Buying A Home

Common questions and Answers

1.    Where do I start? What is the first thing I should do?

First, talk to a lender and start the pre-approval process. A lender can tell you what you will be qualified to purchase and estimate for you how much down payment you will need and what your payment will be.

2.    Once I know my price range, what do I do next?

Then you should talk to a Realtor, preferably a Realtor with Port City Realty.
Here is a link to the  “Real Estate Consumer Agency Disclosure” form. It explains how real estate licensees in the State of Alabama can work with you.

3.    How do the Realtors at Port City Realty work with me? We assist you as a Transaction Broker. We do not require you to sign a Buyer’s Agency Agreement with us in order to show you houses.

4.   How can the Realtors at Port City Realty assist me?The Realtors at Port City Realty can give you information and show you any house in Mobile or Baldwin County that is listed for sale by any company. It does not matter which company’s For Sale Sign is in front of the house. If you are looking in a real estate magazine, it doesn't matter which page you are on. If you have marked properties on 10 different pages, you do not need to call 10 different Realtors. One Realtor can give you the information about all of the properties.

5.   How do the Realtors at Port City Realty have the information about all of the houses? All of the houses, from all of the companies are listed on a computer system called the Multiple Listing Service (also called the MLS).  When a company joins the MLS each agent gets a password that enables them to sign into the MLS and get the information about each house. Port City Realty is a member of Mobile and Baldwin County's Multiple Listing Services.

6.  How can the Realtors at Port City Realty show me a house that is “For Sale” by another company?The Realtors can find the property on the MLS and contact the company that has the property listed “For Sale.” We get our showing instructions from the listing company. Realtors that are members of the MLS have electronic keys that enable them to open secured lockboxes to obtain a key to show you houses that are “For Sale.”

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This Blog by: Julie Martin, CRB, e-PRO, Broker/Realtor, Port City Realty, Mobile, AL; 
877-880-8110  toll free
251-665-4665  my cell
julie@portcityrealty.com

You can search for properties from a LIVE MLS here. This search should have accurate information since it is fed directly from the Mobile MLS.

Click here to search a LIVE MLS link from the Baldwin County

These links are also on my websites:PortCityRealty.com
PortCityCondos.com