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Buying A Home In Cleveland - The Complete Guide Part 4

Buying A Home In Cleveland - The Complete Guide Part 4 of 7 - Writing An Offer

buying a home in cleveland a complete guide

In an effort to help educate those buying a home in Cleveland, we have put together a 7 part series that will explain the entire home buying process in detail. Although our focus will be on the Cleveland market, many of the ideas discussed can be applied to other areas of the country as well. We recommend that you read the first 3 articles in the series prior to reading step 4.

Our first article, Step 1, was on "The Initial Consultation - Formulating A Game plan" .

Our second article, Step 2, was on "The Pre-approval Process".

Step 3 focused on "Selecting and Previewing Homes."

Here, in Step 4, we will focus on "Writing An Offer".

Once you find that one special home, it is time to get serious and put together an official offer in writing. This consists of completing a purchase agreement along with some additional State of Ohio disclosures. It is important to note, at least in Ohio, that verbal contracts are not binding. In addition, a seller will not deem a verbal offer to be very serious. Therefore, if you really want to buy a particular home, the offer must be put in writing.

purchase agreement

A buyer's agent can assist you with putting together all of the necessary paperwork and explaining everything to you in detail. There is a lot of information to go over during this step of the home buying process, so plan to take 1-2 hours to go over and complete the paperwork. It is not something you want to rush through as the agreement, once accepted by both parties, will be legally binding.

If you are buying a home in Cleveland, our area Board of Realtors has a standard 6 page purchase agreement that we standardly use. We actually include a copy of this purchase agreement in the home buyer's booklet that we give out during the initial consultation and recommend that all buyers read through it prior to actually finding a home. This way, you will have enough time to become familiar with the document and ask questions. Viewing the purchase agreement up front makes the process of writing the offer much less stressful. If you would like a copy of the purchase agreement, please contact us and we will be happy to send it to you.

Here are the major items that need to be addressed in the purchase agreement:

1. closing dates

2. inspections, such as a general home inspection, pest, radon, and in some rural areas here in Cleveland, well and septic

3. terms and conditions, including purchase price and earnest money, if applicable

buying a home in Cleveland get a home inspection

Just a few notes about the above mentioned items. While inspections are not mandatory here in Ohio, we highly recommend having at least a general home inspection performed on the home. Even if your "Uncle Joe", who is a contractor, has walked through the home and given the thumbs up, it is still wise to have a qualified home inspector perform a thorough inspection, even on a new home. Remember, buying a home is one of the biggest purchases of your life, so it is important to make sure you protect yourself by having an inspection performed. Additional inspections can also be done if recommended by your inspector.

Also, earnest money, also known as "good faith" money, is not required by law in the State of Ohio. However, if you are buying a home in Cleveland or surrounding suburbs, earnest money is common and expected by the seller. Many buyers offer 1-2% of the purchase price in earnest money. Again, a buyer's agent can go over this in more detail but we at least wanted to touch upon this subject, especially is you are relocating to Cleveland from another state, where the rules regarding earnest money may be different.

As a buyer, you will not be required to actually do any writing other than signing your name on the various documents. However, you will need to be prepared to help your agent fill in the blanks, especially when it comes down to the price you would like to offer, which is usually a difficult decision for a buyer to make. There are different tactics and strategies that can be used effectively to ensure that your offer gets accepted.

If you want to learn specifics on how to best structure a purchase agreement for acceptance, please click below to read part 5 of the series:

"Negotiating An Offer"

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* Please note that the Schuman Team, Amy and Dan Schuman, are licensed real estate agents in the State of Ohio but are NOT licensed to practice law. Since we discussed the purchase agreement and referred to other State disclosures and Ohio law in this post, we want to be clear that information contained here should not be interpreted as legal advice. All buyers are welcome to seek the advice of a qualified real estate attorney prior to signing any legal documents.

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About The Authors:

This information is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty. The Schumans have worked with numerous professional athletes, business owners, and those relocating to Cleveland from out of the area.

If you are considering buying a home in Cleveland or surrounding suburbs,please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235.

VIEW ALL CLEVELAND HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW

view all cleveland homes for sale

CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Buying A Home In Cleveland Part 4 of 7, Writing An Offer is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Aug 2009

Buying A Home In Cleveland - The Complete Guide Part 3

Buying A Home In Cleveland - The Complete Guide Part 3 of 7 - Selecting and Viewing Homes

buying a home in cleveland a complete guide

In an effort to help educate those buying a home in Cleveland, we have put together a 7 part series that will explain the entire home buying process in detail. Although our focus will be on the Cleveland market, many of the ideas discussed can be applied to other areas of the country as well. We recommend that you read the first 2 articles in the series at some point, preferably prior to reading this.

