Modular, Manufactured, & Mobile Homes
Related: Land Purchases & Sales
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Buyers
I offer a locally unmatched combination of knowledge, integrity, digital & physical resources to help buyers with their purchases. Educated buyers make the best decisions, & client education is a significant focus of my business.
Here I get into some of the factors needed & some that I recommend for a home purchase, whether applicable for all buyers, or whether applicable for a limited # of buyers.
Examples sometimes include a down payment, a credit score, $ for closing costs & prepaids, & home inspection costs, but there are many exceptions.
Here I go over:
1. Offering Low or High
2. A Strong Offer
3. Repairs Visible Prior to Offer
4. Starting with a Verbal Offer
5. Counteroffers
6. Appraisals
7. Escalation Clauses
8. Letters to the Seller
9. Atypical Elements
10. Home Inspections
I review some of the factors involved with finding your home. It's typically best to put together one or more searches via MLS with an agent rather than exclusively relying on public websites. Doing that will give you access to details unavailable in public websites (i.e. photo captions and better flood zone features with many MLS), higher levels of accuracy, search features unavailable in websites, etc.
Often buyers neglect just how powerful MLS can be in searches for them, especially when detailed search templates are involved, which can take hours to create in some cases.
Here I recommend some linked resources from others as well as a number of resources that I'm providing.
A hot topic for buyers is mortgage interest rates. Here I share where they are, where we've come from, project where they're going, & share what buyers can do about it.
Immigrant Housing Recommendations
Someone from another country reached out recently regarding help finding a home for rent. This article is a direct response to help him...
How To Identify What Zoning a Property is In
In this article I wanted to identify how to identify the zone that a property is in. Image courtesy gis2.nngov.com
Buyer Ratified Contract! Now What?
This post is a supplement to my email to buyers who have ratified a contract, going through a number of situations that apply to most...
10+ Types of No Down Payment Required Mortgages
Many are familiar with VA loans, and fewer are familiar with USDA loans, each of which provides a mortgage with no down payment required....
Debt Pay Off Before a Home Purchase
I often get questions from buyers about how to pay off debts before a home purchase. Here are my top tips, in order of importance....
Why In-Person or Virtual Face-to-Face & Screen Share Search Set-Up Meetings Are Best
Here are the top reasons why in-person or virtual face-to-face w/ screen share meetings are much better than alternatives for buyers for...
Exclusive Right to Represent Buyer Agreement: Garrett Realty Partners
A common buyer brokerage agreement used in VA that those at my firm, Garrett Realty Partners (GRP), used to use is the Virginia...
The Importance of Timeliness in Real Estate
Time is of the essence in this business and an extra 24 hrs can mean the difference in a deal or no deal or thousands of dollars at...
Avoiding Payment Shock
When you are about to go from a lower payment or no payment on your housing to a higher payment, I recommend taking some steps to avoid...
Credit Boosting Meeting with Adam
One of the ways that I assist buyers and sellers, especially buyers, is by providing guidance to boost their credit, especially prior to...
What Adam Offers Buyers
In this article, I wanted to go over what I offer buyers, point by point, as well as a bit of information about me.
Traffic Comparison in Hampton Roads
Most images including above courtesy Google Maps Traffic is a very important consideration in Hampton Roads. In this guide, I primarily...
Email a Text
Image courtesy Gmail.com CNET wrote an excellent article on how to locate the ability to email a text to your phone's number depending on...
Zillow Search Setup
In this article I wanted to dive into the question of whether or not you should use Zillow (or other public websites) instead of a...
Mortgage Advice
When considering options for mortgages, it's not just about what lenders to talk to. Below I go over some of those details. For more tips...
Search Activation & Keeping Active
One of the most common & best ways that buyers find real estate properties to purchase is through their buyer's agents. According to NAR,...
Responsibilities & Inspector Options Including Deadlines Template for REIN & VAR Offers
While not fully comprehensive on all responsibilities, deadlines, & Inspector options, I've developed a resource to provide a brief...
Backup Offers: Seeing Property & Making Offers After Already Under Contract
Sometimes buyers ask about performing showings on properties already under contract or making offers on properties already under...
