Sometimes I’m contacted by a home buyer client that’s not prepared to actually buy a home yet, even though they think they are. They call me, text me, email me… and inform me they’d like place an offer on the Santa Clarita home they just found. While that kind of a contact will always make me smile, you can’t just submit an offer by verbally telling me you’d like to. Sometimes I think that a few buyers believe I just slip a note under the other agent’s office door with an offered price scribbled on it… and we wait for their reply. NOPE! Not how it happens.

Let’s break down the offer process for you to buy a Santa Clarita home real quick. I’ve written about it before, but there’s nothing more important when setting out to buy a home than to actually be prepared to buy one. So here we go again…

• First, you need to get approved for a home loan. Your preferred lender needs to issue you a home loan approval letter. This will be required to submit along with your signed offer (not with the scribbled note that has a price on it).

• Second, you need to gather your down payment proof – we call this proof of funds. Whatever your down payment is, we will need proof of it (current statement) to submit with your signed offer, and your loan approval letter.

• Third, we will need to either sit down in person or sign via electronic signature, the offer for the Santa Clarita home you want to buy.

We throw in a few other items to pretty up the offer package, place a bow on it so-to-speak, and we wait for a reply from the seller. Some clients are genuinely busy, and have a hard time getting the documentation above. They know they’ll be approved for the home loan, they know they have the money, why all the fuss? Well the home seller is doing something very serious. Just as you are. They’re selling their home. And you’re asking them to take it OFF the market for you. They don’t know you. You don’t know them. Not usually anyway. So, they’ll need to feel good that you’ve been vetted by a lender, and you have the money you say you have. I can tell you, 90+ percent of my Santa Clarita home buyer clients get this, and have no issues doing the right things up-front. But for the other 10% of you… if you’ve come across this post, maybe it will help to better prepare you.

Need a real estate agent in Santa Clarita to walk you through the process so your purchase is a positive experience and successful? Then ASK Robert! You can start by calling me today @ 661-373-2374.