Buying a home
From developing your budget through handing over the keys to your new home, we’re with you every step of the way.
finding the home of your dreams is our speciality
As Seattle-area locals, we know the area well. With what you tell us is important to your lifestyle, and keeping in mind Fair Housing principles, we can suggest neighborhoods likely to appeal to you. Whether you’ll make multiple visits to see things personally, or will need the entire buying process done remotely, we can facilitate every step along the way. Major local companies choose Sound Team Realty to take outstanding care of their new and prospective hires.
We ‘visit & vet’ homes with you on a live video feed, or for you to view at your convenience later. Follow-up tours are no problem! We’ll take all the time you like to explain every step of the buying process, neighborhood details, resell ability later, etc. All documentation to complete the sale can be done remotely via electronic signature, or at your preferred location with a notary. Once you’ve moved to your new home, we have a full team of contractors to help you dial the place in to fit your needs. From handymen to roofers, and landscapers to architects, we have well-vetted people we can suggest and introduce to you.
The Buying Process
Buying a home in a competitive real estate market like we have in the PNW can be both very exciting and also a bit daunting. Still, as one of the nation’s fastest-growing tech hubs, Seattle is celebrated for its natural beauty, plethora of outdoor activities, and diverse culture. As a Top-5 place people are moving to in the U.S., there’s no wonder so many people want to call the area home.
With fierce competition, you will need a real estate TEAM dedicated to helping you land the home of your dreams at the best possible price. We educate you every step of the way so you can make decisions that are right for you long term.
THE SEARCH
After our initial meeting to understand your goals and what is important to you, we create a home search based on your specific criteria. There’s no limit to the number of homes we tour with/for you. Our goal is to get you the home you want without spending a penny more than necessary. We educate throughout the process and negotiate fiercely on your behalf.
30
The average time to close a home loan is 30 days.
6%
The National Association of Realtors reported that in 2022, the median down payment was 17% for all buyers and 6% for first-time buyers.
45%
most lenders suggest that you should spend no more than 45% of your monthly gross income on your mortgage payment.
“Jesse has been wonderful to work with throughout our process of purchasing a home in the East side area (eventually Kirkland), as is Fletch who has also been involved with our search process. They have a lot of knowledge about not only the local areas but impressively also about construction itself, and hence are able to give great input on the quality of a house and potential issues the first time that we visit a place. In a market where competitive bids often have to waive inspection contingency, this has been super helpful. They have also been super responsive and helped us snatch first viewing slots on particularly hot properties within minutes of listing, which also helps when properties can be sold within 24 hours. We also like their honest advice when it comes to a property’s value (is one listing at the high end? Too high?) so that we remain more rational in making bidding decisions. We do extensive research on our own as well (not a necessity but just how we like to do things) and appreciate that Jesse and Fletch are able to tailor to our style and work effectively together to get what we want. Finally we really appreciate that Jesse and Fletch are not transactional and work to maintain longterm relationship. They have been very helpful at recommending contractors for work that we want to do on the property, even helping us evaluate a contractor. They are true professionals with high ethics and we highly recommend working with them. Jesse was our primary agent and we in particular enjoyed his down to earth, level-headed and thorough style.”
-Carla L
understanding your budget
The first step is to connect with a local (ideally) lender to understand your finances, and what you can comfortably afford. While possibly not as much fun as looking at potential new homes, it is necessary and will likely save you heartache in the long run.
DETERMINING YOUR NEEDS
Though they will likely evolve quite a bit, figuring out what things are critical to have in a home versus niceties, is very helpful. Schools? Restaurants? Sidewalks? Number of rooms? Yard?
Finding your home
Once you’ve been pre-approved and know what your budget looks like, the fun part of searching for your dream home begins! Buying a home can be difficult in our competitive market so we go to great lengths to facilitate anything you need to find just the right place. We spend time every step of the way educating you on the process so in the end, you can make the best, most well-informed decision for the long run.
THE Find
Once you’ve found a place you like, we provide a customized and detailed home valuation to determine its appropriate place in the market. We help you understand and choose from different pricing and timing strategies to get the home you want, even our competitive market.
“Working with Fletch was a lot of fun. We saw a lot of places before finding just the right one and in the end were able to get it for you without overpaying. I am glad we took our time finding the right property! Loving my beautiful views on capital hill!”
Jeremy S.
We make it easy for you:
Previewing homes – we’ll ‘visit and vet’ the home for you.
‘Virtual viewing’ – schedule time for live video while you watch so you can interact as if you were there. Or recorded video highlights that tell you so much more than simple photos you watch as you like. We will revisit to answer questions or get you additional information / video as needed.
We have lived in and around Seattle throughout our lives. We know the area well and can offer neighborhood suggestions based on your interests, commute time, outdoor activities… as well as critical information about schools, restaurants, parks, etc.
Remotely sign documents from offer through closing online from your location.
We can handle the entire process with you being out of town.
“The rating only allows five stars, but these guys really deserve six. Jesse and Fletch are able to provide an incredible service that simply couldn't be achieved with a single person. They each have specific strengths that are complementary to one another which makes them a perfect duo. The home buying process is particularly tricky in this area nowadays, but they were there to help us every step of the way on a successful purchase. Tack on the fact that they are just kind, considerate people and I couldn't picture myself doing anything real estate related without them.”
- Spencer D.
facilitators
We offer complete access to our team of inspectors and contractors to ensure as complete an understanding of what you are buying as possible. Ours are well-vetted professionals that we supervise throughout any chosen projects - even after the purchase. We are NOT paid by them.
a strong offer
Whether in a hot seller’s market, or one where buyers have more control, your offer should be presented in a well thought out manner that compels the seller to choose it over any others. There is little to be gained with half-measures. In order to confidently make a requisitely strong offer, you will need a very good understanding of the details included and their ramifications. We work to educate you to the point that you dictate terms you fully understand and we execute them.
DUE DILIGENCE
The next steps revolve around ensuring you know all you can about the house you are trying to buy, so ugly surprises don’t hurt you later. Like the saying, ‘Penny smart, pound foolish’, these typically include a full home inspection as well as a sewer scope. Seeing that the house has a clean title report and is appraised at an acceptable level are key steps in this process as well.
Closing & Key Day
After signing your final documents, your bank funding the loan, and ownership being transferred to you, the home is officially yours. Then we get to our favorite part of the job, handing over the keys to you.
Welcome home!
“We had the pleasure of working with Dave as our real estate agent for the purchase of our home. His expertise, diligence, and patience throughout the entire process was incredibly helpful. He was very knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions with ease. He was always very responsive, answering emails and phone calls promptly. He also provided great advice and was willing to go the extra mile to help ensure that everything went smoothly. He was very personable and a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for an experienced and reliable real estate agent.”
- Pavitar L.
one Buyer’s Success story
Working with a difficult seller, it took time to help them recognize market realities. Stayed on it for weeks and in the end got our clients their dream home for $15,000 under asking and $25,000 less than what they were ready to spend.
Considering Your Next Move?
To get started, we have local lenders we can recommend to help you understand your workable budget, and get pre-approved for a mortgage. We then work with you on neighborhood suggestions for what may best meet your needs and lifestyle. We’re ready to help you take the next steps to the home of your dreams.