Buying a Home

You’ll learnWhich conditions lower the risk of a sight-unseen purchase, and which ones — older homes, waived contingencies — raise it

You’ll learnWhy the sales rep in a builder's model home works for the builder, and why registering your own agent on the first visit matters

You’ll learnHow transaction escrow and mortgage escrow are two different jobs under one word, usually handled by entirely different companies

You’ll learnWhy a lender orders an appraisal to protect its collateral, and why the loan is sized to appraised value rather than purchase price

You’ll learnWhy a backup offer is binding paperwork with price, terms, contingencies and earnest money, not a casual note of interest

You’ll learnWhy debt-to-income math is less forgiving on one income, and why paying down revolving debt has outsized effect

You’ll learnWhat Active, Active Under Contract, Contingent and Pending each signal about how much risk still sits between offer and closing

You’ll learnHow a home warranty works as a service contract: an annual premium, a trade service fee per call, and a network contractor

You’ll learnWhy disclosure forms turn on the seller's “actual knowledge,” so a suspected but unconfirmed problem can be answered “Unknown” in good faith

You’ll learnWhy the Closing Disclosure arrives at least three business days ahead, and what to compare it against line by line

You’ll learnWhat a title search looks for in public records: liens, unpaid taxes and municipal charges, heirship disputes, easements, and chain-of-title errors

You’ll learnHow an earnest money deposit sits in escrow with a neutral third party and later applies toward the purchase price