Frequently Asked Questions from Home Buyers

Getting Started

What steps should I take to start the home buying process?

Two things, in this order: talk to a lender, then talk to an agent. A pre-approval tells you what you can actually borrow, and in a competitive market an offer without one is rarely taken seriously.

From there we sit down and work out what you are looking for, what you want to spend, and which neighborhoods realistically fit both. That conversation usually saves more time than any search tool, because it rules things out early. What to Expect During Your First Meeting with a Buyer’s Agent, on our All Things Real Estate podcast, walks through exactly what happens.

You can search live listings in our markets any time: Columbus, Springfield, Dayton and Florida’s Space Coast.

How long does the home buying process usually take?

From accepted offer to closing, typically 30 to 45 days — longer with some loan types, shorter with cash. The part nobody can put a number on is the search itself, which depends entirely on your criteria and what is on the market.

The 30 to 45 days is not idle time. It covers inspection, appraisal, the lender’s underwriting and the title work, and each of those can produce something that needs negotiating. Your agent’s job during that window is to keep all four moving at once.

How does ROOST help me find the right home?

You get the same MLS data every agent has. What differs is who is reading it with you — someone who knows which streets flood, which condo associations have an assessment coming, and what a property like that actually sold for last month rather than what it was listed at.

We also manage property in these markets, which changes what we notice. An agent who has repaired the same roof on the same street three times has a view on a twenty-year-old roof that a listing photo will not give you.

Money

Can ROOST help me get financing?

We do not lend, but we will connect you with lenders we work with regularly and who answer the phone on a Saturday when an offer deadline is looming. Two is better than one — if one lender stalls in underwriting, the second keeps the deal alive.

Our mortgage calculator will give you a monthly payment to work from, and Tip #2 explains why smart buyers line up two lenders. If the home you are looking at has an FHA, VA or USDA loan on it, an assumable mortgage may be worth asking about.

What fees should I expect when buying a home?

Closing costs generally run 2% to 5% of the purchase price and cover loan origination, title insurance, escrow, recording and prepaid taxes and insurance. Your lender must give you a written Loan Estimate, and that document — not a verbal figure — is what to plan against.

Since the NAR settlement, buyer agent compensation is negotiated separately and stated up front in your buyer agreement. It may be paid by you, offered by the seller, or split. We will tell you which before you tour anything, in writing.

What catches people out is not the closing costs but the timing: the earnest money leaves your account early, the inspection is paid on the day, and the rest lands at closing.

What should I know about earnest money?

Earnest money is a deposit showing the seller you are serious. The amount is negotiable — around 1% of the purchase price is common, more in a competitive situation.

The important part is when it stops being refundable. Your contract’s contingencies — inspection, financing, appraisal — are what protect it, and each one has a deadline. Miss a deadline and you may have waived the protection without meaning to. It is held in escrow, not by the seller, and it counts toward your costs at closing.

Can I make an offer below the asking price?

Yes, and whether it works depends on things you can find out before you write it: how long the home has been listed, whether the price has been cut, what comparable homes actually closed at, and how motivated the seller is.

A low offer on a property that has sat for ninety days is a reasonable opening. The same offer on a property listed on Thursday with three showings booked is usually a wasted trip. We will tell you which situation you are in.

Representation

Why should I pay a buyer’s agent?

Since the NAR settlement, this is a real question rather than a rhetorical one, because the cost is now explicit and negotiated rather than buried in the seller’s side of the deal.

What you are buying is someone whose only duty is to you: pricing advice that is not trying to close a sale today, a read on the inspection report, and a negotiator between you and a seller’s agent who does this professionally. In a bidding war it is the difference between a competitive offer and an expensive one.

How Will the NAR Lawsuit Impact Home Buyers? covers what changed, and the NAR Settlement Update, on the Connect Practice Track & Grow podcast, has the latest.

Can I buy a home without a buyer’s agent?

Yes. You can approach listing agents directly or buy privately. Be clear about one thing: the listing agent works for the seller, and their duty is to get the seller the best price and terms. They can hand you paperwork; they cannot advise you against their own client.

Buying unrepresented tends to work when you know the market well and the transaction is simple. It goes wrong most often on inspection findings and contract deadlines — the two places where knowing what is normal is worth the most.

What is a buyer agreement, and do I have to sign one?

Since August 2024, an agent must have a written agreement with you before touring a home with you. That is a rule change from the NAR settlement, not a ROOST policy.

The agreement states what the agent will do, how long it runs, and exactly what their compensation is and who pays it. All of that is negotiable, including the length of the term. Read the term and the termination clause before signing — a short initial term is entirely reasonable if you are still deciding whether the agent is right for you.

Competing and Closing

How do I win in a bidding war without overpaying?

Price is only one of the levers, and usually not the one that wins. Certainty wins: a clean pre-approval from a lender the listing agent recognizes, a closing date that suits the seller, a realistic inspection approach, and an offer package presented properly rather than emailed as an afterthought.

We have written this up in full. The Competitive Buyer’s Playbook: 10 Tips to Win a Bidding War is free to download, and 10 Tips to Win a Bidding War walks through all ten.

What should I expect from the home inspection?

An inspection is a few hours with a professional who will find things. Every house has a list — the question is which items are structural, which are expensive, and which are simply the age of the building.

Go if you can. Reading about a cracked heat exchanger is different from standing in front of one. Afterwards you can ask for repairs, ask for credit, or walk away if your inspection contingency is still live. What you should not do is treat the report as a list of demands; a seller facing thirty items usually refuses all thirty.

What happens after my offer is accepted?

Four things run in parallel: the inspection, the appraisal, your lender’s underwriting, and the title search. Each has a deadline in your contract, and the deadlines are what matter — most deals that fall apart do so because one was missed, not because something was wrong with the house.

You will also do a final walk-through shortly before closing, which is your chance to confirm agreed repairs were done and the property is in the condition you agreed to buy.

What should I know before buying a condo or a home with an HOA?

Ask for the association’s financials, the reserve balance, the minutes of the last year’s meetings, and whether any special assessment has been discussed. A healthy-looking building with an underfunded reserve is a bill waiting to arrive.

On Florida’s Space Coast this matters more than it used to: milestone inspection and reserve-funding requirements have changed what condo associations must hold, and some buildings have passed large assessments as a result. Tip #9 covers what to ask for and when.

Particular Situations

What if I need to sell my current home first?

Common, and manageable. The options are a contingent offer, bridge financing, or selling first and renting briefly — each trades money against certainty in a different way, and which is right depends on how competitive your market is.

A contingent offer is weaker in a multiple-offer situation, which is worth knowing before you fall in love with something. My Next ROOST sets out the options in a few minutes, and My Next ROOST covers the whole move in depth.

How does ROOST support first-time buyers?

Mostly by explaining things before they happen rather than after. First-time buyers are rarely short of listings; they are short of context — what is normal in an inspection, what a contingency actually protects, what the closing disclosure means.

First Time Home Buyer? This is for You! is made for exactly this, and covers the process end to end.

Can ROOST help me buy a home in another state?

We are licensed in Ohio and Florida. Outside those, we will refer you to an agent in our network and stay involved enough to make sure you are looked after. A referral costs you nothing.

Where does ROOST help buyers?

Ohio — Columbus, Springfield, Urbana, Dayton and the surrounding counties. Florida — Brevard County and the Space Coast, including Melbourne, Palm Bay, Titusville, Cocoa, Merritt Island and the beach towns.

Call the office nearest you: Springfield 937-390-3715, Columbus 614-505-5808, Melbourne 321-405-1116. Or start with Buy with ROOST.