LP Realty Network Home Buying Guide

HOME
BUYING

GUIDE

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

The Home Buying Process

 
Welcome!

You are about to embark on the exciting journey of finding your ideal home. Whether it
is your first home or your tenth home, a retirement home, or an investment property,
we will make your home-buying experience fun and exciting.

We can help you find the ideal home with the least amount of hassle; and we are
devoted to using our expertise and the full resources of our office to achieve these
results! Purchasing a home is a very important decision and a big undertaking in your
life. In fact, most people only choose a few homes in their lifetime. We are going to
make sure that you are well equipped and armed with up-to-date information for your
big decision. We are even prepared to guide you through every phase of the
home-buying process.

The information that you’ll be receiving from us will be useful during and after your
transaction. Use the following pages as an invaluable guide on your home-buying
journey.

So let’s take an exciting journey together! We look forward to meeting your real
estate needs every step of the way!

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

It’s All About You 

Our real estate business has been built around one guiding principle: It’s all about
you.

❖ Your needs
❖ Your dreams
❖ Your concerns
❖ Your questions
❖ Your finances
❖ Your time
❖ Your life

Our focus is on your complete satisfaction. In fact, we work to get the job done so well,
you’ll want to tell your friends and associates about it. Maybe that’s why more than 50
percent of our business comes from repeat customers and referrals.

Good service speaks for itself. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to earn your
referrals too!

 

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Our Promise and Goals to You 

 
Our team has this Promise and Goal to create an experience you honestly cannot
imagine being better.

Our systems, and everything we do, are designed around delivering on this Promise
and Goal. Everyone on our team is focused on what it is you want and what it is you
need in order to achieve your goal.

We make every effort to be proactive on everything in the sale process and to
eliminate surprises and keep is as good as it can be.

Now there will be challenges, we know there will be, it’s real estate and it’s people!

Just know that our team is focussed on creating a 5 star experience for you.

So, another goal we have is that some time from right now until the day we close on
your home… that you will feel so great about what we are doing for you, that you will
call us… text us… or email us with the name of someone that needs help in real
estate. They might just have a general question, they might need to buy or sell a
home, they might need to refinance; they just need help with real estate.

While we are working together you will hopefully be giving our name out which we
truly, truly appreciate.. Word of mouth is our lifeblood.. May we ask you to do that?

 
 
 
 
 

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Your Home Search 

 
We love helping buyers find their dream home. That’s why we work with each client
individually, taking the time to understand their unique lifestyles, needs and wishes.
This is about more than a certain number of bedrooms or a particular postal code. It’s
about your life, and it’s important to us.

When you work with us, you’ll get:

❖ Knowledgeable and professional REALTORS
❖ Committed allies to negotiate on your behalf
❖ The backing of a trusted company, Keller Williams Realty

We have the systems in place to streamline the home-buying process for you. As part
of our service, we will commit to helping you with your home search by:

❖ Previewing homes in advance on your behalf
❖ Personally touring homes and neighbourhoods with you
❖ Keeping you informed of new homes on the market
❖ Helping you preview homes online
❖ Advising you of the homes that have sold and for how much
❖ Working with you until we find the home of your dreams

 
 

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

6 Steps to Home-Buying 

Choose an agent

Choose the best real estate agent to represent you in finding and purchasing your
dream home and sign a Buyer Agency Agreement to work together. It is important to
trust your agent, as you will be spending a lot of time together and your agent will help
you with one of the biggest financial commitments you will make.

Obtain Financial Pre-Approval

Get pre-approved for a loan before you find the home you want to buy. Benefits
include:

❖ You know your price range, closing costs, and monthly payments up front
❖ You only look at homes within your price range
❖ Your negotiating position with the seller is stronger
❖ Closing on your new home can happen more quickly
View Homes and Find “The One!”
After a thorough understanding of your new home needs, you receive a list of homes
that meet most or all of your requirements, and we schedule time to visit them. I will
also help you find homes through:

❖ Online with real estate search sites including the MLS, and my Keller Williams
mobile search app – we will make appointments to visit them.

❖ Open Houses - accompanied by your real estate representative.
❖ New home developments – accompanied by your real estate representative.

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Make Your Offer

Once you have found your dream home, I will research market data on the home to
help you will determine what to offer and we will present a written offer to the seller’s
agent. There may be some negotiation required and the seller may either accept,
reject, or counter your offer. When the seller accepts the offer, it becomes a legal
contract.

