Okay. Here it is. The Denver real estate guide you’ve been waiting for. This is the guide to buying a home in Denver, Colorado, or wherever you may live or want to live. Are you excited? We are. This is going to be spicier than those banging wings over at El’ 5.
Let’s get to it.
Step 1: Find a Real Estate Agent in Denver
To successfully buy real estate in Denver, you need a real estate agent in Denver who knows all the ins and outs of each neighborhood, down to the block level. Finding the right agent is so important. Make sure to ask around at work, friends, neighbors, your mom’s hairdresser’s husband’s boss’s mechanic about who they used and how their experience was.
Step 2: Get Approved for Your Mortgage
You probably already know this, but the bank is going to need to approve you for a mortgage before they let you buy a house. This is the best place to start after you find the right real estate agent in Denver, or even in tandem with finding the right agent. You won’t have a good sense of what your budget is until you have been approved for a mortgage, which is another critical step we will discuss.
Step 3: Decide What Kind of Home You Want
Before you run off to open houses, take some time to figure out what kind of home you want to purchase. Ask yourself some key questions like what does the kid situation look like? Will you be throwing big parties? Do you want some semblance of a yard? Or do you want to fall asleep with city lights shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows inside your downtown condo or penthouse?
Whatever your ideal living quarters look like, try and flush them out on a detailed list. Give this list to your real estate agent in Denver. This will allow them to work their magic and lead you on your house hunt, which comes later in this process.
Step 4: Decide on Your Budget
Figure out how much you can afford to spend per month on your mortgage. This will help you determine what kind of home you can afford to buy.
It helps to have a real estate agent in Denver who understands your budget and helps you stay within it. You don’t want to work with an agent who will lead you to your dream home only to break the bank over a house that you love but can’t afford. Owning a home is a milestone for many, but most of us can’t afford an 8 bedroom, 7 bath, 8500 square foot home on a swanky block in Cherry Creek.
We are confident you can find the right home for you, whatever that may look like and wherever that may be. Getting real and legit on your budget is a critical step in your search for your new home.
Step 5: Decide on the Neighborhood
Now that you know how much house you can afford and you have a real estate agent in Denver who understands your budget, the next step is to figure out where you want to live.
Not sure where to look? Here are some tips:
- Spend time driving around in each of Denver’s neighborhoods. Get out of your car and walk down some streets to see what the homes are like or if there is anything you don’t like about the block.
- Visit open houses in neighborhoods you are interested in. This will help you narrow down both your house-hunting list and your top neighborhood list.
- Ask your new best friend, a real estate agent in Denver, the best neighborhoods that they recommend to live, work, play, and walk.
Step 6: Go House Hunting
You know how much house you can afford and you know where you want to live. Armed with this info, your real estate agent can help you zero in on houses or condos that meet your criteria. This is the house hunting step, and it’s our favorite and usually our clients favorite as well.
Each house that you tour has its own magic, its own charm that lets you imagine what life would look like if it was yours. You don’t have to commit to the first one, or even the third. But if your agent is on their game, then they will lead you to the one that just feels right. That “I need this house to be mine right now.” Yeah, that’s the good stuff.
Step 7: Finalize Your List
After a few weeks (or a few days) of house hunting, you should have a handful of homes that meet your search criteria. If you don’t, then you can either go back to step 3 and reevaluate or you can keep looking.
Assuming you have at least a few houses that you could see yourself living in or investing in, it’s time for the offer step which is super fun.
Step 8: Make an Offer
Housing contracts can be overwhelming, but the right real estate agent in Denver can help you navigate through the negotiations and make sure all your concerns are addressed. It’s like an adult game of negotiation chess! Except the stakes are in the several tens of thousands of dollars. But if you are working with the right agent you are much more likely to get what you want, and if not what you want, at least everything you need. Which in today’s market, might just be your name on the deed.
Step 9: Close and Move In
Once your offer has been accepted, the real work starts. That would be moving! Let us know if you need a hand. We probably won’t pack or lift any boxes, but we know plenty of reputable moving companies. The recommendations, the connections, and the style. That’s just a few benefits of finding a home Stuart Crowell.
Need a Real Estate Agent in Denver?
I love helping people just like you find their home in Denver. I love what I do and would be honored to have the opportunity to create the best home-buying experience for your first or next home purchase.