Our first article, Step 1, was on "The Initial Consultation - Formulating A Game plan" .

Our second article, Step 2, was on "The Pre-approval Process".

This article focuses on "Step 3 - Selecting and Previewing Homes."

Now that you have had your initial consultation with a qualified agent and gotten pre-approved for a loan, you can now start what many people feel is the fun part of the process, looking at homes.

Guide to buying home in Cleveland viewing homes on line

The popularity of the internet has made the selection process much easier as every home on the market can be viewed on line in the comfort of your home or office. The best thing to do at this point is to have specific parameters set for your home search in terms of area, price range, style of home, and other details such as year built, number of bedrooms and baths, basement type, and lot size.

Additionally, your agent can take your parameters and put you on an automated home search through the Multiple Listing Service ( MLS ). Here in the Cleveland area, our MLS is called NEOREX, the Northeast Ohio Real Estate Exchange. This automated search will enable you to get a list of homes that fit your preferred specifications emailed to you as they come on the market. You will also get notified if a home has a price reduction. This will ensure that you get to see everything available and won't miss any great opportunities.

When viewing homes on line, there are a few things to look for. First, see how many photos each home has. Ones with a lot of pictures will give you a better feel for the home than ones that do not. Additionally, we advise our clients who are buying a home in Cleveland to be leery of listings that have no or few photos. Also, some listings offer special notes highlighting special features of the home. These notes may indicate if the home is bank owned, a short sell, or if the seller is motivated.

One thing to remember when looking at homes on line is that the job of a listing agent is to make their listing look as attractive as possible. A house that looks great on line may have power lines in the back yard not noticeable from the pictures. There may also be a highway or railroad track located behind the property. A good buyer's agent will preview homes in advance so you don't end up wasting your valuable time looking at homes that just aren't a good match.

Once you have a list of homes that you would like to see, please allow 48 hours to schedule showings as it can take some time to communicate with the seller. Additionally, most sellers would like an opportunity to have the home properly prepared for a showing. This may include getting children or dogs out of the home.

Viewing Homes

Here are a few things we recommend when going out with your agent to look at homes:

1. Only see 5-6 homes at one time. Seeing more than that can be confusing as they all begin to blend together after a while.

2. Pay attention to homes in the neighborhood so you can get a good feel for overall pride of ownership.

3. Take notes of each home so you can remember them. You may also want to bring a camera as well as a tape measure with you to make sure specific pieces of furniture will fit in certain rooms.

4. After viewing each home, give your agent specific feedback about what you liked or didn't like.

5. If you like a particular home, put it on the "A" list and make plans to see it again.

The process of going out and looking at homes will continue until you find the right home. How long that takes really depends. Some buyers find the right home on the first time out and others take 6-12 months to find a home.

Overall, a motivated buyer should be able to find a home in 60-90 days, especially after reading this Complete Guide To Buying A Home In Cleveland.

If you would like to continue reading the Complete Guide To Buying A Home In Cleveland, click the link below to get to Step 4:

Writing An Offer

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About The Authors:

This information is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty. The Schumans have worked with numerous professional athletes, business owners, and those relocating to Cleveland from out of the area.

If you are considering buying a home in Cleveland or surrounding suburbs,please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235.

VIEW ALL CLEVELAND AREA HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW

view all cleveland homes for sale

CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Buying A Home In Cleveland Part 3, Selecting and Viewing homes is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Aug 2009

Buying A Home In Cleveland - A Complete Guide Part 2

Buying A Home In Cleveland - The Complete Guide Part 2 of 7 - Getting Pre-Approved

In an effort to help educate those buying a home in Cleveland, we have put together a 7 part series that will explain the entire home buying process in detail. Although our focus will be on the Cleveland market, many of the ideas discussed can be applied to other areas of the country as well. Our first article, Step 1, was on "The Initial Consultation - Formulating A Game plan" . Please feel free to read it as it will give you a solid foundation in which to begin the home buying process.

buying a home in cleveland a complete guide

This article focuses on "Step 2 - Getting Pre-Approved For A Loan."

buying a home in cleveland get pre-approved

Many people make the mistake of beginning the buying process by looking at homes, not only on the Internet, but also in person. While looking at homes is fun and exciting and certainly a big part of the home buying process, many potential buyers overlook the importance of getting pre-approved for a loan first.

There is nothing more disheartening than seeing the dreams of a home buyer crushed when they find out they cannot qualify for a loan on the home they have already fallen in love with. The pre-approval process is fairly simple and can often be done initially over the phone in a 10-15 minute conversation with a qualified mortgage professional, so please take this step seriously.

