The process to buy a home for sale can be exciting and may also include a bit of stress at times if you get into a bidding war for the home of your dreams. Fortunately, when you hire a real estate agent you have professional expertise and dedicated service to help you get to the escrow meeting to sign for your new home. But before you can move into your new home, here are some important details you need to make sure you and your agent take care of.

Contract Negotiations

After you have found a home that you like, your realtor will ask you if you want to put an offer on it. Doing so gives you the chance to offer the seller a specific price for the home. And within the contract you can ask for other specifics to be included in the sale of the home. Your realtor will have a great deal of experience in adding buyer requests into the contract, so if you want to buy the riding lawn mower that is sitting in the garage, for example, you can include this item in your offer to purchase the home.

The seller can either accept, reject, or counter-offer your offer to purchase the home. If they counter-offer it usually means they want to come to an agreement in the deal but want to adjust the terms a little bit. They will include their details in their counter offer contract. They may counter-offer a higher price or a later date for you to take possession of the home, as examples.

Home Inspections

Another important task that needs to be completed before you sign on your home is to have the home inspected by a professional inspector. There are several different types of home inspections, including a whole-home inspection, a septic system inspection, and inspections for radon, asbestos, lead, and mold.

A whole home inspection is the most commonly completed inspection, and you should have one completed soon after your contract to buy a home is accepted. This allows a professional inspector to look at the home's systems and structure to find any hidden defects or problems. You will want to renegotiate the terms of your home's purchase for a lower price if, for example, you find out the septic system needs replacement or the roof is leaking.

Talk to your realtor about hiring a professional inspection, as they can recommend some to you. And ask them their recommendations about hiring any additional inspections to look at the home for specific conditions, such as radon, lead, asbestos, or mold.