Getting Staged As A Home Buyer Pt 1

By Kurt Real Estate Nov 23, 2019

Dated: 12/13/2017

Views: 115

As a home buyer, I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of staging a home. The purpose of staging is to make the home appear as attractive as possible to potential buyers.

And just like a home should always be staged before going to market, you MUST get staged as a buyer to have a chance in today’s super-competitive market.

But you’ve probably never heard of getting “staged” as a home buyer before. Put simply, it means we need to position you to appear as attractive as possible to a potential home seller; even if you’re offer isn’t the highest offer.

It’s commonly said in real estate that “the best offer gets the house, which isn’t always the highest offer”. Getting staged as a home buyer is all about putting in the best offer, not the highest one.

The first step is to obtain condition loan approval, or approval subject to address, which isn’t the same as pre-qualification or pre-approval. If you need a refresher on the different definitions, you can go back and review them in the “First Time Home Buyer’s Checklist” I first sent you.

Next, you’ll want a strongly-written letter from your lender indicating that your credit score and financial records are within the underwriting guidelines for the property’s purchase price, and that only a satisfactory appraisal and title report (and inspection if you’re using an FHA or VA loan) are required for formal loan approval and closing.

The purpose is to leave no doubt in the seller’s mind that obtaining a loan won’t be a problem. Accordingly, you may choose to waive your loan contingency with your offer.

The #1 reason why homes fall out of escrow is because of issues with the loan. By minimizing or eliminating that risk in the seller’s mind, they may elect to go with your offer over a higher, but riskier offer.