Phantom Property Availability: For Sale, Under Contract, but Hard to Tell
Within an active Matrix search that I can set up for buyers in the 5 MLS that I have access to that cover most of SE VA, the vast...
Virginia Association of Realtors Non-Exclusive Buyer Brokerage Agreements
In this article, I'll be going over, in brief, the Virginia Association of Realtors (VAR) buyer brokerage agreements in chronological...
Legal Duties of Buyer's Agents, Per Virginia Law
The below information was pulled directly from https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title54.1/chapter21/section54.1-2132/ I'll simply be...
Disclosures Typically Signed at Time of Buyer Brokerage Agreement at GRP
There are forms that are often signed at time of buyer brokerage agreement in addition to the buyer brokerage agreement itself. These...
Land Purchases & Sales
I was asked today some good questions about land that I felt deserved an article.
Below & Above Asking Price Offers
Those who have bought homes before, if most or all of their experiences have been purchases in buyers' markets (especially in rural...
Rent or Buy Calculator
Among real estate-related calculators, one of the most difficult to accurately determine is the rent vs buy calculator, despite...
Hampton Roads Offers: The REIN Standard Purchase Agreement
The dominant Hampton Roads offer for residential real estate is the Real Estate Information Network Standard Purchase Agreement. That...
What To Do After Ruling Out Adam's Open House
As much as Adam would love to sell buyers properties where he represents the seller from an open house that he's hosting, that doesn't...
Which Multiple Listing Service(s) Are Needed to List in SE VA?
Knowing which Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is needed for a buyer or seller is very important if you're considering selling or buying in...
SE VA City Information & Real Estate Property Info
In this link, I've created a master spreadsheet for government information on homes. I'm unaware of any publicly available spreadsheet...
Adam's Buyer Feedback
My feedback to buyers prior to & within showings is within the top 3% of agents in my opinion. Prior to ever performing a showing at a...
Agents Filling in for Buyers' Agents
In real estate, time is of the essence, whether you're seeing a property for the first time, making an offer, or performing inspections....
What to Look for in a Buyer's Agent for Your Home or Other Real Estate
In this article I wanted to go over how to locate a buyer's agent suitable for a home purchase. Keep in mind that the buyer's agent you...
Detailed Questions for Home Inspectors
See the related page here for basic elements of service provider determinations & here for termite/moisture inspector questions. If...
Basic Elements of Service Provider Determinations
In real estate transactions & outside of real estate transactions, it can be helpful to know how to find service providers. While no...
Most Important Cities/Counties in Hampton Roads for Multiple MLS
Buyers and sellers can both benefit greatly from access to more than 1 MLS, but that's especially true in areas of high crossover MLS,...
Water Heater Age
Often if agents look at the serial plate of main systems, and don't see the age clearly labeled on them, they will leave it to home...
Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Details
The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is the main way that agents input real estate properties onto the market for sale, and in many cases,...
Expeditious Showings
In this article, I wanted to share some important elements of expeditious showings, a critical tool in a buyer's belt for getting under...
Termination of Listing or Buyer Brokerage Agreement With Agent & Their Buyers/Sellers In SE Virginia
Today I was asked about what the "termination clause" was in my listing agreement in the event that the seller was unhappy with my...
The Importance of At Least 3 Interviews for a Real Estate Agent
Why So Many Buyers & Sellers Only Interview One Agent In cases like this one, it's popular for people to do what's easy & to...
Competing Offer Spreadsheet
When I am representing a seller I typically include a competing offer spreadsheet. Below I wanted to share some of the best ways to...
Adam Garrett's Video Visuals for Out of Town Buyers/Sellers
Many buyers and sellers are aware of the fact that which agent you choose to represent you, should you not attempt a solo purchase or...
Tips for Video Showings of Real Estate (i.e. a House)
I believe that it's critical for prospective buyers & sellers to be informed prior to a virtual showing about how to best go about it. In...
Unrepresented Buyer Wants to Make an Offer on Agent's Listing
It's important to note the following: A. Even if there is a deadline on offers, sometimes, but not always, buyers and sellers will be...
Master Spreadsheet for Prospective Home Purchase Considerations
In this link, I've created a master spreadsheet for home purchase considerations for buyers. I'm unaware of any publicly available...
