Buying in Boston,
start to keys.

Before addresses and open houses: what are you actually solving for? Commute, space, parking, a building with an elevator, a yard for the dog. We rank the trade-offs you're willing to make and the ones you aren't.

This is also where I explain buyer representation. In Massachusetts you'll sign a written buyer representation agreement before we tour homes together. It spells out exactly what I owe you and how I'm paid, in writing, before anything else happens.

A pre-approval letter from a lender tells you your real budget and tells sellers you're credible. In a competitive Boston market, offers without one rarely get taken seriously.

I'll point you to local lenders who know the housing stock here, condo associations, multi-families, and brownstone quirks included, because an out-of-state call center underwriting a 140-year-old rowhouse is how deals fall apart in week five.

We build a short list from what actually fits, not everything on the market. I'll tell you when a listing is priced for a bidding war, when a building has an assessment coming, and when a 'charming' description is doing heavy lifting.

You'll see homes on the portals before I can legally advertise some of them; that's fine. Send me everything that catches your eye. My job is the judgment layer, not the inventory.

An offer in Massachusetts is a short binding document: price, deposit, dates, and contingencies, typically inspection and financing. Which contingencies you keep, and how you structure the dates, is where offers are won without simply paying more.

We'll talk through the competitive picture honestly: what it likely takes to win, and at what number you should be comfortable walking away.

Typically within a week or so of acceptance. A good inspector walks you through the roof, systems, and structure for two to three hours. Go, and ask everything.

Findings become information or leverage: we can accept, ask for repairs or credits, or walk away under the contingency. I'll tell you the difference between old-house normal and an actual problem.

Roughly two weeks after the offer, the Purchase & Sale expands it into the full contract. An accepted Massachusetts offer can already bind the deal, so the P&S is where your attorney locks down the details, and closings here run through attorneys by long custom. This is where yours earns their fee.

The balance of the deposit, commonly totaling around five percent, is due at signing and held in escrow.

Your lender orders an appraisal, verifies everything, and works toward a clear-to-close. Your job in this stretch is pleasantly boring: respond to document requests fast and don't open new credit lines, finance furniture, or change jobs.

If the appraisal comes in light, there are several paths: renegotiate, cover the gap, or lean on the financing contingency. It's a solvable problem we plan for in advance.

The day before or morning of closing, we walk the property to confirm its condition and that agreed items are handled. For most homes the seller obtains a smoke and carbon-monoxide certificate from the fire department; it's their job, but we check it.

Closing happens with the attorneys; the deed records at the Registry of Deeds, usually the same day, and the keys are yours at recording.