Why Buy With Us?
You are about to embark on the exciting journey of buying a home. Whether it’s your first home, a retirement home, or an investment property, the Knowles Team will make the experience comfortable, efficient, and smooth in the shortest time possible, and with the least amount of hassle.
As the real estate market becomes more complex we are constantly striving to improve our services and insight. Keeping up with the marketplace allows us to design services and plans tailor-made for every individual.
Most people will purchase only a few homes in their lifetime. This is a big undertaking in your life. In order for you to feel comfortable during this process you will need to be well equipped with up-to-date information. The best think you can do for yourself is to hire the right team of agents to take you on this wonderful journey!
Homes For Sale
Many IDX providers allow you to create saved searches to link to. This can be for homes based on price range or property characteristics.
Pre-Approval
The Knowles Team highly recommends that you meet with a lender before you start house-hunting. Why is this important?
- To establish the actual price point you can afford
- To determine your monthly payments
- To allow you time to select the best loan package – without feeling pressured
- To have a pre-approval letter ready to submit with your offer
- To give you a head start on financing
- To provide you with peace of mind
Sellers will find your offer to purchase more favorable if they know in advance that you have secured financing. This may make your offer more attractive if you are in competition with others.
Escrow and Closing Costs
Once you and the seller agree to terms with a mutually accepted contract – escrow is opened with an independent third party that will manage the transaction and handle the transfer of funds through to closing. There will be paperwork and documents to sign throughout the transaction. There are also closing costs that you will be expected to pay on top of the sales price of the home. These are various fees associated with the processing of the file, paperwork and mortgage. Here is an example of the most common fees:
Lender fees may include: 1) Application fee 2) Loan Origination Fee 3) Discount Points 4) Mortgage Insurance 5) Underwriting Fee 6) Homeowners Insurance
Other fees may include: 1) Closing Fee 2) Pre-paid Taxes 3) Processing Fee 4) Recording Fee 5) Funding Fee
If you are purchasing a home with a competitively priced mortgage, generally you can expect your closings cost to be between 2.6 – 3% of the sales price. Note: this is just an estimate as each transaction is unique.
Home Warranty
When you buy a home, your expenses are only beginning. Most people want to make renovations and buy furniture, etc. The last thing you want to do is to spend additional money for repairs due to unexpected mechanical failures within your new home. So a Home Warranty is the best “insurance” you can have because it normally covers the cost of unexpected repair or replacement for a full year after closing – less the standard deductible. BONUS – If you BUY your home through the Knowles Team, we will provide a Home Warranty to you for FREE!
Relocation
Are you relocating to the Greater Seattle area? Let us help provide you with the information you need to help you find the right city and neighborhood for your family.
Browse through our community pages to get an overall feel for this area surrounded by snowcapped mountains, natural lakes and the Puget Sound.
Available Online Relocation Resources
First-Time Buyers
Buying a home for the first time is exciting, but can also be a little daunting at the same time. It is important to hire a team of experts to help you through the process. Our agents not only excel at working with first time homebuyers, they teach monthly first time homebuyer classes as well. These classes are designed to help you understand:
- the loan process – various loan programs – lending terminology
- the home buying process – searching for homes – the escrow process – the importance of an inspection – the value of a home warranty – etc.
Seniors
With over 50 years of combined experience, our team of agents are trusted advocates for seniors and their families. With the aging population we saw the need to be able to provide seniors with the available housing options and the resources they need to make their transition as easy and stress free as possible.
Moving Van
As part of our added value to our buyers we help to make your move a little easier. We will reimburse you up $100 for the use of a moving truck when you purchase your home through the Knowles Team.
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