Following a Buyer, Part 1: Suvir & Pragya
From "Just Looking" to Due Diligence Done
For the next few weeks I'm following one real purchase from start to finish, with the buyers' blessing. Suvir and Pragya are family. I'm telling you that up front because you'd want to know.
BEFORE THEY CALLED ME
Suvir and Pragya spent a while looking at houses on their own before we ever talked. They didn't want to waste my time, they told me, until they'd worked out what they wanted, where they wanted it, and what their finances would allow.
I understand the instinct, and I hear it a lot. But it wouldn't have been a waste of my time. It rarely is. Those early "we're just figuring it out" conversations are where I earn my keep: what can you actually afford once taxes, insurance and HOA dues are in, which areas fit your life, and what's worth being picky about. If you're doing that thinking on your own right now, call me earlier than you think you should.
THE CONSULTATION
When we did sit down at the end of August, it ran long, as the good ones do. We went through what they wanted, what they could live without, and how the process would unfold, so nothing later would come as a surprise. Afterwards we went to an Atlanta United match together. Suvir had been before. It was Pragya's first.
THE SEARCH: TWO EVENINGS
Once they were ready, it moved fast. On the evening of September 9 we toured five homes. The fourth was the one. The next evening we saw six more, and they went back for a second look at the one they couldn't stop talking about, this time with a friend along for a second opinion.
What sold them was the location and the curb appeal, the updates throughout, an upstairs lounge, and the plain fact that the sellers had clearly looked after the house.
I should be honest: they aren't usually this quick. Some buyers find it in the first week and some take months. Neither is wrong. Suvir and Pragya had done a lot of thinking before we started, and it showed.
THE OFFER: 48 HOURS
We had a strategy call on the 12th, wrote the offer on the 13th, and after a counter and some back-and-forth they were under contract on the 14th. That's about 48 hours from "let's make an offer" to "you're under contract."
The negotiation covered price, the sellers' contribution toward closing costs, timing, temporary occupancy (the sellers had asked to stay in the house for a while after closing), and a few other items that mattered to Suvir and Pragya. I'm not going to share the details. That's between the buyers, the sellers and the sellers' agent, and it should stay that way. What I can say is that everyone got to a place they were comfortable with.
DUE DILIGENCE: KICKING THE TIRES
In Georgia, the due diligence period is the buyer's window to investigate the house and walk away if they need to. Here's how we used ours.
The home inspection (Thursday the 17th). I don't sit through the whole of a home inspection. I come for the last half hour, when the inspector walks you through the major items and you can see them for yourself. The sellers had been thorough on their property disclosure, so most of what the inspector raised was something they'd already told us about. That's how it should work, and it made the rest of the week calmer. There were some additional items, which is normal, and we dealt with them as part of the negotiation. The biggest was the HVAC: both the air conditioning and the furnace are near the end of their lives. It had been disclosed, but a disclosure doesn't come with a price tag, so I called Shumate Heating and Air, who I use regularly, and they had someone at the house the next day to give us a quote.
The sewer scope (Friday the 18th). The inspection company will scope the sewer line if you ask, but I always use my own plumber, Rod Harland at Relied Services Plumbing, and I always book him for the day after the inspection. If the camera finds a problem, he can quote the repair on the spot, and if the inspector flagged anything plumbing-related the day before, he can look at it while he's there. This house has an outside clean-out, an access point that lets the plumber run the camera from outside. So I told him I didn't need to be there. When he arrived, the cap wouldn't budge. The seller was home and let him run the camera from inside, and the line was clean. The last sewer scope I did, for another client, was not. That's why we check every time.
Radon. Tested, and it passed.
The HOA. There's a homeowners' association, so we read its covenants, bylaws, budget and recent board minutes before due diligence ended. Pragya asked exactly the right question: had there been any special assessments or dues increases in recent years? You want to know about a big bill before you're the one paying it.
Saturday (the 19th). The three of us spent an hour going through every report. For each item there are really three choices: ask the sellers to repair it, ask them to pay for it, or ask for a credit at closing. Where the work was cosmetic or something they'd want to control themselves, a credit made sense. Where it was a live problem, such as a leak, they wanted it dealt with before closing. We spent the rest of the weekend getting estimates. My handyman, Ken Fulcher, quoted the lower-level work. He doesn't work at second-floor height, though, so the wood rot up by the gable went to Reign Roofing and Restoration instead. By Sunday evening every ask had a real number behind it, and the amendment went to the sellers.
HOW IT ENDED
The sellers came back on Monday. After one more round, we ended up with a slight increase in the sellers' contribution and one small repair: a leak the sellers will stop now, so it doesn't turn into water damage in the five weeks before closing. Suvir and Pragya will handle the rest themselves after they move in. Due diligence ended Monday evening, September 21.
WHERE THINGS STAND NOW
• Financing: their lender, Justin Stuart at Social Mortgage, has issued the financing approval, with conditions. That's normal. Conditions are the last documents and checks the underwriter needs before final sign-off. (As a buyer, you're always free to choose your own lender.)
• Appraisal: ordered.
• The closing attorney, Campbell & Brannon, has opened the file and sent both sides their information packets.
• Closing: late October.
The team on this one: Home Probe (inspection and radon) · Rod Harland, Relied Services Plumbing (sewer scope) · Shumate Heating and Air (HVAC quote) · Ken Fulcher (handyman quote) · Reign Roofing and Restoration (roof-line wood rot quote) · Justin Stuart, Social Mortgage (lender) · Campbell & Brannon (closing attorney). I'd send any of them to my own family, and on this occasion I did.
WHAT I'D TAKE FROM THIS
• Talk to an agent before you think you're ready. The "figuring it out" stage is when advice is most useful.
• Read the seller's disclosure before the inspection. A thorough one is a good sign about the seller, and it tells you where to look hardest.
• Get quotes, not opinions. You can't negotiate "the HVAC needs work." You can negotiate a number.
• Book the sewer scope with someone who can quote the repair, the day after the inspection.
• If there's an HOA, read the minutes, not just the rules. That's where upcoming costs show up first.
NEXT TIME
The appraisal, clearing the loan conditions, insurance, and the run-up to the final walkthrough.
Thinking about buying, even if you're still "just looking"?
Now is not too early.
