The Mills Group Buyer's Guide

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Hello!

Our team is excited to help you find the perfect home for YOU! As a team, we offer our buyers an immersive experience from start to finish. Our lead buyers agent, Rennie Mills, has helped more than 150 buyers find their perfect home and she’s equipped to help you discern exactly what you ’ re looking for in a property. Our showing agent, Daniel Wood, will guide you through viewing properties that pique your interest and help you narrow your viewpoint. Once you ’ ve found THE ONE, our transaction coordinator McCall Griggs will be there every step of the way as you make your way to closing day. Our mission is to become YOUR trusted real estate experts.We look forward to get started on this home-buying journey with you!

Rennie Mills

E L O O K F O R W A R D T O W O R K I N G W I T H Y O U

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Rennie is our incredible buyer's agent She assists in every step of the buying process and her communication skills with clients are unmatched Rennie identifies and shows homes that meet each buyer's needs, and is present during showings, inspections, and closings

Noah is the culture-keeper of the team He keeps the team on track by building operational workflows, is responsible for negotiations, budgeting, purchasing, and is in charge of developing longterm operational strategies to meet our company objectives

McCall is the glue that holds the deal together She is responsible for ensuring every client has the communications that they need to have every question answered before it is even thought up!

Inside Sales Advisor

Jerry is a bright conversationalist on our team who regularly connects with current and potential clients He serves as the first point of contact for new clients and provides continuous guidance through his real estate knowledge

Claire Pereira

Marketing Coordinator

Using her expert skills, Claire plans/creates all our marketing materials (digital and physical), runs our social media accounts, and helps plan events She keeps in contact with past and present clients and ensures every home is marketed effectively

How long are you planning on living in your next home? Consider the benefits to owning a home

How much can you afford? Consider the different loan programs available (FHA, VA, Conventional) Make sure your credit is in good shape (620+)

What kind of home are you looking for? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Are school districts important?

PREPARE FOR THE LENDER

Mortgage lenders recommend you do not stretch your budget for your new home beyond an amount that is 3 to 5 times your annual household income If you are not purchasing a home with cash, you will need a mortgage pre-approval provided by your mortgage lender. A lender will work with you to get a loan that meets your needs and makes sense for your long term goals. We have carefully selected our preferred lenders because they are experts at assisting our clients in finding the loan program best for them.

FINANCIALS AND MORTGAGE PAYMENT

Study your credit report Make note of any errors you see and talk to your lender about them

Compile necessary documents, including pay stubs, bank statements, and past tax returns

Determine the monthly payment you are comfortable with - the payment will include your property taxes and homeowner's insurance.

In order to make your dream of buying a home a reality, you will need to save cash for your down payment, earnest money, closing costs & home inspections. Adownpaymentistypicallybetween3.5%20%ofthepurchaseprice

BUYING YOUR HOME Checklist

Have a consultation

Get to know neighborhood inventory

See what's about to the hit the market

Gain access to off-market properties

Complete needs assessment

Understand what is available

Understand what you can afford

Determine your monthly mortgage payment

Understand your debt to income ratio

Prepare for escrow

Obtain a pre-approval letter Ensure you have the funds

FIND YOUR NEW HOME

Compare home and neighborhood averages, narrow down neighborhoods you want

Schedule home tours and plan an itinerary with your agent

Nix homes that don't meet the mark

Identify favorite homes Decide on your dream home

MAKE OFFER & NEGOTIATE

Review contract terms carefully with your agent

Negotiate purchase price up or down

Review disclosures and acquire a property disclosure from the seller

Shop home insurance options

Prepare for down payment & earnest money deposit

Request a list of what conveys with the property

Choose a target closing date Sign the offer

Deliver escrow check Stay in close contact with your agent

Begin your financing application

Schedule home inspection/negotiate repairs

Acquire home insurance and send proof to your lender

Solidify both contract effective and allowable move-in dates

Order an appraisal

Conduct a title search

Certify funds for closing

Schedule your closing

Stay in close contact with your agent, lender, and title company

Transfer funds for closing

Set a moving date & reserve a moving company

Change your address with USPS, your bank, and other institutions

Set up your utilities to be activated or transferred

Confirm that all contingencies have been met Schedule the final property walk-through Designate a safe, dedicated space to save your final paperwork

Stay in close contact with your agent, lender, and title company

CLOSING DAY: WHAT TO BRING CLOSING DAY

Connect with the title company to confirm the amount of funds needing to be wired for closing costs & your loan down payment. Bring a printed confirmation of your wire transfer

Bring 2 forms of government-issued proof of identification (preferably a state ID and your social security card)

Sign closing disclosure, promissory note, and all other documentation Title transfer Deed delivery

Save your paperwork in your pre-designated spot Get your keys - congrats, it's all yours!

