Linda Kane
  (239)826-5043

I want to be your favorite                       
REAL ESTATE AGENT 

Buyer Assistance

Buying a new home doesn't have to be scary.  In fact it can be a lot of fun.  What you need most of all is someone who can guide you thru the process while at the same time listening to what you want.  My goal will be to ask questions, listen to your answers, and guide you thru the buying process step by step.

Contrary to what some people believe the first step in buying a home is not finding the home. Yes, you can do that, however it can lead to over-paying for a home or buying a home that may depreciate rather than appreciate.  Buying a home without the help of an expert can also lead to feelings of regret after the purchase if you find that there is something you don't like about it such as road construction starting a few weeks after you move in, that your new home may shake when jets take off at the local airport in the middle of the night or that the water pressure in the neighborhood is so bad you can't enjoy a hot shower. The first step to buying a home should be understanding the local area.  For that you really need the help of someone from the Naples area who can guide you thru the process.  With that in mind I recommend you first step should be to contact myself, or the real estate agent of your choice, explain what you want and us help you find the home you are looking for. 

Below I have outlined the steps I suggest for most people buying homes in the Naples - Fort Myers area. These steps may vary somewhat working with other agents, but as a general rule of thumb they work pretty well.

Initial Contact

The first step towards buying your home should be to contact an agent who can help you with information about the local area and what types of things to look for in specific homes.  You may initiate contact with a phone call or email.  Feel free to give me specific information on what you are looking for or you can simply set up an appointment.

Travel

If you are traveling here from another area to look for homes I have placed information about airlines, airports, hotels, maps, rental cars, taxis, restaurants on my site for you plus information about fun things you can do here such as our local attractions, art galleries, bowling, beaches, fishing, golf courses, historic sites, movie theaters, museums, parks, theatre, zoos and much more.

First Meeting

Our first meeting can be at your favorite coffee shop, your home or place of business or if you prefer at my office.  Wherever you feel most comfortable.  My guess is that your primary concern at this meeting will be to find out if you are comfortable working with me as your agent.  With this in mind, most people prefer that this be more of a short get acquainted meeting than an extensive offices visit where you fill out all kinds of forms.  I understand completely and if the situation were reversed I would want the same thing.  At our first meeting you will talk, I may ask some questions, but my job is primarily to listen to what you want.

Our Second Meeting

Our second meeting will be a little more involved.  At this meeting I will try to provide answers to all your questions from the first meeting.  These answers may include specific neighborhoods that meet your criteria, what prices ranges of homes will fall into your targeted budget, a list of homes that fall into the guidelines you have suggested both on budget and on personal needs such as schools, availability of medical facilities, access to beaches and the ocean, etc. I will also make suggestions as to what areas you may wish to avoid based on your criteria such as rejecting certain areas because they may be subject to future road construction, noise from sources such as airports and of course those areas which may not appreciate as well as others.  In other words, I will help you narrow down the search area for your new home with a sprinkling of suggestions on homes you may wish to look at.

Mortgage Pre-qualification

I realize that nothing could feel worse to someone wanting to buy a new home than if you selected a new home, went thru all the paperwork and then at closing time found that the cost of the monthly payments exceeded your budget or that the loan did not go thru for some reason.  Even people with good credit can sometimes be turned down for reasons they had not expected such as debt to income rations, having out of the kindness of their hearts having cosigned for to many friends and relatives loans or even errors on their credit reports. To help you avoid all this I will walk you thru the process of getting your load pre-qualified.  This helps you avoid the chance of unexpected surprises later.

Looking at Homes

We can look at as many homes as you want.  This is not just a piece of real estate.  It is your home.  You may live here a short time or for many years.  In either case it should be the type of home that brings you happiness.  I will never rush you to make a decision.  I will never suggest we have looked at to many homes.  Instead, I will encourage you to keep looking until you find the home that is right for you.  I do have one suggestion.  Trying to look at to many homes in one day can be overwhelming.  It can sometimes lead to people making snap decisions just go get things over with.  So I will encourage you to look for as long as it takes but also to avoid trying to look at more than 3 to 5 homes in any given day.

Traveling to Homes

We can drive my car to look at homes.  This saves you gas.  It also makes it much easier for both of us as I know the local area like the back of my hand while Naples and Fort Myers may be completely new to you.

Questions about the Homes

If you have questions about the homes we see I will do my best to contact the owner and get you specific answers.

Home Selection

When you find a home you are in love with we will go back and verify that it meets all of your original criteria.  Sometimes people get excited and forget what they originally started looking for. My job is to help make sure that this is a home you will be happy with for many years to come.

Make an Offer

Once you have found a home that you wish to own we will sit down together and I will assist you in making a purchase offer. I will help you with the wording, not just the dollar amounts, to include things such as "home must be left in a reasonably clean and undamaged condition", plus specific items such as working out an agreed upon time and date for you to take possession.  It's amazing how often the little things today turn out to be the big things tomorrow.  My job will be to help you write things in a way that there are no unpleasant surprises down the road.

Offer Accepted

Once your offer is accepted I will assist you with the details to make the transaction go successfully and we can also take a minute out to all do the happy dance and celebrate.

Appraisal

I will walk you thru the process of getting a home appraisal by a state certified home appraiser.  This is a crucial part of getting your mortgage approved.  Amazingly some appraisers may come up with values for your home that may be out of line with what other appraisers may find.  I will explain how this happens and how it can affect you and make recommendations based in your best interests.

Mortgage Final Approval

I will contact the Mortgage Broker for you (If you wish) and we can submit the necessary information to get the mortgage approved.  I want to note here that there can be huge differences between one mortgage broker and another.  Not just the money they charge you for the loan, but also in the way they treat you before and after your purchase.  I set very high standards in who I will and who I will recommend to you as a mortgage broker.  Not only do I try to recommend only those who offer you the best deal, but also those who will go out of their way to do things like come to your home or office to assist you in filling out forms and answer your questions and even come to closing with you in case there are any last minute issues to be handled at closing. I cannot stress enough that the wrong mortgage broker can cause all kinds of problems while the right broker can often solve problems that might otherwise have out the purchase of your new home at risk.

Closing

I will go with you to the closing.  I will work with you to make sure that everything goes according to plan and in your best interests with representatives from the title companies, mortgage brokers, appraisers and of course the sellers.  I will be there with you every step of the way.

Congratulations on Your New Home

I will do everything to make moving into your new home a time of great happiness.  I will be happy to assist you with information on setting up your utilities, finding your local school information and anything else that I possibly can.  In fact, I have already placed most of the information you will need about our local area, schools, utilities, shopping and restaurants here on my site to help you get started.

After the Sale

Whether it be a month after you buy your home or several years I always want you to feel free to come to me with questions about your home, the local area. I believe part of being your favorite real estate agent is also being your friend for life.

P. S. 

Grouchy people would do well to find another real estate agent as my policy is "Grouchy people need not apply but nice people are always welcome".