Home buyer checklist
Twelve steps from pre-approval to keys, in the order they actually happen.
- Step 1
Get pre-approved, not pre-qualified
A pre-approval letter from a lender who has seen your documents is what makes an offer credible. Do this before the first showing.
- Step 2
Decide the constraints that actually rule homes out
Commute, budget ceiling, must-have room count, school district if it matters to you. Everything else is preference.
- Step 3
Know the full monthly number
Principal and interest, property taxes, insurance, HOA or assessment, and a maintenance reserve. Use the mortgage calculator with real tax figures for the towns you are considering.
- Step 4
Walk the neighborhood at different hours
A weekday evening and a Saturday morning tell you more than any listing photo.
- Step 5
Read the disclosures before you offer
Seller disclosure, HOA documents where they apply, and the tax bill. Ask about anything that is blank.
- Step 6
Write the offer with contingencies you understand
Inspection, financing, appraisal and attorney review each protect something specific. Know what you are giving up if you waive one.
- Step 7
Attend the inspection
The report is useful; watching the inspector explain the furnace is more useful.
- Step 8
Line up the attorney early
Attorney review in Illinois happens on a short clock after acceptance. Have one chosen before you offer.
- Step 9
Lock the rate when the numbers work
Ask the lender what the lock costs and how long it runs. Do not wait for a better week.
- Step 10
Keep your finances still
No new credit, no large deposits without a paper trail, no job changes between application and closing.
- Step 11
Do the final walk-through
Confirm repairs, confirm what stays, run the water and the appliances. This is the last look before the keys.
- Step 12
Bring what closing needs
Government ID, the wire or cashier's check for funds to close arranged with the title company, and proof of homeowner's insurance.
Want the numbers for a specific home?
Real taxes, real HOA, the actual rate you were quoted. I do this every week.