Whether you are buying your first home, you are a move-up buyer, or are relocating to Cleveland from out of state, having your finances in order is a critical step in the process. Even if you have purchased a home in the past, today's tough lending environment is creating challenges for all home buyers.

When the market was good, getting a loan was fairly easy. Buyers were able to put no money down, have marginal credit and still qualify to buy a home. Today, things are much different. Banks and lenders are much more conservative in their decision making due to the mortgage crises that has hit the financial markets. Credit and income requirements are constantly changing and have created a very unsettled marketplace. Because of this, it is more important than ever before to get pre-approved prior to looking at a home.

Here are the main benefits of getting pre-approved:

•1. You will find out how much you qualify for up front, saving you valuable time.

•2. An offer from someone who is pre-approved will be stronger than an offer by someone who is not.

•3. Since over 20% of all credit reports contain errors, the pre-approval process will help identify any potential problems and give you time to correct them.

•4. You will be able to aggressively make an offer, and with confidence, on a home with an approval letter in hand.

•5. Sellers will be more comfortable negotiating with a pre-approved buyer, which could lead to a more attractive price and terms.

buying a home in cleveland getting pre-approved for a loan

There are many places you can go to get pre-approved, such as a bank, lender, or mortgage broker. Each one is a little different, so we suggest contacting one of each so you can do some comparison shopping. If you need help finding a lender or have specific questions, feel free to contact us. Dan has over 15 years experience in mortgage lending and can be a very helpful and unbiased resource.

Also, if you are relocating to Cleveland from out of the area, we recommend using a local mortgage professional who is familiar with some of the Cleveland area nuances such as point of sale inspections. Remember, all states and cities have different rules and guidelines when it comes to lending, so using someone local may make the process easier.

Getting pre-approved for a loan isn't the most exciting step in the process, but it is one of the most important. If you are buying a home in Cleveland, please do yourself a favor and get pre-approved before actively engaging in looking at homes.

If you would like to continue reading the Complete Guide To Buying A Home In Cleveland, click the link below to get to Step 3:

Selecting and Viewing Homes

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About The Authors:

This information is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty. The Schumans have worked with numerous professional athletes, business owners, and those relocating to Cleveland from out of the area.

If you are considering buying a home in Cleveland or surrounding suburbs,please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235.

VIEW ALL CLEVELAND HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW

view all cleveland homes for sale

CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Buying A Home In Cleveland Part 2 Getting Pre-Approved is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Aug 2009

Buying A Home In Cleveland - The Complete Guide

Buying A Home In Cleveland - The Complete Guide Part 1 of 7 The Initial Consultation

If you are buying a home in Cleveland, you will find this series of 7 articles very helpful. We will focus on every step of the home buying process, from the first step of the initial consultation and putting together a game plan to closing, and everything in between. Buying a home can be complicated, especially if you are a first-time buyer, haven't bought in a long time, or are relocating to Cleveland and buying from out of state. However, if you are armed with the proper information up front, you can move forward with confidence and make the entire process a lot less stressful, and even have some fun.

complete guide to buying a home in cleveland

While the information contained in this article and the rest of the series focuses specifically on those who are buying a home in Cleveland and the surrounding suburbs, many of the main ideas described here can be used to buy a home anywhere. Keep in mind that every geographic area has different nuances and some of the things we will discuss throughout this series may not be applicable to those living in other areas of the country or outside the U.S.

initial consultation is first step of buying a home

The first step to buying a home in Cleveland is the initial consultation with a real estate agent. This does not have to be a lengthy or difficult process and usually only takes an hour or so. It is critical though to define your home buying goals up front and as detailed as possible so you can achieve success. While this may sound simple, many home buyers decide their first step should be to look at houses on line and go see them at an open house. While there is nothing wrong with driving around looking at homes, if you are serious about buying and want to make sure you don't make any costly mistakes, you should sit down with a real estate professional and map out a plan.

Think of it this way, if you were going on a 2 week vacation with your family, would you just pile everyone in the car and start driving? Probably not, so buying a home should be viewed the same way, you need to have a plan. In fact, using the above analogy of going on a trip, working with a real estate agent would be equivalent to having a high-end GPS system navigate you from start to finish. The best thing is that when buying a home in Cleveland, the seller pays all real estate commissions, so hiring a buyer's agent does not cost you any money.

The initial consultation should be done in person, although those relocating to Cleveland may need to do it by phone. Regardless, this important first step is a time of fact gathering, so be prepared to be asked a lot of questions. In turn, you should feel comfortable asking questions as well, to make sure you and your agent are on the same page. Remember, this is the beginning of what will hopefully be a successful long-term relationship, so asking questions and being able to speak openly and honestly with each other is important.

