Wilmington, NC Homes For Sale
Home Buying Process
Educate
The home buying process begins with education. It is very important for first-time homebuyers to understand the home buying process. Even if you’re an experienced homebuyer, all buyers need to be informed about current market conditions. We will also review any forms and contracts used when purchasing real estate in North Carolina.
Homeowner Wants & Needs
Location? Design? Price range? How big is the home? How big is the lot? What sort of amenities best suit you? Which ones do you not care for? The more we understand about your specific needs and desires, the better our agents can serve you by identifying the right property when it comes on the market and avoiding properties that don’t meet your criteria.
Qualify
If you need to obtain a loan in order to purchase real estate, we will happily refer you to one or more lenders. Referral fees from mortgage lenders are prohibited. We will always refer you to lenders offering low rates and high-quality service, with your best interest in mind.
Schedule a Home Tour
Acumen Real Estate and its brokers are members of Cape Fear Realtors®. This membership provides us with access to thousands of properties listed by cooperating firms on the MLS. In addition to MLS listings, our New Home Communities page offers a map search of the area’s best master-planned communities, golf communities, waterfront communities, gated communities, custom builders, and new home developments. We have taken the time to tour many of these neighborhoods in order to provide our clients with the resources when paring wants & needs with the perfect home. For video tours, watch our show Coastal Communities on our YouTube Channel.
Discover & Disclose
Once you’ve narrowed the options to two or three properties or you’ve indicated you would like to make an offer on a property, your broker will perform a thorough “walk-through” inspection looking for defects or inconsistencies in the property information. They will also perform a CMA or Comparative Market Analysis. This is not an appraisal. This is an approximate value of the property to help you determine an appropriate offer amount. Our brokers will also check land-use restrictions including protective covenants, zoning, flood zones, and planned DOT projects.
Offer, Contract & Closing
Your broker will prepare and submit an offer, and upon acceptance, you’ll be under contract and the due diligence period begins. During this time, all inspections are performed, repairs are negotiated, and financing is obtained. Almost all closings in North Carolina are conducted by attorneys, at which time all documents are reviewed and signed by the parties involved. Once the deed has been recorded, congratulations, you are a property owner! If you are interested in buying a home in the greater Wilmington, NC area, consider working with Acumen Real Estate when you purchase your next home.
Thanks for subscribing!
Building A New Home
If you are looking for a new home, our New Home Communities page is one of the area’s best resources for new construction and local home builders. We also work closely with the area’s best custom home builders. Whether you are looking to build a small coastal cottage or a large luxury home, we can refer you to the builder who best suits your needs.
Before touring new home communities, it is important to understand that the salesperson in a model home represents the builder and the builder’s best interest. Even though they are friendly and know the neighborhood very well, they don’t represent you. Buyers not represented by a broker are risking a lot with what could be their biggest investment.
Some think if they purchase a new home without hiring an agent, the builder will reduce the sale price. This just doesn’t happen. Builders expect to work with agents and pay commissions, and plan for that when determining the sales price of a new home. Buyers who choose not to be represented are not saving any money. The commission meant for the buyer’s agent will be paid to the builder’s salesperson, or the builder will keep it as profit. So please, make the smart choice and contact us before you start planning to build your next home.
Building a home typically takes 10-12 months to complete in most communities. Custom homes can take over 1 year to complete. For those of you who aren’t quite ready to move but would like to buy property at today’s market price and interest rate, some area builders offer lease-back programs, where the builder will lease your home after completion to use as a model home. For more information on buying or building your next home, fill out the contact form below.
