Buy With Us

A Step-by-Step Buyer's Guide

Purchasing a home is one of the most important decisions you’ll make, and the right advice and guidance is of utmost importance. Experience and expertise matter, and they can make a difference in making sure that you not only find the right house, but that you also pay the best price. Currently, real estate is extremely dynamic, which can seem complex and confusing at times. Consider partnering with us to ensure you have access to a thorough understanding of the market, and access to many off market opportunities and awareness of properties about to be listed. We hope to partner with you from the beginning of the search process to beyond the closing table. We are here for you!

Step 1: Research

Do you already know where you want to buy? If you want a condo, townhome, or single-family home? Which features do you like and dislike? What’s available on the market now? If you answered no to any of these questions, now is the time to start researching. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, also take note of any changes in asking prices. This could give you valuable insight into housing trends in specific neighborhoods and help you when the time comes to make an offer.

Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Notice we said to decide on your budget—not determine how much the mortgage company will give you. In many cases, a mortgage company will pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why you need to determine the monthly payment you feel comfortable with before talking to a lender. This likely includes doing a full household budget and taking into consideration what changes other than a mortgage payment will occur once you move into your new home. If you’ve lived in an apartment or with roommates, you may overlook new expenses like garbage, water, or HOA fees that could easily blow your budget.

Step 3: Get Prequalified

Just because you think you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree. Just as they may approve you for too large of an amount, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or deny you a mortgage altogether. Lack of time at a job, insufficient credit, past bankruptcies, or other financial issues can cause major problems when trying to secure a mortgage. Before you get your heart set on a home, talk to a mortgage professional to find out what amount you can qualify for. This will also be an advantage when you make an offer on a home, as some sellers won’t entertain offers from those who aren’t already prequalified for a loan.

Step 4: Choose a Real Estate Agent

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without a real estate agent? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for agents like us to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will we help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but we also have knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where our expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let us show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.

Our goal is to provide you with the most personalized service that is designed to help you buy your dream home

Schedule A Consultation

Step 5: Find the Right Home

This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). We will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that are within your price range. Take notes about what you like and don’t like, and make sure to pay attention to details. Turn light switches on and off, open and close doors, and run the faucets in various rooms. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.

Step 6: Make an Offer

Once you have selected the perfect home, work with your agent to craft a fair offer based on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price. We will be able to help you negotiate if you receive a counteroffer and reach an agreement. At this point, the house will go into escrow.

Step 7: Have the Home Inspected

In most cases, your offer will be contingent on having the home inspected to ensure there is no major structural damage or large repairs needed. We can help you arrange this, and you can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process goes to step eight. If there is, you can renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed, or you can withdraw it.

Step 8: Select Your Loan

Now is the time to go back to the mortgage lender who pre-approved or pre-qualified you and choose your mortgage. You will be presented with various options based on your unique financial situation, including fixed-rate, variable-rate, 15-year, 30-year, or special programs such as VA loans or FHA loans. Work with your mortgage lender to select the option you feel the most comfortable with.

Step 9: Get a Home Appraisal

Your lender will have your new home appraised so they have their independent value of it. The appraisal is to ensure that all parties involved are paying a fair price for the house.

Step 10: Finish Paperwork

No one looks forward to all the paperwork involved in buying a home, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you’ll know you are the legal owner of your new home.

Congratulations!

After signing the final paperwork to complete the purchase, you are now the owner of a new house. It may take a few days for your loan to be funded once the paperwork has been returned to the lender, but once that check is delivered to the seller, you’ll be all set to move into the home of your dreams.

Our Testimonials

J

Jordan G.

Rachel and Molly are the best! They are true Park City experts, excellent communicators, and a pleasure to be around. They handle stressful situations with ease and make others around them feel relaxed. It seems like everyone i...

Debra D.

Excellent resource if you are looking to buy or sell in Park City or Deer Valley!

Jessica J.

We have a lot of clients that need realtors, and we feel really comfortable sending them to Molly and Rachel because we know they'll receive great service and be well taken care of. Thanks for all you do! :D ~Park City Family O...

Laura J.

Rachel and Molly were wonderful to work with! Sold our house off market for a great price!

Peter M.

My wife and I are thrilled we chose the dream team of Molly and Rachel. They are unequalled in market knowledge, relentless in their efficiency, available round the clock, and thoroughly skilled in the intricacies of the real e...

Brooke W.

My family and I have worked with Molly and Rachel on several real estate transactions now (5+ and counting). It has always been a fantastic experience, from beginning to end (and beyond). I've been on both sides of the resident...

Greg F.

Rachel and Molly, Selling the Slopes Creators, are industry changers when it comes to social media strategies. I love tuning in to their market videos to stay up-to-date on real estate action. Also, their new Show Stopper Seri...

Morgan L.

I've used Molly and Rachel on a number of Real Estate transactions. My experience working with them has been so positive, that I tell all my friends about Rachel and Molly. They're honest, transparent, and will always do right ...

Brian B.

Molly and her team worked tirelessly to help us find the right home, it truly felt (and still does) like she was an extension of our family. We were trying to buy a home from the east coast and we were blown away by both Molly...

Janine S.

We had the good fortune to be referred to Molly and Rachel of 'Selling the Slopes' Real Estate by a Park City friend, and boy did that ever serve us well. They are exceptionally tactical in their approach, making sure to take ...

Derek E.

Rachel and Molly are super helpful! They have helped me on a number of real estate transactions and are always there to make things go smoothly. They are fun to work with too!

Danielle M.

Molly, Rachel, and Kristen gave us a great house-selling experience and outcome. They did everything they said they were going to do, and it was exactly what we were looking for. Everyone should work with them.

Ashley B.

Highly recommend! Molly and Rachel are great to work with. It is obvious they have incredible knowledge of the Park City market and know all the neighborhoods well. We appreciated Molly’s insights into off market transactions...

Marilyn B.

Wonderful experience guided by Rachel, Molly, Kristen and all of the other angels who participated in this endeavor. Totally enjoyed them and their approach to selling our home. We couldn’t have done better.

Ashley L.

Molly and Rachel are savvy business strategists, with a talent for navigating complicated negotiations. This well connected duo is highly respected by the Park City Real Estate agent community, giving their clients an edge over...

Peter Smaha

I can’t thank Molly, Rachel and their superb team enough. From the initial, accurate pricing of my Park City property, to the consistent communication, all the way through navigating a solid and expeditious, then taking it to a...

Hannah H.

I don’t even know where to begin! Words can’t even begin to express the amount of gratitude my husband and I have for Rachel and Molly. They truly are the most incredible, kind, intelligent, efficient, and all-around just amazi...

Holland L.

During my early childhood, I was lucky enough to call Park City home and Molly a good friend. My husband and I dreamed of moving back to Park City to raise our young children so they could enjoy the idyllic small-town mountain ...

Meghan T.

Without hesitation, Molly and Rachel are the go-to real estate professionals in Park City. I’ve worked with them on several transactions now and couldn’t be more impressed with their expertise and extensive experience in this s...

Gary F.

Rachel and Molly, Selling the Slopes Creators, are industry changers when it comes to social media strategies. I love tuning in to their market videos to stay up-to-date on real estate action. Also, their new Show Stopper Serie...

Work With Us

Join Rachel Retzer and Molly Crosswhite of Selling the Slopes, where their unparalleled expertise in Park City real estate will help you expand your investment portfolio or discover the extraordinary outdoor lifestyle, from world-class skiing to backcountry adventures.