1. Choosing a Realtor
The first and most important criteria in choosing a Realtor is your ability to communicate with them. While there are plenty of agents with many years of experience, your personalities must be able to mesh. Buying and/or selling a home can be a long process, and you want to be assured that you can have a long term and open relationship with your Realtor.

While many factors may influence your decision, some of the other important criteria to take into consideration are the professionalism of the agent, their overall knowledge of the real estate industry, their reputation and proven track record. Many Realtors are able to offer testimonials from past clients or statistical data concerning their sales.

Another aspect may be the company for which they work. There are pros and cons to working with both large and small companies. The bottom line is that there are good agents at less recognized companies and not-so-good agents at larger, national companies. The company name may play a factor in making your decision, but concentrate more on the individual Realtor and their ability to meet your needs.

2. Finding a Home
Once you have selected a Realtor, it is now time to find your dream home; but what is YOUR definition of a dream home? A good Realtor will take the parameters that you define and run off a customized list of homes based on an evaluation of your needs.

Some items that you will want to consider:
1. Size of Home (# of Bedrooms, Baths, Sq. Ft., etc.)
2. School District
3. Location (proximity to work, school, etc.)
4. Price Range
5. Condition of Property

While it is not always possible to find everything that you want in a home, a professional Realtor will get you the best home for the value.

3. Choosing a Loan
With so many different lenders in the market today, how do you choose which one has the best program to meet your needs?

Like choosing a Realtor, there are a number of criteria that should be analyzed when choosing a mortgage company and/or program.

Service - The professionalism in which you are handled, from start to finish, is difficult to determine in advance. We have a 99% customer satisfaction rating - that means that 99 out of 100 clients we serve would recommend us to a friend or relative. See what our clients have to say about our service under our Customer Testimonial Page.

Rates and Points - We use the most advanced technology to deliver the most competitive rates in the country. Our on-line rate shopping service gives us instant access to the most competitive lenders, so we can guarantee one of the lowest rates around.

Speed - In today's fast paced lifestyle, you cannot wait for 30 days before you know if your mortgage is approved. We offer 1 Hour Approvals for qualified customers, so you know immediately what is needed to process your loan and can settle quickly on your new home.

Knowledge - While a bank may be good for certain transactions, only a qualified mortgage professional can deliver the expertise needed in today's real estate market with the most current mortgage programs available. Our staff has over 150 years of experience in the mortgage industry; let our expertise go to work for you.

Broker vs. Banker - The major difference between the two is that a banker approves and funds a loan with their own money while a broker funds with a lender's money. A banker typically has limited options in approving a loan, while a broker has many more resources to get a loan approved and/or shop around for the best terms on the customer's behalf. For more information on this difference, see our article, "What Your Banker Won't Tell You."

We have one of the largest selection of programs available. We have relationships with hundreds of investors from all over the country, bringing over 5000 financing options to choose from in our Program Library.

Our Program Library gives us the flexibility to customize a loan specifically for your individual needs. Thus, We can be your one stop source for mortgages, regardless of whether you need 107% Financing or a 100% No-Documentation Loan. We will analyze your scenario, make recommendations and accommodate your personalized situation.

For more information on how we can help you buy the home of your dreams, give us a call today at (302) 698-4130 or eMail Us.