It is during this time that you will discuss things like time frame, if you need to sell before buying, your price range, and specifics about the desired location and type of home you are looking for. The more information your agent has, the easier it will be for them to find you that one special home. We realize that many home buyers just want to start seeing homes and prefer to skip this initial first step, but don't make this mistake. This first step is the most important and can dictate the success of your home buying experience.

If you would like to continue reading the Complete Guide To Buying A Home In Cleveland, click the link below to get to Step 2:

Getting Pre-Approved

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About The Authors:

This information is provided compliments of Amy and Dan Schuman, The Schuman Team Keller Williams Realty. The Schumans have worked with numerous professional athletes, business owners, and those relocating to Cleveland from out of the area.

If you are considering buying a home in the Cleveland area, please contact the Schuman Team at 216-346-3235.

VIEW ALL CLEVELAND HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW

view all cleveland homes for sale

CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Buying A Home In Cleveland The Complete Guide Part 1 Initial Consultation is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Aug 2009

Paraben Free Cosmetics - Spell Cosmetics

Paraben Free Cosmetics - Spell Cosmetics

In an effort to focus on locally owned and operated businesses, today we are focusing on a very unique company which has their headquarters right here in Solon, Spell Cosmetics. Although Spell Cosmetics does business throughout North America and overseas as well, they started right here in Solon and are considered the trend setters in the field of cosmetics as they specialize in paraben free cosmetics.

Paraben free cosmetics

The world of cosmetics can be very complicated in terms of how they are made and the specific ingredients that go into them. We won't get too technical in this article as it is not our area of expertise and can be very confusing. However, as very health conscious consumers, we can certainly appreciate when a company like Spell Cosmetics is making products that don't contain any controversial ingredients. Their motto is "Glamour Without Guilt", and their paraben free cosmetics are being used on the set of television shows, by professional make-up artists, salons, and by thousands of people around the globe who want to look fashionable yet are concerned about their health and well-being.

Spell Cosmetics Natural Products

Spell Cosmetics was founded by beauty and fashion icon Elle Gemma. They create their own products, put them through strict quality control guidelines, and offer a no questions asked full return policy. Their products are made without the use of parabens, phthalates, talc, bismuth oxychloride, and is committed to using fair-trade raw materials that have been screened for any contaminates. The use of parabens in products is a very hot topic today, and those not familiar with them will find the following paragraphs to be quite eye-opening:

Parabens are found in many brands of make-up and in tens of thousands of other products. They are even found in processed foods that claim to be "natural" or "hypoallergenic" (buzz terms that aren't governed by federal standards or definitions).The reason for concern is that parabens' chemical structure is strikingly similar to the hormone estrogen; in fact, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) states that all parabens have been proven to have endocrine-disrupting effects.

When paraben-laced products are applied to your skin, they are absorbed into your body and may be mistaken for estrogen, disrupting the endocrine system, and too much estrogen - or estrogen mimickers - can cause big problems, including weight gain, fluid retention and depression. Researchers are also investigating what role estrogen may play as a culprit in the development of breast cancer.

Spell Cosmetics Paraben Free Foundation

With everything that is known, or not known, about parabens, more and more people are learning towards buying paraben free cosmetics. Especially considering that many products, especially those made overseas, are produced without any regulations, informed consumers are finding that Spell Cosmetics is a much safer and smarter choice as their products are free from all contaminants.

Check your product labels for these terms: Benzyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Butylparaben, Butyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Ethyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, , Methyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Propyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Propylparaben, Parahydroxybenzoic acid and Parahydroxybenzoate. They are all forms of parabens. If possible, check the ingredients of items in your home and try to identify which ones contain parabens so that you can throw them away and purchase similar items that don't contain parabens.


Spell Cosmetics offers a full line of paraben free cosmetics including: foundations, eye shadows, blush, lip glosses, eye liner, and much more. Spell has a fantastic interactive website featuring their entire array of products and even includes product reviews by their clients, chat forums, and hi-def images of shade selections applied on a model.
Spell Cosmetics Paraben Free
Check out their official website at : www.spellcosmetics.com and blog at www.spellcosmetics.blogspot.com

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About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman are Solon residents. They specialize in luxury homes, working with buyers relocating to Solon, and home staging.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Solon or the surrounding Eastern suburbs, please contact the Schuman Team.

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235.

VIEW ALL SOLON HOMES FOR SALE BY CLICKING BELOW

view all solon homes for sale

VIEW ALL AREA HOMES FOR SALE

CHECK OUT THE SCHUMAN TEAM'S AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE

Paraben Free Cosmetics - Spell Cosmetics is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©Aug,2009