Buyers · Lee & Collier County

Everything between now and your keys.

Eight steps. Your real monthly number first, the house second.

Working in

Get your numbers runSee the 8 steps →
Tracked on your file
The parts that go wrong when nobody’s watching. Calendared here.
Start here

You have two numbers. Most buyers only know one.

The one you’ll be given

What you’re approved for

A ceiling. Usually set before anyone priced the insurance, flood, HOA or CDD on the actual house.

The one that matters

What you’re comfortable paying

Principal, interest, taxes on the reassessed value, insurance, flood, HOA or CDD, and a maintenance set-aside. We build this worksheet first, with your lender’s and insurer’s quotes.

0Steps
0Loan paths
0Counties
0Licensed agents
The process

Eight steps to holding the keys.

Tap a step. It advances on its own.

01Why
02Your number
03Pre-approval
04Your agent
05The search
06The offer
07Under contract
08Keys
01

What is this move actually fixing?

Name it before you name a price. Every trade-off later gets easier.

  • Three things you’d walk away over
  • What you’d pay a little more for
  • The date that isn’t moving
02

Your real monthly number, built first.

A worksheet for your full monthly cost, filled in with your lender’s and insurer’s quotes, before you tour anything.

  • Taxes on the value that applies after the sale
  • Insurance, and flood where it applies
  • The seller’s homestead does not transfer to you. Confirm the figure with the county property appraiser
03

Pre-approved. Not pre-qualified.

Pre-qualification is a conversation. Pre-approval is a letter a listing agent takes seriously.

  • Talk to two or three lenders
  • Compare the full cost, not the phone rate
  • Then: no new credit, no job changes

Aari Realty is not a lender and makes no lending decisions or recommendations. You choose your lender; we receive nothing for an introduction.

04

Pick your agent, put it in writing.

Before we tour homes together, MLS rules require a written buyer agreement. That’s a good thing. It puts in writing what we do for you and how we’re paid.

  • What your agent owes you, in writing
  • How long it runs
  • How they’re paid, and by whom

Commissions are fully negotiable and are not set by law, by any association, or by any MLS. We walk through ours line by line first.

05

Shop with a filter, not a feed.

New listings from the MLS matched to your criteria, sent as they come in.

  • Roof, HVAC and water heater age
  • Permit history on additions and lanais
  • Flood zone, elevation, how it drains
06

Write it strong, negotiate at your direction.

An offer is more than a number. You get a written cash to close worksheet before you sign. Your lender’s Loan Estimate, and later the Closing Disclosure, carry the official figures.

  • Deposit: how much, and when it’s at risk
  • Inspection window: days to inspect or walk
  • What conveys, and the closing date
07

The stretch where deals quietly die.

Key contract dates calendared from the Effective Date. Your contract controls every deadline.

  • Inspection, wind mitigation, four-point
  • Appraisal, and your options if it’s low
  • Title, survey, estoppel, insurance bound
08

Walkthrough, closing, keys.

We go over your figures with you before closing day.

  • Verify wire instructions by calling your title company at a number you already have, never a number sent by email
  • Utilities set to transfer
  • File homestead with the county property appraiser if it becomes your primary residence

Eight steps. One person walks them with you.

Every name here works under the same broker, the same systems and the same standard. You pick who.

Financing

Four loan paths, one at a time.

General education only. Aari Realty does not originate loans and does not quote rates or terms. Confirm anything here with a licensed loan officer of your own choosing.

01Conventional
02FHA
03VA
04USDA

Conventional

Set by
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines, applied by each lender
What it requires
Credit, documented income and debt ratios inside the lender’s guidelines. A minimum down payment set by the program
Worth knowing
Mortgage insurance generally applies below a threshold down payment and can usually be removed later as equity builds
Confirm with
A licensed loan officer of your choosing. Terms and costs vary between lenders

FHA

Set by
The Federal Housing Administration. Insured by HUD, issued by approved lenders
What it requires
A minimum down payment set by FHA, credit standards generally more flexible than conventional, and property condition standards that are stricter
Worth knowing
Mortgage insurance often applies for the life of the loan
Confirm with
A licensed loan officer of your choosing

VA

Set by
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, issued by approved lenders
What it requires
A Certificate of Eligibility based on service history, and the property must meet VA standards
Worth knowing
No monthly mortgage insurance. A funding fee usually applies, with exemptions in some cases
Confirm with
The VA and a licensed loan officer of your choosing

USDA Rural Development

Set by
USDA Rural Development, issued by approved lenders
What it requires
Both the property address and household income have to fall inside the limits published for that area
Worth knowing
Eligibility maps and income limits are revised periodically, so check them against the specific address
Confirm with
A licensed loan officer of your choosing, and the USDA eligibility map
The money

What a buyer pays, and roughly when.

The map of the categories. Your written estimate carries the real numbers.

01Before closing
02At closing
03After closing

Before closing

Escrow deposit
Held by the escrow agent, credited back to you at closing
Inspection
Plus wind mitigation and four-point where insurance wants them
Appraisal
Ordered by your lender, sometimes collected up front
Insurance binder
Homeowners, and flood where required

At closing

Down payment
Wired to the closing agent, less the deposit already on file
Lender fees
Origination, underwriting, any discount points
Title & settlement
Search, policies, settlement fee, recording
Prepaids & escrows
Advance taxes and insurance to fund your escrow account
HOA or CDD
Application and transfer fees where an association applies. Who pays the estoppel fee is set by your contract and is commonly the seller.

After closing

Homestead exemption
Free to file, by the deadline, if this is your primary residence
Maintenance reserve
Roof, HVAC and water heater are when, not if
No obligation

Let’s run your numbers.

Tell us where you are. You get back a worksheet to fill in with your lender’s and insurer’s quotes, and the next two things to do.

Prefer to talk now

Call the office at 239.789.4701 or text 239.688.1770. Se habla español.

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