Four D’s of Home Buying Explained

“To buy a nice home is to buy a better way of life.” – Anonymous

To be sure that you are making the right decision when buying your first home, it is important to gather as much knowledge as you can. To simplify it for you, we will share four D of home buying that play a big role in finding your dream home. 

Let us take a look. 

4 D’s of Home Buying 

1) Discussion

The first D in the process is discussion. You need to discuss many things with your real estate agent. The more you know, the more informed a decision you can make. Make sure to discuss these following topics with your real estate agent:

• Budget

Discuss your financial health, pre-approved mortgage, and repaying capacity so that it becomes easier for the real estate agent to narrow down the search. Also, take into account all of the important factors like initial down payment, and closure charges. We recommend that you ask the agent about all of the expenses that could arise during the home buying process so that there’s no surprises. 

• Home expectations 

Discuss your checklist of things a house must-have. If you have not made it yet, it is always a good idea to prepare a list, as it will help the real estate agent understand your expectations. For instance, it should have a minimum of 3 bedrooms, or it should be located in close vicinity to a school and so on. 

Lastly, discuss whatever questions come to mind and whatever you believe is important. No question is off the table when it comes to finding your dream home.

2) Disclosure 

Based on the expectations you have set, the real estate agent will start coming up with houses for you to see and visit. During this process, disclosure of information, our second D, comes into the picture.. 

Your real estate agent needs to disclose all of the important information about the property. This is considered to be a cardinal rule in the field of real estate. 

Disclosure of information generally includes, but not limited to:

• Any important information about the property like the reason for selling, the current condition it is in, any damage or renovations done in the past.
• The current market condition of the neighborhood 
• Any federal, state, or local implications associated with buying the property
• Terms of buying the property like what’s the seller’s liability before handing over the property

Always remember that a real estate agent is bound by the fiduciary duty to disclose all of the relevant and important information about the property. 

3) Decision 

Now that you have seen a few homes and the real estate agent has provided you all of the important information associated with the properties that you visited, comes the third D i.e. Decision. 

It is time for you to decide, which of the houses you were shown best fit your vision for your dream home? 

Take your time, discuss with your partner or anyone close to you who you think can help you make the right decision.  

There’s no need to rush into a decision, but there is a good chance there will be a lot of stiff competition.

This is where having a checklist of must-haves can be of great help. When you have a checklist, you will clearly know the features that you need to have in the house and the ones that you can skip, which will eventually help you in making a final decision about the property. 

4) Document 

The last, and the most vital, D associated with the home buying process is Documentation. It is imperative that your home buying process is thoroughly documented. 

The documentation process starts at the moment you have decided that you want to make an offer for a home. The real estate agent will present an official offer, which is also referred to as a real estate purchase agreement, which includes the offer price (which the seller may accept right away, or it might take a few rounds of negotiations before reaching an agreeable amount). 

Typically, a real estate purchase agreement will include information of both the parties involved in the deal, property information, pricing, and financing details, closing date, date of possession, closing costs involved, earnest money deposit, any contingencies that must be met before the deal, and any conditions in which the contract may be terminated. 

An experienced real estate agent can prove to be your guardian angel in the documentation process for obvious reasons. Since they have the knowledge and the expertise, they can easily get you through the documentation process without too much trouble.

Conclusion 

There you have it – the four Ds associated with the home buying process thoroughly explained to you. If you are looking to buy your dream home, keeping these 4 Ds in mind is surely going to make the process a lot easier for you. 

Happy house hunting! 

Want to make your home buying process super-easy? Get in touch with a Negotiator Recognized Partner, who will negotiate on your behalf and help you get the best deal for your dream home. So, what are you waiting for?