Get Inspection and Negotiate Repairs

You will hire a professional home inspector to conduct a thorough inspection of the
property and we will negotiate with the seller to complete any necessary repairs.

Final Review of Contract and Close!

The closing is the formal process of signing papers, paying fees and closing costs,
and receiving the keys to your new home!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Funding Your Home Purchase 

Three Factors Determining How Much Can You Afford

❖ Qualification for the Mortgage
❖ Down Payment
❖ Closing Costs

Qualification for the Mortgage

Lenders may require that your monthly payments range between 28 – 44% of your
monthly income. The percentage will depend on the borrower’s credit rating. Your
monthly mortgage payment to the lender will consist of:

❖ Principal on the loan
❖ Interest on the loan
❖ Property taxes
❖ Homeowner’s insurance
Down Payment

Most home loans today require an upfront, or down payment. If you are able to pay
more upfront, you may be eligible for lower interest rate loans, and shorter loan
periods.

Closing Costs

Additional fees and costs associated with loan processing and closing are required to
be paid at the final closing, unless you are able to include them in your financing.

 Typically, closing costs amount to between 2 – 5% of the purchase price (not the loan

amount.)

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Making an Offer 

Once you have found the property you want, we will write a purchase agreement.
While much of the agreement is standard, there are a few areas that we can
negotiate:

The Price

What you offer on a property depends on a number of factors including its condition,
length of time on the market, buyer activity, and the urgency of the seller. While some
buyers want to make a low offer just to see if the seller accepts, this often isn’t a smart
choice, because the seller may be insulted and decide not to negotiate at all.

The Move-in Date

If you can be flexible on the possession date, the seller may be more apt to choose
your offer over others.

Additional Property

Often, the seller plans on leaving major appliances in the home; however, which items
stay or go is often a matter of negotiation.

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

What Happens Next

We will present the offer to the listing agent and/or seller. The seller will then do one
of the following:

❖ Accept the offer

❖ Reject the offer

❖ Counter the offer with changes

By far the most common is the counteroffer. In these cases, my experience and
negotiating skills become powerful in representing your best interests.

When a counteroffer is presented, you and I will work together to review each specific
area of it, making sure that we move forward with your goals in mind and ensuring that
we negotiate the best possible price and terms on your behalf.

Closing 101 

Deposit

Technically, your offer becomes legally binding when you provide a deposit, usually
required within 24 hours of the offer being accepted. The deposit is usually around 5%
of the purchase price (though often higher for luxury properties) and is paid in the form
of a certified cheque or bank draft to the listing brokerage (where it is held in trust,
meaning the brokerage can’t use your deposit to pay their hydro bills). Your deposit is
generally a different amount than your down payment (which is the difference between
the purchase price and your mortgage). If for some reason you do not close on the
house, the Seller may be entitled to keep your deposit. Deposits are a way of showing
a Seller that you’re financially sound and that you’ve got some skin in the game and
are motivated to take possession.

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Conditions

You need to do whatever it is you need to do to waive your conditions. If your offer
was conditional on a financing or home inspection condition, you’ll need to get busy
and take the necessary steps so that you can waive the conditions within the specified
time period.

Your Lender

Generally, most lenders require a copy of the MLS listing and your signed Agreement
of Purchase and Sale. If your offer was conditional on financing, they’ll use that
information to confirm that they will indeed give you a mortgage for that particular
home.

Appraisal

These days, many lenders will order a house or condo appraisal before they’ll lend
you the money. An unbiased professional home appraiser will actually visit the
property you just put an offer on and confirm the value to the bank. The bank’s goal is
to confirm that you paid market value for the property so that in the event that you
default on your mortgage, they aren’t stuck with a $500,000 house that you/they paid
$650,000 for.

Lawyer

Once an offer has been accepted, your real estate lawyer’s job begins. He or she will
need a copy of the Agreement of Purchase and Sale and your personal identification.

Insurance

No lender will advance you a mortgage until they have proof that you’ve insured the
property. Get started on obtaining insurance right away – and make sure to get
multiple quotes.

