Glossary

Highest and Best Offer In a highly competitive market, multiple buyers will submit offers for the same property. In these situations, it is possible that Sellers will contact all Buyers who’ve submitted offers to resubmit their highest and best offer. This is a negotiating tactic that may be utilized to request Buyers to submit their best offers for the property. ​ ​

Accepted Offer You will have a binding contract if the seller, upon receiving your written offer, signs an acceptance just as it stands, unconditionally. The offer becomes a firm contract as soon as you are notified of acceptance. ​ As a buyer, if you receive a counter offer, you are able to accept the Seller's counter offer. Again, upon acceptance by both parties, the counter offer becomes a firm contract.

Appraisal Whether you’re buying a home using a mortgage, refinancing your existing mortgage, or selling your home to anyone other than an all-cash buyer, a home appraisal is a key component of the transaction. If you’re a buyer, owner, or seller, you’ll want to understand how the appraisal process works and how an appraiser determines a home’s value. ​ The Basics An appraisal is an unbiased professional opinion of the value of a home and is used whenever a mortgage is involved in the buying, refinancing, or selling of that property. A qualified appraiser creates a report based on a visual inspection, using recent sales of similar properties, current market trends, and aspects of the home (e.g., amenities, floor plan, square footage) to determine the property’s appraisal value. The borrower usually pays the appraisal fee, which can be several hundred dollars. When the appraisal value is lower than expected, the transaction can be delayed or even canceled. ​ The Appraisal Process and How Values Are Determined​ Because the appraisal primarily protects the lender's interests, the lender will usually order the appraisal. An appraisal costs several hundred dollars and, generally, the borrower pays this fee. According to the Appraisal Institute, an association of professional real estate appraisers, a qualified appraiser should be licensed or certified—as required in all 50 states—and be familiar with the local area. Per federal regulations, the appraiser must be impartial and have no direct or indirect interest in the transaction. A property's appraisal value is influenced by recent sales of similar properties and by current market trends. The home's amenities, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, floor plan functionality, and square footage are also key factors in assessing the home's value. The appraiser must do a complete visual inspection of the interior and exterior and note any conditions that adversely affect the property's value, such as needed repairs. Typically, appraisers use Fannie Mae's Uniform Residential Appraisal Report for single-family homes. The report asks the appraiser to describe the interior and exterior of the property, the neighborhood, and nearby comparable sales. The appraiser then provides an analysis and conclusions about the property's value based on their observations. ​ The Appraisal Report Must Include: A street map showing the appraised property and comparable sales used An exterior building sketch An explanation of how the square footage was calculated Photographs of the home’s front, back, and street scene Front exterior photographs of each comparable property used Other pertinent information—such as market sales data, public land records, and public tax records—that the appraiser requires to determine the property's fair market value

Offer An offer is a purchase agreement that is sent to the Seller with a proposal to purchase the Seller’s property under specific conditions and price. ​ In Illinois, this is the standard document used to submit an offer. See It Here ​ What is generally included in an offer: ​ Your purchase offer, if accepted as it stands, will become a binding sales contract —also known as a purchase agreement, an earnest money agreement or a deposit receipt. It's important, therefore, the offer contain every element needed to serve as a blueprint for the final sale. These purchase offers should include the following: Address and sometimes a legal description of the property Sale price Terms—for example, this is an all-cash transaction, or the deal is subject to you obtaining a mortgage for a given amount. Seller's promise to provide clear title (ownership) Target date for closing (the actual sale) Amount of earnest money deposit accompanying the offer—whether it's a check, cash or a promissory note—and how the earnest money will be returned to you if the offer is rejected (or kept as damages if you back out of the deal for no good reason) Method by which real estate taxes, rents, fuel, water bills and utilities are to be adjusted (prorated) between buyer and seller Provisions about who will pay for title insurance , survey, termite inspections and the like Type of deed that will be granted Other requirements specific to your state, which might include a chance for attorney review of the contract, disclosure of specific environmental hazards or other state-specific clauses A provision the buyer may make a final walk-through inspection of the property just before the closing A time limit (preferably short) after which the offer will expire Contingencies ​ Can you take back/withdraw an offer? In most cases the answer is yes, right up until the moment it is accepted—and in some cases even if you haven't yet been notified of acceptance. If you want to revoke your offer, be sure to do so only after consulting a lawyer who is experienced in real estate matters. You don't want to lose your earnest money deposit or get sued for damages the seller may have suffered by relying on your actions. ​ Learn more about the offer process: Counter Offer​ Accepted Offer Offer Rejection Highest and Best Offer ​ ​​

