Copy of Buyers | Talbot Team | California Real Estate Team

The Home Buying Process - Let's Break It Down!

Two people work on laptops at a kitchen island in a blue-walled home.

Step 1: The Consult

Your first step on your journey to home ownership starts with an initial consultation meeting. Typically, we schedule a 45 minute call via Zoom or Google Meet. We ask that you watch our webinar: Home Buying in the Bay Area, prior to our consultation. During our webinar, we talk about the ins and outs of home buying in the Bay Area, and explain all the steps of the process. If you watch the webinar before our meeting, we can focus on getting to understand your home goals and begin mapping out custom plan for getting you keys! We will also tell you a bit about how our team works, answer all your questions, recommend a lender that will fit your financial profile, and we set you up on a customized home search!

Letter tiles spelling “MORTGAGE” arranged on a wooden surface.

Step 2: The Finances

Interest rates are at historic lows, which makes locking in a great rate on your mortgage super appealing – if you’re ready. It’s also important to be prepared before you dive into the process, especially with the lack of inventory we’re experiencing. Having strong financing terms and using a reputable lender can make a huge difference as to whether or not your offer gets accepted. We are here to advise you on which steps to take to get your finances in order.

Laptop with a palm frond on screen beside eyeglasses, a smartphone, and a potted succulent.

Step 3: The Search

Narrowing down your criteria before seeing homes in person is a great way to streamline your search. Complete our buyer questionnaire so we can set up your search criteria in RealScout. Once we set up your account, we can communicate directly through the app. You can start saving your preferences and "favoriting" homes you're interested in learning more about. We can even set up alerts for you to receive information when there is a change in the home's status.

Two Talbot Team members wearing branded face masks pose together in a car.

Step 4: The Tour

Once you find a few homes you would like to tour on RealScout, message us to set up a time to tour. Showings these days require prior scheduling and a signed PEAD form (Property Entrance Advisory & Declaration) that states you will abide by COVID-19 precautions. Click the button below for a list of questions to ask yourself as you're touring a home. A lot of these questions can even be answered BEFORE you tour in person. (Always ask us if there is a virtual tour available!)

A man crouches beside a gas meter in a dirt crawlspace.

Step 5: The Reports

What are “disclosures”? And why are they important? Due to COVID-19 and SiP guidelines, there is now a more rigorous process to go through before viewing a home. The disclosure package is the compilation of all the material facts about the home. It also typically includes reports and estimates, which can help give you quick yes or no about a home. If you’re buying a condo, the most important focus will be on HOA docs and investigating the HOA.

Step 6: The Offer

There are currently more buyers looking for houses than there are houses for sale. Our inventory levels are at an all time low and buyers are having to compete with multiple offers to get their dream home. Helping our buyers' offer stand out is one of our super powers. We have decided to package up that expertise and share the strategies we use with our own buyers in this checklist! Our goal is to help you prepare for house hunting in the competitive Bay Area market so that you're ready!

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Step 7: The Escrow

Escrow is the period of time between when you get your offer accepted and when you get the keys to your home!

Gray stucco home with a conical turret and a couple standing together on the red front steps.

Step 8: The Key Handoff

Check out the link below to see a video we made on closing day for our one of clients. Creating a "closing day" video is part of our gift to you when you close escrow!

Buyer Testimonials

Paul helped us buy our first home and was an incredible help. Not only is he very knowledgeable about the market and the process of buying, but he's familiar with construction and can point out issues we may not have noticed. He's done his own remodel work too and has a good idea about prices of various upgrades. I had tons of questions and Paul was always available and did a great job negotiating with the seller. He also made the house hunting part really fun! I would absolutely use him again
— Kristen F.
My wife and I couldn't have asked for better support throughout our housing search. After working with another agent in the area that we felt didn't quite have the time for us, we found working with Paul and Jade to be quite the opposite. They actually care about their clients, and from what we can tell, end up being real friends with most of them. The housing market in the Bay Area is wild, but they know how to navigate it and provide the emotional support and perspective to keep at it while looking out for your best interests. Paul is super knowledgeable about construction and home improvements and Jade has a keen eye for design, and they're both ...
— Kevin K.
Working with Paul made my house buying experience easy and stress-free. We found pictures of a house we liked and Paul got us in that day to see it and negotiated a great offer on the house when we decided to pursue it. He also negotiated a seller refund for an old heating system and made sure that everything was working and looked in good condition right with us while we were on site at the house. He is really involved in the home buying process and makes his clients feel comfortable and at ease as he is there to explain and walk you through anything you have questions or concerns about regarding the house. He even provides timelines, letting you k...
— Candice B.
Working with Katherine Hennessey when selling our home was an absolute pleasure. She was always a step ahead when addressing our needs, responded in a timely manner and exceeded our expectations on every level. I'd highly recommend working with her on any real estate deal
— Brian G
When my wife and I found out we were going to have our first kid, we knew it was time to leave the duplex and move into a home. This was such a smart, great decision during a global pandemic in the craziest housing market in the country said no home buyer ever. We spent a few months on our own taking tours, searching the apps, and driving around neighborhoods, but overwhelmingly hopeless doesn't do justice to how we were feeling during that time. That is when Jade and Paul came into our lives. From the moment we met them, we felt kindred spirits that were genuinely invested in finding a future house for our growing family. They took us on personal ...
— Milad N.
Katie, Paul and Jade were informative, very responsive and the best team we could have asked for in our first home purchase. Highly recommended!
— Jason A.
Paul helped my wife and I buy our first home in Oakland in 2018. He was kind, professional, and very knowledgeable about the entire home buying process including aspects of mortgages, HELOCs and refinancing. In addition, Paul also has an extensive background in home remodeling and construction thanks to his dad who was an iron worker. It was reassuring to have a realtor who was both an expert at the home buying process and home construction since we were buying a fixer upper and didn't know how much it could cost to initially remodel our house. Paul knew exactly how much each remodel project would cost and what issues we should look out for during ...
— Dan G.
Paul went 1000% beyond our expectations on all aspects of buying a new home in the East Bay. We reached out to him to view an Open House listing. He came with a few additional suggestions for us that we discussed and approve over email that all turned out to be very high on the list. He put the time and effort to understand what we were really looking for. Once we started to close in on our top choice, we asked Paul if he could show us 5 additional houses on a few mins notice on a weekday so we can be sure we've seen all the alternatives and gone with the best choice and he made it happen! We did move forward with our top choice house and put in an ...
— Adil S.
Paul Talbot is an amazing real estate agent. He will work relentlessly until you find the right place. During the two plus years that he worked with us (very indecisive, first-time buyers) he never gave up. When we met him, we didn't even have a loan pre-approval, something that had already deterred other agents from wanting to work with us. Paul was happy to help us through that process and, once pre-approved, to start the more serious house-hunt. In this crazy Bay Area market, it took a long time for us to be really ready to bid. He would never show signs of impatience through the dozens of houses he would find for us. He would say, with total con...
— Noela L.
We couldn’t have asked for better realtors than Paul and Jade! They were incredibly communicative, helpful, and knowledgeable in guiding us through buying our first house. Our very first offer was accepted! We moved into a perfect home within 5 weeks of meeting Jade—in the beginning of a global pandemic, no less. We were very lucky to have found them.
— Annie P.
My partner and I recently purchased our first home with the help of Jade and Paul. As first time home-buyers, we had so many questions about the process. Jade and Paul always welcomed our questions, gave us detailed answers, and were supportive throughout the home-buying process. With their expertise, we went from being curious about buying a home to closing in less than two months! It was a pleasure working with them and we highly recommend them.
— Alyssa P.