You know how you feel empowered and confident when you have your squad with you? Life just wouldn’t be the same without those people by your side, who you know have your back. Well, the same is true for buying a home. Buying a home may seem like a pretty straightforward process, but there are in fact, many moving parts and while you may think you can do it alone… you probably shouldn’t. You need what I like to refer to as (drumroll please…) your “Transaction Squad!”
Your transaction squad consists of your real estate agent, mortgage broker, real estate attorney, designer and therapist (yes, you read that right), key players in the game of real estate who will empower you through the process of buying a home.
So, without further ado, let’s meet the people who make up your transaction squad.
1. Real Estate Agent
Number one is of course, your real estate agent. You simply can’t buy a home or shouldn’t without one. Your real estate agent is the leader, the head of the squad who makes sure all parts of the process run smoothly. I like to think of the real estate agent as similar to a quarterback in that they run around leading their team, throwing the ball and directing their teammates on what plays they should make. Can you imagine a football team stumbling along trying to make plays without the direction from their quarterback? Just like a quarterback, your real estate agent makes things happen and gets the ball rolling. You shouldn’t even consider buying a home without the guidance of an agent.
2. Mortgage Broker
Your mortgage broker is another essential element of your transaction squad. An intermediary player, your mortgage broker helps make sure you can acquire a loan from your bank to obtain a mortgage to buy the property you are interested in. They also help you secure a mortgage that best fits your particular financial situation and your interest rate needs.
3. Real Estate Attorney
It is vital to work with a real estate attorney in the process of buying a home as they play a key role in helping to protect your valuable investment. Your real estate attorney will review important documents such as the purchase agreements, mortgage documents, title documents, and transfer documents to ensure you are financially protected against anything that can go wrong during the transaction. They also do the due diligence on the property you are purchasing to make sure it is in good standing before you put your hard earned capital towards what could otherwise be a poor choice of investment.
4. Contractor and Designer
Before you purchase a home, it is crucial that you consult a contractor and/or designer to take a look at your property and assess the home’s potential in terms of design, renovation and construction recommendations. Depending on what you want to do with the property, they will help make sure you can feasibly achieve the things you want to do, design and renovation-wise with the budget you have.
5. A Very Good Therapist
Did I mention that buying a home (especially, if you foolishly attempt to do so on your own) is not easy? In fact, the process can be pretty complex, overwhelming, stressful and even scary. Therefore, the last essential element of your transaction squad is a therapist — a very good therapist, that is as they are not all created equal. Buying a home is a major purchase, one of the most valuable, expensive and important investments you can make in your life, so having a therapist by your side to help you keep your emotional health and stress levels in check is key.
And for that matter, all of the people that make up your transaction squad essentially act as therapists, too as they are invaluable in helping you stay sane throughout the whole process, in their own right.
So, the only thing left to say? Don’t go into buying a home alone. Squad up, folks!
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