Lease-To-Own Many people want the benefits of living in a single family home. However, whether you're a first-time homebuyer who's cautious about making such a large financial investment, you recently relocated and are unsure of which neighborhood to live in, or you would like to one day own a home and are creditworthy but cannot currently obtain a mortgage. ​ There are companies that offer leasing and rent-to-own programs that allow you to find a home that you want to rent initially, but may also like to buy in the next three to five years. There are many households who may be thinking about buying a home, but for whatever reason would like to rent at the current time. You can lease the home for three to five one-year terms, depending on the state, and you may purchase the home from us at any time at a predetermined price. ​ Let us know if you're interested in Lease-To-Own programs. We're happy to direct you to the right programs. Contact us for more information. Apply and Get Approved Prospective residents start the process by filling out a Pre-Qualification Application that checks key issues. ​ ​ Find A Home Prospective residents will work with a REALTOR® to find a home in an approved community. ​ ​ ​ Housing Program Buys the Home, You Lease from The Housing Program Prospective residents will be required to sign a one year Lease for the home as well as a Right to Purchase Agreement. Buy from Housing Program The Housing Program buys the home. You lease it and have the right to buy it later if you want to. ​ ​ ​

Contingency of Sale If your proposal says, "This offer is contingent upon (or subject to) a certain event", you're saying you will go through with the purchase only if that event occurs. The following are two common contingencies contained in a purchase offer: Financing. You, the buyer, must be able to get specific financing from a lending institution . If you can't secure the loan, you will not be bound by the contract. Home inspection . The property must get a satisfactory report by a home inspector "within 10 days after acceptance of the offer" (for example). The seller must wait 10 days to see if the inspector submits a report that satisfies you. If not, the contract would become void. Again, make sure all inspection conditions are detailed in the written contract. The above two examples are contingencies that are common for residential real estate home purchases. However, contingencies can be more specific to your situation. And, technically, you can write in any contingency you would like in an offer or what the Seller would like to add in the counter offer . However, contingencies are only valid for a contract if both the buyer and the seller agree and accept the offer.

Title Companies A title company makes sure that the title to a piece of real estate is legitimate by conducting a title search and then issues title insurance for that property. Title insurance protects the lender and/or owner against lawsuits or claims against the property that result from disputes over the title. Title companies also often maintain escrow accounts — these contain the funds needed to close on the home — to ensure that this money is used only for settlement and closing costs , and may conduct the formal closing on the home. At the closing, a settlement agent from the title company will bring all the necessary documentation, explain it to the parties, collect closing costs and distribute monies. Finally, the title company will ensure that the new titles, deeds and other documents are filed with the appropriate entities. How much does a title company's services cost? The cost of title insurance depends on the size of the loan and varies greatly depending on the state. The good news is that the premium is a one-time fee you pay at closing, not an ongoing expense. According to the Federal Reserve, “a lender’s policy on a $100,000 loan can range from $175 in one state to $900 in another.” You’ll typically pay an additional amount — usually a few hundred dollars or more, depending on the size of the loan and your state of residence — for a buyer’s policy. Note that you may be able to get a discounted rate on your title insurance if the property was sold within the previous five years; just call and ask.

REALTOR (R) Buyer's Agent A REALTOR (R) is real estate professional that is both a licensed real estate agent or broker AND a member of the National Realtor's Association. They are experts in the residential real estate process and help represent Sellers and Buyers during their real estate transaction. ​ On this page, we will discuss the role, duties, and responsibilities of the Buyer's Agent: ​ Role Showings: Buyer's Agents will contact seller properties to schedule time and access for property showings. Negotiations: Buyer's Agents will assist the Buyer in the Offer Negotiation process when a Buyer decides to purchase a property. Management: Buyer's Agents will assist the Buyer in managing the entire buying process by organizing all of the requisite documents and ensuring all parties involved in the transaction are active in ensuring the buying process is being executed. ​ Benefits - You do not need a real estate agent to buy a home; in fact, some home buyers leave the Buyer's Agent out of the equation. However, you might benefit from hiring one. ​ To save time. Agents can often help you find homes in your price range, and they may have access to more properties than what you’ll see online. To get information and help with negotiations. Good agents should have wealth of information to help you make a decision. And, they’ll handle a lot of complex paperwork on your behalf. Offer Contract Contingency Negotiations Home Inspection Reports Appraisal Reports Earnest Money Escrow Extension Requests Another plus is that your agent will handle a ton of paperwork on your behalf. Unless you love filling out forms – and have experience in real estate transactions – this is a chore best left to the professionals, who should ensure that everything is done by the book. You could easily make a mistake with these documents. Mistakes can cause deals to fall apart or (worse) make you liable for an inadvertent breach of contract. (Licensed agent will have errors and omissions insurance to limit this risk.) An experienced agent will make sure that everything that needs to take place — counter-offers, extensions, appraisal, inspection, walk-through, loan approval — happens when it’s supposed to and how it’s supposed to.​ Market expertise: Conducting a home search by yourself can be a full-time job. Though the Internet makes it easy to find homes in your price range, a good agent usually has access to more properties. That includes For Sale By Owner (FSBO) properties and homes that aren’t yet listed. In addition, some sellers of desirable homes do not wish to “go public.” Only agents (and their colleagues) working with those sellers even know about those so-called “pocket listings.” The exception: There is ONE instance in which you must use an agent to purchase property. That applies if you bid on FHA foreclosure properties. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires all bidders to use licensed agents. ​ ​​

