HOME BUYING PROCESS AT A GLIMPSE...

Hello, I’m Shataa Whittle, “Your Local Realty Partner”and thank you for visiting my real estate blog. I am a Licensed Professional Listing, Buyer and Sales Agent in the District of Columbia -DC & Maryland- MD. I am a Licensed Real Estate Agent / Realtor and a Native Washingtonian. Finding the perfect house, condo or housing complex does not have to be difficult. As a Licensed Real Estate Professional, I can assist you with locating your Dream Home. Luxury Condo, Apartments in DC / MD, New Development Projects, Newly Constructed Developments, and Luxury Apartment Homes are also accessible to me thru the MLS. If you are in the market and looking to find that perfect Loft, Single Family Homes, Multi Family Properties, Commercial Rental and For Sale Property, Co-op Developments, Investment properties I can assist you with locating any one of these properties also. Foreclosures, REO Bank Owned Properties, Luxurious Town homes, Water Front Properties, and / or finding land to build your new dream house, then I am your agent. As a Licensed Realtor, It does not matter if you are looking for city life / urban communities, suburban / country areas, or Historic Locations, I can help you find it. Our office has been called by many of our clients, “A One Stop Real Estate Shop”, and I am dedicated to taking a stand for the best interests of my clients.

You have truly found a professional Real Estate Agent that is going to consider you a client and work in your best interest, rather than just another commission check. With all the different local brokerage companies to choose from ( i.e.GRM , Remax, Long & Foster, Exit, Keller Williams, Century 21, Fairfax Realty, Coldwell Banker, Prudential etc…) and all the different factors to choose you are truly in good professional care when you allow me to represent you as my client. You can rest assure that as your Licensed Real Estate Professional, I will work in your best interest, in which it is very important during any real estate transaction. My mission is to provide sound and educated advice that will lead to a successful purchase and or sale of your home. I am looking forward to meeting with you and discussing the sale and or purchase of your new home or investment property. Click on the link below, and allow me to put to work my real estate experience for you!


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Please fee free to review the most commonly used terminology within the real estate industry. This is just another step that I have taken to provide information to clients and provide helpful resources. If you have any additional questions or would like to take advantage of my Free Property Analysis and CMA, Listing Services, or if you need Buyer Representation, Please feel free to Contact Me , and I will be happy to render my professional real estate services to you. If you are a new home buyer, you may want to consider attending my New Home Buyer Seminar .



· Understanding Your Credit – Understanding your credit is the first step in purchasing your new home. Credit plays a vital role in determining how much house you can get financing for, your interest rate on the loan, and the terms and conditions you may qualify for the loan. Credit has a very important impact on your home buying power and should be taken very seriously when thinking of buying a house.


· Down Payment – The amount of money for down payment on a house may vary depending on your credit history, credit score, and current loan programs available. By understanding your credit and how it may impact your home purchase terms and conditions, and down payment requirements based on your score. Other charges, down payment cost and additional fees may vary. However, it all is important that the your credit is maintained and free from any defaults that may cause your score to drop. Managing your Real Estate Portfolio may result in


· Pre-Approval Process - This is the part where you meet with lenders and go over different financing terms and conditions. This step also allows you to understand how much house you qualify for. This is important during your home search as this will serve as a foundation to start performing home searches. It is very important that you are honest with the lenders at this level because everything will come to the light once your credit is pulled and reviewed.

· Understanding your Mortgage Type - There are many different mortgage loan types, terms and conditions that are available on the market to choose from. Normally, a lender may have several different program types available that you may be able to choose from. It is extremely important that you understand and have the information needed to make an informed decision when choosing a real estate term or condition that involves your finances. Below, are a few of the most common and popular real estate financing loan terms that are used for securing financing for home loans. The information provided below is for informational purposes only and for a more in depth explanation, you may want to consult the services of a loan officer.

There are several types of mortgages that are available. We have listed a few that are commonly used for Residential and Commercial Real Estate. Too name a few: Fixed Rate Mortgage, Adjustable Rate Mortgage, Assumed Mortgage, Balloon Mortgage, Blanket Loan, Buy Down, Equity Loan, Commercial Loan, and Hard Money Loan.



· Home Search – During this phase of your home buying process, you may want to now take time to research the neighborhoods. At this point, you have completed the credit assessment, you have an understanding of your mortgage type, and you are pre-approved for a mortgage loan. You know how much house you can buy and now you can start your home search. You may want to research different areas in DC or Maryland that you would like to live. Remember, the full research of your neighborhood is in your hands and I would recommend you to take a look at the different communities and neighborhood and make a decision on where you would like to live, based on the amount of house you are approved for, your desired amenities and after you have done the research, now you are ready to start Viewing Properties. The only thing that I would need to from you is your Wish List, which you can tell me where you would like to live and I can pull up every house that includes your desires based on your “Wish list”. Once I have this input from you, as my client, I will help you find your dream house!

· Making an Offer – Making an offer is a very important part of your real estate transaction. By receiving the experience from a Licensed Professional Real Estate Agent, you can rest assure that I will provide you with the information needed to make an informed and competent decision regarding your offer including, but not limited to, providing you with CMA’s so that you can make a competitive offering price in addition to making sure that your best interest is FIRST in the real estate transaction.


· The Home Inspection – This is one of the most important steps in a real estate transaction. You want to make sure that you invest in a deal and not a dud. A home inspection is an examination the condition of a home, often in connection with the sale of that home. This is carried out by a home inspector, who usually has special equipment and training to carry out such inspections. An inspector will check the roof, basement, heating system, water heater, air-conditioning system, structure, plumbing, electrical, and many other aspects of buildings looking for improper building practices, those items that require extensive repairs, items that are general maintenance issues, as well as fire, safety, and health hazards. Think of a home inspector as a detective searching throughout the house for clues that lead to a conclusion of the home's overall condition. A home inspector determines the condition of a structure. A home cannot "fail" an inspection, as there is no score or passing grade given. A professional home inspection is an examination of the current condition of a house. A home inspector, therefore, will not pass or fail a house, but rather describe its physical condition and indicate what components and systems may need a major or minor repair or replacement. A home inspector has the knowledge, skills, training and experience to catch the smallest defects that the naked untrained eye would not be able to catch.

· Final Walk Thru – After the inspection has been completed at this point you are ready to have your Final Walk Thru. After all of the components have been either fixed, negotiated, or funds provided for replacement costs, it is now time to check and verify all repairs that were made and make sure that the property looks the same way it did when you first made the offer. This is an important part also, because you are able to catch any items that you thought were a part of the home when you made your offer that are missing or have been replaced that were not a part of the home inspectors analysis of the property condition. Without the walk thru, you may not discover any changes in the property that were made without your knowledge and this may lead to frustration, further negotiations, or a possible settlement delays.


· The Closing Process – Today is the BIG DAY! The day you become the owner of your new property and when it is time to finally see the real value behind all of your efforts. At this point, as my client, I will accompany you to make sure that everything goes well regarding the paperwork, terms and conditions, and to answer any final concerns or questions that you may have. This is the day of celebration and a day of Great Accomplishment! The only thing left for you to do is CELEBRATE!


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