their clients a ...

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