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Additional visits

Most purchase agreements include the right for you to go back and visit the property
before you take possession – to measure, show your family, plan your renovations,
etc. Your Realtor will accompany you to these showings. We usually recommend that
you save one of your visits for the day before close to ensure that the house or condo
is in the same condition it was in when you put an offer on it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will you tell me about the newest homes available?

The Multiple Listing Service Website provides up-to-date information for every home
on the market. I constantly check the New on Market list so I can be on the lookout for
my clients. I will get you this information right away, the way that is most convenient for
you: by phone, email, text and/or my IDX instant notification system.

Will you inform me of homes from all real estate companies or only Keller Williams
Realty?

I will keep you informed of all homes. I want to help you find your dream home, which
means I need to stay on top of every home that’s available on the market.

Can you help me find new construction homes?

Yes, I can work with most builders and get you the information you need to make a
decision. On your visits with the builder, I will accompany you. By using my services
with a new construction home purchase, you will receive the services I offer, as well as
those provided by the builder, at no additional cost.

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

How does for sale by owner (FSBO) work?

Homeowners trying to sell their home without agent representation are usually doing
so in the hopes of saving the listing agent commission, but most understand they will
pay for buyer agent commission. If you see a FSBO and want the advantages of my
services, let me contact the owner for you and make an appointment.

Most times the homeowner will work with an agent even though their home is not
listed, since the agent is introducing a potential buyer to their property.

Our brokerage also has access to the Broker Bay Portal which gives us access to
additional properties that are not on the public MLS.

Can we go back through our property again once an offer is made but before
possession?

Usually we can notify the seller and schedule a convenient time to visit the property
again. Immediately before the closing, we will schedule a final walk-through and
inspection of your new home.

Once my offer is accepted, what should I do?

Celebrate and focus on moving into your new home! You will want to schedule your
move, pack items, and notify businesses of your address change. I will provide you
with a moving checklist to help you remember all the details. I will also indicate
anything else you need to bring to closing.

 
 
 

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Why Keller Williams

Get to Know Us

Created as a grand experiment, Keller Williams operates on the premise that if the
company focuses all its resources on building its agents’ businesses, the agents in
turn will build the company beyond all expectations. With that philosophy, we are
reshaping the global industry landscape.

Today, more than 139,000 associates and over 790 market centers across the globe
are affiliated with Keller Williams.

The Proof is in the Numbers

As the only major real estate franchise company in North America to experience
growth in recent years – among the most challenging in the industry – our time-tested
models and systems establish a framework for profitability in any market. Therefore,
we continue to far outpace the growth trajectory of any competitor.

There's a reason why Entrepreneur magazine recently ranked Keller Williams as the
No. 1 real estate franchise, and why we were the only major real estate franchise
company to report an increase in both the number of associates and the number of
closed transactions for both the 2011 REAL Trends 500 and the RISMedia Power
Broker Reports.

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Technology
Leading-edge tech tools and training give us the
advantage in effectively finding the perfect home for
you!

Teamwork
KW was designed to reward agents for working
together. Based on the belief that we are all more
successful if we strive toward a common goal rather
than individual interests, we're confident that all KW
professionals share the vision of serving our clients
at the highest level.

Knowledge
We stay ahead of trends in the real estate industry
through our comprehensive, industry-leading
training curriculum and research resources. It's what
prepares our team to provide you with unparalleled
service.

Reliability
Founded on the principles of trust and honesty,
Keller Williams emphasizes the importance of
having the integrity to do the right thing, always
putting your needs first. We firmly believe that our
success is ultimately determined by the legacy we
leave with each client.

Track Record
We're proud to be affiliated with one of the largest
real estate organizations in the world! The strong
growth of Keller Williams is proof that when you
offer a superior level of service, word spreads fast.

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Meet the LP Realty Network & Consulting Team 

 

 

   
 Lisa Hensen  Kimberley Franklin

CEO/ Lead Agent/ Broker Sales Representative

   

 
   Aryn Sousa

Executive Assistant/ Client Care

 
 

   

Arlene Pam

Team Builder/ Broker Stager/ Consultant

CRA, P.App, Appraisal

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Lisa Hensen, Broker 

In 2009, Lisa started her appraising career, and
two years later she decided to expand into the
Real Estate industry. She hasn’t looked back
since.