START HOME

RESEARCH MORTGAGES AND LENDERS

Get clear on what you want and what you need

Spend time in each area and make sure the space works for you

Find properties in your price range and in your preferred neighborhoods

Visit open houses and have one of our team members schedule private showings

Make a list of the things you'll need to have in the house Before you begin touring homes, get clear on how many bedrooms and bathrooms you'll need and get an idea of how much space you desire. How big do you want the kitchen to be? Do you need lots of closets and cabinet space? Do you need a big yard for your kids and/or pets to play in?

Once you've made a list of your must-haves, don't forget to think about the kind of neighborhood you want, the types of schools in the area, the length of your commute to and from work, and the convenience of local shopping Take into account your safety concerns and how good the rate of home appreciation is in the area Understand there will always be compromises, so consider what you're willing to give up and what you are not.

PROFESSIONAL TIPS ON MAKING A GOOD OFFER

Competitive Offer

A good rule of thumb, specifically in a seller’s market, is to start strong To do this, we will assess the property’s market value with a CMA (complete market analysis) and determine what it's worth in the current market

Earnest Money

The earnest money a k a escrow deposit signals how serious a buyer you are Be sure you are serious about buying this home If you cancel after your inspection period, you’ll lose your earnest money

Gift of Time

Express your willingness to work with the sellers’ timeline to go to closing We can ask the sellers when their ideal closing date would be so the offer will make them feel like they are winning!

Limit Contigencies

Contingencies can add time to the negotiation process They’re beneficial to buyers, but can be a nuisance to sellers who are ready to move on fast It is important to avoid any unnecessary contingencies

Escalation Cause

An escalation clause is a way to automatically escalate your bid by a certain dollar amount, up to a certain threshold Keep in mind, you ’ re informing the seller of the true amount you ’ re willing to pay, which may be significantly over the home’s appraised value

ORDER AN INSPECTION

During the inspection period, we will schedule an inspection with a reputable home inspector to do a thorough investigation of the property Once this is complete, the inspector will provide us with a detailed inspection report

A home inspection can help identify deficiencies in a home you ’ re considering purchasing. If the inspection reveals problems and repairs are needed, you may be able to negotiate with the seller to fix those issues, but this isn't always the case.

Ask the seller to make the most important repairs

Ask for a credit toward your closing costs

Ask the seller to reduce the sales price to make up for the repairs

Cancel your contract (if you have an inspection contingency in place)

Move forward with no repairs made a.k.a. "As Is"

CLOSING DAY

Closing is when you sign all final documents, officially purchase the home, and receive your new home’s keys! Typically, closing takes one hour

FINAL WALK THROUGH

We will do a final walk through of the home within 24 hours of closing to check the property’s condition. This final inspection takes about 15-30 minutes. We will make sure any repair work that the seller agreed to complete has been done

We will be sure to:

• Make sure all appliances are working properly

• Run the water in all the faucets and check for any possible leaks

• Open and close garage doors with garage door opener

• Flush toilets

• Run the garbage disposal and exhaust fans

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testimonials

LISA E.

We chose The Mills Group on the recommendation of a friend, and now we will be recommending them to others Through every step of the process, Rennie has been knowledgeable, personable, professional and easily accessible She has become a trusted resource as well as a pro-active advocate for our needs as we approach the closing on our new home

ASHLEIGH S.

Rennie made the entire experience and process so smooth and painless! She was very responsive and also patient - giving us the time we needed to make such a big decision She also went to bat for us when the sellers had unusual requests or ran late on paperwork. Rennie is such a pleasure to work with - I highly recommend her as a realtor!

VERONICA G.

This was such an easy process to go through with the Mills Group. I was nervous coming in as a first time home buyer but the Mills Group answered all my questions anytime I sent one over Daniel and Rennie helped at every step of this process and They really put my mind at ease I couldn’t provide a better recommendation than the Mills Group for anyone who is thinking about buying a home The caring touch didn’t stop at closing… These interactions will leave a smile on my face for years to come, thank you Mills Group for everything!

testimonials

ALFREDO F.

Daniel was phenomenal while working with our family…We drove back and forth, over and over, and he gave up countless weekends to accommodate us They worked seamlessly with our lenders and the sellers all while giving us personal recommendations for transition accommodations, storage, moving companies, you name it! You won't find a more professional, accommodating or connected group of realtors We found everything we wanted and more -thanks Mills team!!

KRISTY B.

Rennie and Jonathan were amazing We had a complicated closing involving getting permits for a room addition and new roof installed as well The closing ended up taking longer than we planned but they worked with us every step of the way. As first time home buyers we would highly recommend the mills group!

WILLIAM M.

An all around AMAZING Team!!! Professional and quick to respond from day one. They took a quick, but in-depth survey on what both my wife and I were looking for an had a listing prepared with-in a day they were quick to find us something that met exactly what we were looking for They have my highest recommendation!!!

And a shout out to Daniel, for being so flexible with our schedule and always available to answer our questions!!!