Where to start?

The best place to start is to nail down your financing and get pre-approved for a mortgage. I've seen much time wasted hunting for houses while looking at the wrong prices. Spend the time gathering your documentation and applying with a lender before you shop for homes. This market means you are competing against fully pre-approved buyers or even cash offers from time to time. It is paramount that you choose a good lender as bigger banks and credit unions are known for longer closings, low appraisals, and other things that can make your offer less appealing to a seller. I have some great lenders I can recommend that my buyers have loved working with.  From there, it's time to sit down together to set up your home search, and start shopping!
 

Is buying a house as difficult as I've heard?

Everyone knows that we are in a seller's market and things are extremely competitive. Most people have a co-worker who scares the office with a horror story about how badly they've lost out on a house that had 10 offers. I can't even count how many buyers come through my open houses who have been looking for months and have put in losing offers on 6 different houses. In my experiences working with buyers, that does not need to happen if you are prepared and thoughtful with how you pursue a home. That co-worker I mentioned, along with many others, experience a very real thing called buyer fatigue, by doing things the wrong way. When we meet, I will discuss the ways to avoid these pitfalls and burning out in detail!
 

Having realistic expectations is one of most important things in today's real estate market. Knowing home values and having a grasp on what a house will sell for can save you a lot of time and heartache. It is important to work with an agent who has sold enough homes and knows pricing, as well as house values. The main goal is always to get you the best house for the lowest price, but the reality of the market right now is that many situations are competitive, with escalating prices.

Some factors that can determine how competitive a house might be:

• Time of year the home is listed.

• How the home is priced.

• Condition of the home.

• Where the home is located.

I promise to help you assess all of these factors and lay out all options when it comes time for an offer. My buyers experience success in multiple offer situations because they know what to expect and understand how to submit strong offers. There are many factors and nuances that can set your offer apart from the competition — it's not always ONLY about price.  I have long-standing relationships with other agents in the community, so they look forward to working with our offer.

“We were first-time homebuyers in the increasingly competitive Seattle market, and Danny was an invaluable resource for us. He got us on the right path by helping us strategize about how to navigate through the process while maintaining our sanity. We had an offer accepted within four weeks — much quicker than we had originally feared. We are very grateful to Danny for his help, and we’d absolutely recommend him to anyone.”

— Jonathan S.