After beginning her career in Grimsby at Royal
Lepage and working there for 5 years, Lisa
decided to make a big jump to Keller Williams. With
overwhelming feelings, Lisa knew she had made
the right decision. Lisa created The Hensen Team
in 2016 and have since accomplished many things
to further their career and reputation within the
Real Estate industry.

In July 2019 she has created LP Realty Network and Consulting team which she
promises to exceed her goals for her team and provide exceptional service to her
clients.

Lisa Hensen is a very dedicated woman not only to her team but her family as well.
She currently resides in the Grimsby community. She has a very close eye to detail,
goes up and beyond expectations for her clients and very well schedule so you will
always know what the next steps are. Her goal is to make every one of her clients
happy and comfortable throughout the entire process because this is a large milestone
in your life so she will be there to reassure you and fulfill your requests.

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

What Our Clients Say About Us 

 
"Selling our out of town house was made so easy. Whether buying or selling this duo
will go the distance and then some to make sure they get the job done and that you
are happy. Thanks for your expertise and patience. I look forward to working with you
again."
- Dominique Tasse

"Lisa and Jay are a very dedicated and hardworking couple, they listen to exactly
what you’re looking for in a home and they won't stop until they find you your forever
home! As first-time buyers, we were very nervous with the Realty process but Lisa
and Jay walked us through everything and made it as comfortable as possible. They
are very down to earth people and they’re so easy to talk to. I honestly would
recommend them to anyone I know, they sold our house in under a week and found
us our forever home in a very timely fashion. I don't think we could've chosen a better
team to work with. Thanks Lisa & Jay !!!!"
-Chelsea Magda

"Lisa is such a hardworking, committed professional, while simultaneously a
compassionate and caring person! She was with me through three real estate
transactions and I would never want anyone else for future real estate endeavors.
She is knowledgeable, efficient, offers great advice, works to meet your needs, kind,
and caring. Her personality is so natural which helped me feel content and relaxed
through each selling/buying process, which I sincerely appreciated since it was
during a difficult time for me. It's reassuring to knowthat for our next sale or
purchase, I knowI have someone who is reliable and I can count on! We love Lisa!"
- Eleonora Agnella Cifani

"Such an amazing experience with an incredible team! Lisa made our buying and
selling experience enjoyable and comfortable. She was always available to answer
questions and offer support. From the beginning to the end, the entire team went
above and beyond. Highly recommend to anyone and everyone. Thank you!!!!"
-Ashley Washington

"I was a first-time home buyer and Lisa was so patient and understanding with all my
crazy questions. She made the process easy for me. We love our house! I'd definitely
recommend Lisa -and Jay."
-Emily Jeanne & Bill

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

What’s Ahead 

 
Let’s look for a new home

The information we just discussed about your wants, needs, and desires will all be
taken into account when I choose homes for you to view.
In some cases, my clients find their dream home on the first day. In other cases, it
takes more time to find the right home. Rest assured, there is a home out there just
right for you. We just have to find it.

To assist you in the home search journey, I will organize a list of homes with the
following information for each:

❖ Photos of the home

❖ The home address

❖ The current asking price

❖ The square footage and property taxes

❖ The number of bedrooms and baths

❖ The age and lot size

❖ Unique features and comments

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

Once we narrow down the list of properties that are of interest, I will:
❖ Provide you with more detailed information about the home
❖ Review the county tax records for tax liens, etc
❖ Tour the home with you
❖ Determine how the asking price compares with other homes in the area
❖ Answer any and all questions you may have

LP REALTY NETWORK HOME BUYING GUIDE

OUR GOALS
Our team aims to assist buyers and sellers in making the BEST real estate

decisions possible by providing relevant knowledge, collaboration,
professionalism and a memorable experience. We are real estate professionals

who continually strive to provide top quality service for individual clients and
Customers.

OUR PROJECTS

Serving the Hamilton, Niagara and West Lincoln areas, we offer market
analysis, hire inspectors, and can sell your property or find you the house of
your dreams. LP Realty Network is creative, innovative and people-oriented.
Our skilled analyses provide opportunity, personal satisfaction and accurate up to-

date information for sound real estate advice.

IN CONCLUSION

When you list your home with LP Realty Network you will receive:

❖ Excellent service and support

❖ A market analysis of your home

❖ A winning marketing plan

❖ Every effort to sell your home promptly

❖ The resources of Keller Williams, the #1 Real Estate Company

Let us help you achieve your Real Estate goals today!