Home Inspection Many buyers include a clause in their offer making the sale closing contingent upon a satisfactory inspection report. This makes sure that if any unacceptable material defects exist on the property, the buyer has a chance to renegotiate or cancel the sale. ​ Buyers should not rely solely on the home seller's disclosures, but should hire an independent home inspector to examine the property. Even after having lived in the property, the seller is unlikely to know all its troubles, particularly if the attic or subspace is difficult to access. ​ Home inspections cover nearly every element in and around home and other structures on the property. Roofing, full exteriors, structural elements, full interiors, plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning, and all of the components of these are subject to inspection . ​ Inspections begin on the outside of the property, walking around the exterior of the home. Next, the roof is inspected, then the garage, and finally the inspector goes inside the home. ​ Once inside, the inspection starts at the top, preferably in the attic, and works down through the house, checking floors, walls, plumbing, stairs, and other elements until the inspector reaches the crawlspace or basement. ​ A well-written inspection report will discuss problems as far ranging as the heating and cooling systems, electrical systems, plumbing, walls, drainage, basement, foundation, and flooring.

Mortgage Loan A home mortgage is a loan given by a financial institution for the purchase of a residence—either a primary residence, a secondary residence, or an investment residence—in contrast to a piece of commercial or industrial property. Depending on the State where the property resides, in a home mortgage, either a mortgage lien is placed on the title of the property OR the owner of the property (the borrower) transfers the title to the lender on the condition that the title will be transferred back to the owner once the final loan payment has been made and other terms of the mortgage have been met or a mortgage lien will be placed on the title. ​ A mortgage payment is composed of 4 components, simply known as PITI - which is the Principal , Interest , Taxes , and Interest . ​ Principal The principal of your mortgage is the amount that you owe before any interest is added. For example, if you buy a home worth $250,000 with a 20% down payment, your principal amount would be $200,000. However, throughout the life of the loan, you pay more than your original $200,000 because of interest. Most lenders look at your principal balance and debt-to-income (DTI) ratio when they consider whether they should extend you a loan. Your debt to income (DTI) ratio is a calculation of your ability to make payments toward money you’ve borrowed. Your DTI ratio is comprised of your total minimum monthly debt divided by your gross monthly income and is expressed as a percentage. A mortgage company will evaluate two ratios: Front Ratio = monthly housing payments/gross monthly income (should be <30%) Back Ratio = total monthly debt obligations/gross monthly income (should be <40%) ​ Interest An interest rate is a percentage that shows how much you’ll pay your lender each month as a fee for borrowing money. Your mortgage lender calculates interest as a percentage of your principal over time. For example, if your principal loan is worth $200,000 and your lender charges you an interest rate of 4%, this means that you pay $8,000 (4% of $200,000) for the first year of your mortgage in interest. ​ Taxes You must pay taxes on your property. Taxes are one of the often-overlooked costs of homeownership. It’s important to consider them when you think about how much home you can afford. The most expensive tax most homeowners pay is property tax, which may vary by location. Property taxes support the local community and pay for things like libraries, local fire departments, public schools, road and park maintenance and community development projects. It’s difficult to say exactly how much you can expect to pay in taxes because they depend upon your home’s value and your local property tax rate. Taxes can vary from year to year. As a general rule, anticipate paying $1 for every $1,000 of your home’s value every month in property taxes. For example, if your home is worth $250,000, you pay around $250 per month in property taxes or about $3,000 per year. ​ Insurance Home Owners Insurance Though homeowners insurance is not required by law in most states, most mortgage lenders require that you maintain at least a certain level of property insurance as a condition of your loan. Homeowners insurance covers your property if a fire, lightning storm or break-in occurs. Some homeowners insurance policies include additional coverage for damage from flooding and earthquakes as add-ons. If you have something very valuable in your home, like a piece of artwork, an expensive piece of jewelry or a musical instrument, you may purchase a high-value layer of protection called a rider in addition to your standard policy. If you live in a condominium, you’ll usually pay a homeowners association fee in lieu of individual insurance that covers your dwelling. Like property insurance, it’s difficult to say exactly how much you can expect to pay in property insurance because every insurance company uses their own unique formula when they calculate your rates. Some factors that