Buying a home
How buying works: get ready first, then find the one
What happens when you buy a Seacoast or lake home with me, step by step: the buyer agreement, the search, due diligence, and closing in NH and MA.
The short version
Most agents start by showing you houses. I start by figuring out what you're actually worried about.
For a Seacoast buyer, it's usually cost and risk: the flood zone, the insurance, the commute, and what the town is like in February. For a lake buyer, it's the water itself, and whether you'll use the place enough to be glad you bought it. Those questions decide which homes are worth seeing at all.
From there, buying runs in four parts: Ready, Educated, Aligned and Locked. Get ready before you tour. Know what your budget buys. Look at the right homes, not every home. Then write an offer that holds up and close without surprises.
Depending on where you're buying, you'll work with me or with one of the agents on my team. Either way, you get the same process, and I'm behind every deal.
Start with what worries you
Ready: the paperwork that comes before the first showing
Two things happen before we tour a single home.
The first is talking to a lender. A pre-approval tells you what you can borrow, and it tells a seller you're serious. On the Seacoast and the lakes, good homes often draw more than one offer. The buyer who's ready to write that day has the advantage.
The second is our Buyer Agency Agreement. Until August 2024, the listing side's offer of compensation to the buyer's agent was posted right on the MLS. A settlement by the National Association of REALTORS® ended that. Now a signed buyer agreement has to be in place before I can show you any homes, and what the buyer's agent is paid is agreed in writing up front. Some buyers hear that and worry they're being locked in. It's simpler than it sounds.
- It states my compensation up front. The agreement spells out what my services as your buyer's agent cost, in writing, before we start. Compensation is negotiable, and it's set by agreement between you and me.
- It covers who pays. Sometimes a seller offers to contribute toward the buyer's agent fee, and sometimes they don't. Either way, it can be negotiated in your offer. We'll talk through the options for each home before you write.
- It puts my commitment to you in writing. I represent your interests, not the seller's, from the first showing to the closing table.
It's a new step for a lot of buyers, so ask me anything about it. You'll understand every line before you sign.
How buying works: get ready first, then find the one
Educated: what your budget actually buys here
This is the conversation that saves people months.
Plenty of buyers tell me, "We drove up on a Saturday and looked at four towns. They all blurred together." That's normal. Online, a lot of homes look alike. In person, the differences are huge: the street, the water, the drive, the flood map, the insurance quote.
So before we look, we talk. Which towns fit your life. What you'd give up choosing one over the one next door. Whether you want the ocean, a lake, or a quiet street ten minutes from both. And what your price range realistically gets you in each, so you don't fall for a home that was never within reach.
If you're buying on the water, we also talk about the costs that don't show up in the listing price. Flood insurance can change the monthly payment a lot. A seasonal road, a shared dock or an older septic system near the shoreline changes what you're really buying. Better to know that in week one than in the due diligence period.
And if you're relocating from out of state, this is where the team earns its keep. We know these towns in every season, including the ones the photos don't show.
Aligned: fewer homes, better ones
Once we know what matters, the search gets narrow on purpose.
You'll see homes from the MLS, and you'll see listings from Beach-Homes Realty and Lake Homes Realty, the two brokerages I'm Principal Broker of. Because those brokerages specialize in Seacoast and lake property, their listings are a natural place to look.
When we tour, I'm looking past the photos. How the lot sits. Where the water goes when it rains. What the frontage and dock rights really are on a lake home. Whether the road in is plowed in winter. How much light the house gets in the rooms you'll actually live in.
You'll hear what I think, including when I think a home isn't right for you. I'd rather lose a showing than have you buy the wrong house. Everybody says buy on the water. Nobody says which water. That part is my job.
Locked: an offer that holds up, and a closing without surprises
When you find the one, we write an offer built to win and built to hold.
Price is only one part of it. Terms matter too: your financing, your timing, your earnest money and your due diligence period. I'll walk you through each one and what it signals to the seller. If the home has more than one offer, we'll talk strategy before you decide anything.
Earnest money is the deposit that shows the seller you're serious. The amount varies and is set in each offer, and it's held in escrow as your purchase agreement spells out.
The due diligence period is your window to inspect the home and look into anything that matters before you're committed. Its length varies and is negotiated in each offer. If the home is on the water, that often includes more than a standard home inspection:
- The flood zone, and a real insurance quote
- Septic and well, especially near the water
- Shoreland rules that affect what you can build or change
- Dock, frontage and access rights
- Seasonal access, and whether the home is winterized
Closing works differently depending on the state. New Hampshire is a title state, so a title company handles the closing. Massachusetts is an attorney state, so a closing attorney handles it. Either way, my team tracks every deadline between your accepted offer and the closing table, so nothing slips.
This page describes how I generally work with buyers. It isn't legal, tax or lending advice. For those, talk with an attorney, a tax professional or your lender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to sign a buyer agreement before you'll show me a home?
Yes. Since the changes that followed the National Association of REALTORS® settlement, a signed Buyer Agency Agreement has to be in place before any showing. It puts my compensation and my commitment to you in writing, and I'll walk you through every line first.
Who pays the buyer's agent?
It depends on the home. Compensation is set in our agreement and is negotiable. Sometimes a seller offers to contribute toward it and sometimes not, and either way it can be negotiated in your offer.
Is closing different in New Hampshire and Massachusetts?
Yes. New Hampshire is a title state, where a title company handles the closing. Massachusetts is an attorney state, where a closing attorney handles it.
Keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Brenda Maggy Group?