1. Are You Ready?
Knowledge and experience are the keys to successful real estate transactions. Brokers 12 agents contain an enormous amount of valuable information, and such data -- combined with the expertise, experience and training -- can be the essential keys to your success. One of the keys to making the homebuying process easier and more understandable is planning. ... [Read article]

2. Get a REALTOR®
More than 2 million people in the United States have earned real estate licenses. However, real estate is a tough business with a steep dropout rate, and the result is that only a small percentage of those with licenses actively help buyers and sellers. Brokers 12 agents actively help buyers and sellers. All Brokers 12 agents are NAR members. ... [Read article]

3. Get Loan Preapproval
Few people can buy a home for cash. According to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), nearly nine out of 10 buyers in 1999 financed their purchase, which means that virtually all buyers -- especially first-time purchasers -- required a loan. The real issue with real estate financing is not getting a loan (virtually anyone willing to pay lofty interest rates can find a mortgage). ... [Read article]

4. Look at Homes
Some 6 million new and existing homes are sold each year. There's no shortage of housing options, but with so many choices the challenge becomes finding the property which best meets your needs. The housing market is complicated because the stock of homes for sale is always in flux. ... [Read article]

5. Choose a Home
There's no doubt that choosing a home is a big decision and you want to do it right. As a buyer, here's what actually happens. A home has been placed on the market for which the seller has established an asking price as well as other terms. In effect, this is an offer. At this point, you have three choices: accept the seller's offer and create a contract; reject it and not make an offer; or suggest different terms and make a counter-offer. ... [Read article]

6. Get Funding
Often the cost of real estate financing is routinely greater than the original purchase price of a home (after including interest and closing costs). Because financing is so important, buyers should have as much information as possible regarding mortgage options and costs. Your local Brokers 12 agent can provide mortgage information, discuss financing options and recommend loan sources. ... [Read article]

7. Make an Offer
REALTOR® groups, working with legal counsel, have developed forms that are appropriate for realty transactions in specific communities. Such documents include numerous sale conditions and their wording should be carefully reviewed to assure that they reflect the terms you want to offer. Your Brokers 12 agent can explain the general contracting process in your community as well as his or her role. ... [Read article]

8. Get Insurance
No one would drive a car without insurance, so it figures that no homeowner should be without insurance. The essential idea behind various forms of real estate insurance is to protect owners in the event of catastrophe. If something goes wrong, insurance can be the bargain of a lifetime. ... [Read article]

9. Closing
Go to any local courthouse and you can find property records detailing real estate ownership in your community -- sometimes records that date back hundreds of years. These records are important because they provide today's owners with proof that they have good, marketable and insurable title to the property they are selling. Equally important, such records enable buyers to provide proof of ownership when they sell. ... [Read article]

10. What's Next?
You've done it. You've looked at properties, made an offer, obtained financing and gone to closing. The home is yours. Is there any more to the homebuying process? Whether you're a first-time buyer or a repeat buyer, there are several more steps you'll want to take. ... [Read article]