influence your premium include: Your home’s value Whether you live in a rural area or an urban area How close you live to a fire department or police station Whether you have an attractive nuisance on your property, which is something that is likely to injure children who enter your property like a pool, trampoline or aggressive dog How many claims you make each year on average for other types of insurance As a general rule, expect to pay about $3.50 for every $1,000 of your home’s value in homeowner’s insurance per year. In this example, you will pay $875 on a property worth $250,000 per year, or about $73 per month. Private Mortgage Insurance​ PMI — private mortgage insurance — is a type of insurance policy that protects mortgage lenders in case borrowers default on their loans. Here’s how it works: If a borrower defaults on their home loan, it’s assumed the lender will lose about 20 percent of the home’s sales price. 20 percent — sound familiar? That’s the smallest down payment you can make without having to pay mortgage insurance. If you put down 20 percent, that makes up for the lender’s potential loss if your loan defaults. But if you put down less than 20 percent, the lender will usually require mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance covers that extra loss margin for the lender. If you ever default on your loan, it’s the lender that will receive a mortgage insurance check to cover its losses. How much is mortgage insurance?​ Mortgage insurance costs vary by loan program. But in general, mortgage insurance is about 0.5-1.5% of the loan amount per year. So for a $250,000 loan, mortgage insurance would cost around $1,250-$3,750 annually — or $100-315 per month.​​ ​ ​ Mortgage Products Terms ​ Mortgages are provided by mortgage companies . Most mortgage companies are able to help you facilitate the application for a Conventional Loan, FHA Loan, USDA Loan, or a VA Loan . Each of these types of loans also come in a variety of terms. Below are some examples of what you product terms you may encounter: ​ ​ Long-Term Fixed Mortgages (30-year) This is a mortgage loan where you will make monthly payments for 30 years. It is called a "fixed" mortgage because the interest rates are "fixed" meaning they remain the same for the duration of the loan. If you were quoted for a 4% interest rate, you will pay the same annual interest rate for 30 years. ​ The benefit of choosing a 30-year fixed mortgage compared to a short-term fixed mortgage is having lower monthly mortgage payments. The downside is that you will pay a much greater amount of interest over time. The benefit of choosing a fixed mortgage over an adjustable rate mortgage is being able to know your interests will not change over time. Adjustable Rate Mortgages interest change depending on the market rate which means your monthly loan payments may change over time. Short-Term Fixed Mortgages (15-year) This is a mortgage loan where you will make monthly payments for 15 years. It is called a "fixed" mortgage because the interest rates are "fixed" meaning they remain the same for the duration of the loan. If you were quoted for a 4% interest rate, you will pay the same annual interest rate for 15 years.​ Short-Term fixed mortgages come with higher monthly payments compared to long-term fixed mortgages because you will be paying off the principal at a higher rate. The benefit over long-term fixed mortgages is that you pay less interest overall on the loan. Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM) An adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) is a type of mortgage in which the interest rate applied on the outstanding balance varies throughout the life of the loan. With an adjustable-rate mortgage, the initial interest rate is fixed for a period of time. After this initial period of time, the interest rate resets periodically, at yearly or even monthly intervals. ARMs are also called variable-rate mortgages or floating mortgages. ​ With adjustable-rate mortgage caps, there are limits set on how much the interest rates and/or payments can rise per year or over the lifetime of the loan. An ARM can be a smart financial choice for home buyers that are planning to pay off the loan in full within a specific amount of time or those who will not be financially hurt when the rate adjusts. Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) ​With a HELOC, you’re borrowing against the available equity in your home and the house is used as collateral for the line of credit. As you repay your outstanding balance, the amount of available credit is replenished – much like a credit card. This means you can borrow against it again if you need to, and you can borrow as little or as much as you need throughout your draw period (typically 10 years) up to the credit limit you establish at closing. At the end of the draw period, the repayment period (typically 20 years) begins. To qualify for a HELOC, you need to have available equity in your home, meaning that the amount you owe on your home must be less than the value of your home. You can typically borrow up to 85% of the value of your home minus the amount you owe. Also, a lender generally looks at your credit score and history, employment history, monthly income and monthly debts, just as when you first got your mortgage. Similar to mortgage loans, HELOCs can come with variable interest rate or fixed interest rate options. ​