I called to him and said, “I haven’t heard anything yet.”  He called back to me, “It sold!”  When I caught up to him, I asked what he meant, as it didn’t seem possible that it could have sold already.  “Oh yes,” he said, “I read it in the newspaper.”  I must have looked incredulous, as he asked me if I wanted to see the paper.  “Yes,” I said, “please show it to me.”  When he showed me the clipping, I saw that some recent sales were listed, and among them was the address of the home on which he had written the offer.  “It sold for more than I bid,” he said, looking at me with disappointment. 

Upon closer examination of the details in the newspaper I noticed that the sale date was January 10, 2010.  We had dated his offer February 9^th, and so far had not heard back from the listing agent.  The list of sold homes was prefaced with the explanation that these sales were purchased through foreclosure by lenders.  When I pointed out to him that the sale reported in the paper took place in January, he looked puzzled.  You may be too.  This is what happened:

The prior owners lost their home to foreclosure.  The home was purchased in January by the loss mitigation department of the lender holding the note.  The lender paid $237,000 which was reported in the newspaper.  The lender then engaged a Realtor to sell the home, and as this home needs work, it was listed at $180,000, less than the lender paid for it.  Because this San Jose home was listed so low, multiple bids came in on the property, many of them above the listed price. 

We must wait to see what the sale price will be on this house.  That is not disclosed until escrow closes and the property has been recorded in the new owner’s name.  Will it be what the lender paid?  Or less?  Or more?  It could be any of these, but in this case, in this area, it’s likely to sell for a higher price.  In this troubled time in our nation, lenders would be happy to recoup what they paid, but they may not.  Lending institutions are in the business of lending money, not owning real estate, and their interest is in getting the REO property off their books.

In addition to the remainder of your down payment, you will need cash for closing costs. These costs may include escrow charges, title insurance, lenders’ fees, the transfer taxes that are collected when a property changes owners, prorated property taxes and various small fees. Both buyers and sellers have closing costs. Who pays for what depends upon the terms of the contract and the county in which the property is located. The money for closing costs is brought in with your down payment, shortly before your escrow closes and you become the new owner of the home.    

“Okay, so I need money when I write my contract, and I need my down payment and closing costs just before my escrow closes. Do I need to have any other money available during the escrow process?” I’m glad you asked! Yes, probably so. While the deposit, down payment, and closing costs are most of the money you will need to bring in to purchase your new home, you may have to pay “up front” for the appraisal the lender requires. Of course if you’re paying cash for your home, an appraisal would be optional. Also, you may wish to have inspections made on the property you are buying. Most inspectors give us the choice of paying for an inspection at the time of inspection or having the cost of the inspection billed to escrow. In the latter case, the fee is higher. Questions? I’m here to help you.

 In contrast, traditionally sold homes generally are, overall, in better condition.  Because sellers don’t want surprises that could affect their bottom line, many are willing to pay up-front for inspection reports.  Having inspections done prior to putting a home on the market makes good sense.  Buyers can go over the provided reports with their agent before they write a contract.  Buyers don’t want surprises either.  They benefit by having a better idea of what they’re bidding on and, once they have the contract, they won’t need to have the provided inspections repeated.  Having inspection reports available benefits the seller also because it not only gives them an opportunity to correct some of the items mentioned on the reports, but it also decreases the chance of the buyer backing out after winning the contract. 

 Sometimes a seller is not willing to pay to have inspection reports done.  In this case once the buyer has won the contract, he has a certain number of days to have inspections done and to review the resulting reports.  In this case of course the buyer pays for them.  “What inspections should I have done on the house I’m buying?”  That depends on the house.  Does it have a fireplace?  Does it have a pool?  Did the seller provide any inspection reports?  Each house is different.  Your agent can assist you in determining which inspections should be done, in ordering those inspections, and being at the house when inspections take place.  Are termites brunching on beams or enjoying sub-floor for supper?  Does the home have clogged arteries with corroded pipes?  Regardless of who pays for the inspections, both parties will have a clearer idea of the condition of the home being sold, resulting in greater peace of mind for all parties involved in the transaction.

Okay, what’s the first step? Well, let’s find out how much house you can buy. To do that you need to talk to a lender and get pre-qualified. You can do that over the phone. But is that good enough to start shopping? Not any more. These days, now that lenders have suffering in their history, they aren’t as lenient or as open minded as they used to be. One Realtor said recently, speaking of that bygone era, “all you needed was to be able to fog a mirror to get a loan.” Those days may be gone, but the good news is that lenders are still in business to make money and they do that by selling loans.

Ask a lender to get you pre-approved for a loan. This entails enabling the lender to request and look at your credit report, and learn your FICO scores. You will also fill out a loan application form. He or she will ask you to bring in a couple recent pay stubs, bank statements, and tax returns. That lender now has a pretty good idea about your income, your debt, and your payment habits. Ask the lender to give you a pre-approval letter. Now you’re ready to call a Realtor and start shopping for your new home!