• Assist buyer in obtaining pre-approval
• Provide general information regarding towns schools, taxes, market conditions, etc.
• Provide daily searches through local MLS systems for properties meeting buyer’s needs
• Search For-Sale-By-Owner, bank-owned, foreclosures and auctions for properties
• Set up viewings of properties with buyer pointing out positive and negative features
• Help buyer select and eliminate homes
• Help buyer focus and narrow search if necessary

This step can take 1-365 or more days! Much depends on your HOME work beforehand, your timeline, and your ability to devote needed time to the process.

Once you have established your wants and needs, your price range, the area and the time frame for your purchase…you are ready to start the search. So where do we look for homes?

• MLS: The Multiple Listing Service [MLS] is the generic term for the computer based systems used by local Realtors® to compile all their listings in one place or database. Depending on where you are looking, there may be many different systems servicing the same area. Lucky for you that NH and Maine each have statewide systems! Because we are members of both systems we can virtually sit in our office and access all properties listed throughout Maine and NH by participating Realtors®. Those listings represent the majority of available homes in our service area [see Towns We Service]. Bank-owned, foreclosed and short sale properties are typically included.
• FSBO: FSBO [For Sale By Owner] properties are another source for searching. Sometimes finding these properties is the hardest part. A seller may use one of the Internet services, local papers, or only a sign posted in front of the property. You may be a tenant who is considering a purchase from your landlord, but not sure if you should. At BBS we will always be YOUR agent so we can represent you in any purchase regardless of the seller source.
• AUCTION: An auction has been an alternative method for selling property for hundreds of years in all markets. A seller hires a professional auctioneer who will assess, package and market the property and schedule a specific time when property will be sold. There will be public notice about two weeks prior to the auction and materials are available regarding how to register, who can register, how the auction will occur [contents before structure, multiple properties, etc] and what type of auction. Estate auctions are used to settle estates and usually include much of the property’s contents which could include animals, collections, etc. These events many times are all day and attract many types of buyers. Foreclosure auctions are famous for being “cancelled” [see Foreclosure], but when held usually have a reserved or minimum bid which if not reached, means the seller [the bank] will retain ownership. Auctions are far more common in other parts of our country, but can be an excellent alternative and expedient method for selling a property. As YOUR buyer’s agent, we can help you prepare to be an auction bidder and will attend the auction with you.
• HUD Homes: HUD is the Department of Housing and Urban Development and was established through the U.S. Housing Act of 1937. Its main purpose at that time was to provide subsidies to local public agencies that rented housing to low-income families. In 1965 it became a Cabinet level agency.
  The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is part of HUD. FHA-insured loans provide lenders assurance of payment. When a lender forecloses on an FHA-insured home, the lender can file a claim with FHA for the balance due on the mortgage and will in turn convey title to HUD. Thus they become ‘HUD Homes’. 
  HUD Homes are first offered to consumers, especially those using an FHA loan. After an initial “bidding” period, they will then be able to be purchased by any qualifying consumer, including investors. They most often are empty and quite reasonable priced. Although they are sold “as is”, HUD requires some testing before listing them for sale and encourages the buyer to have a home inspection. We can show you HUD homes and we can take you through the complete bidding and acquisition process. CALL us today 603-654-9935 to find out more.
• FORECLOSURE: When a mortgaged property owner gets significantly “behind” in making payments, the lender has the right to reclaim or “take the property back”. The lender, commonly referred to as the bank, then becomes the owner, thus the property becomes “bank-owned”. Lenders are in the business of lending money and generally have no interest in being property owners. The two most common methods for disposing of the property are at auction [FORECLOSURE AUCTION] or through local Realtors® and the MLS system. Both the auction and the bank owned property in MLS will be sold at a price that at least meets a minimum set up by the bank to cover their costs of reclaiming the property. The banks make little to no representation regarding property history and condition of the property varies greatly, so having your BBS agent assist you in such a purchase is priceless. The number of available bank-owned properties that also meet your wants and needs will depend on market conditions [see MARKET].
• SHORT SALE: A short sale is one in which the seller is in “pre-foreclosure”. They have gotten behind in payments; they are talking to the lender and trying to sell their home for less than is owed. To do so, they must have the lender’s approval. When these work out, they can almost be a win-win for everyone. The lender avoids expense of foreclosure and disposing of property; the seller avoids having a “foreclosure” in their credit history; the buyer gets the property for less than they might have paid had it not been a short sale. You really need your BBS agent for this type of sale to help you: 1) assess that the short sale is really a good buy 2) stay on top of the lender driven procedure requiring constant monitoring 3) help you determine if this type of purchase really meets your wants and needs.
• NOT FOR SALE: In establishing your wants and needs, you may discover that your search is extremely focused…to one neighborhood…and nothing is for sale there! Your BBS agent represents you. We can make inquiries to homeowner’s in that neighborhood on your behalf. Since we do not list homes for sale, our inquiries separate us from the average “let me list your home” letters they receive from most agents and can produce a serious seller.
• YOUR UNCLE: Maybe you don’t need to search for a property…your uncle already has one. You’d like to buy it; he’d like to sell it…but there are lingering doubts. How do you know what it’s worth? How do you finance it? Should you compare it to other things? Maybe it’s not the best property for you. Your BBS agent can work for you on an hourly basis [see Menu of Services] and help provide professional guidance in an awkward situation.