From first call to keys.

The process

What buying with us actually looks like.

1. 01

   Start here, before you begin

   Goals, areas, and timeline. A budget you can live with. A conversation with a lender about preapproval, and the difference between a prequalification and a preapproval. You do not need every document in hand before you call.

2. 02

   Know your numbers

   Down payment, earnest money, closing costs, and the monthly payment with taxes, insurance, and HOA dues when they apply. Conventional, FHA, and VA are lender questions, and you can bring your own lender. Keep some savings after closing, and pause big credit changes until your lender says otherwise.

3. 03

   Choose your agent and build a plan

   What matters most, how this market differs by neighborhood, how representation works, and how you want to communicate. The search should follow your life, not only your filters. Choose someone on this site or let the office match you.

4. 04

   Search smart and tour with purpose

   Neighborhood, commute, schools, and the life you want, across Spokane and North Idaho. Active, pending, and sold tell different stories. Look past the finishes to layout, condition, and what you will still want in five years.

5. 05

   Make an offer with confidence

   Your agent reads comparable sales, then you decide price, earnest money, timeline, and the financing, inspection, and appraisal terms that fit this house. Every offer is different. Counters and multiple offers get explained before you sign.

6. 06

   Inspect, review, and decide

   An inspection is a look at the house, not a guarantee. Appraisal is a different report. Title, boundaries, easements, and disclosures belong in this stretch, and so do well, septic, and acreage questions when the property has them. Deadlines are real. Ask before they pass.

7. 07

   From clear to close to welcome home

   Final lender conditions, the closing figures, the walk-through, signing, recording, and when keys can be released. Then utilities, insurance, and the move. If your agent is in a showing, Hanley still answers.

Questions buyers actually ask

• Do I need to be preapproved before I look? It helps. You can still start with questions.
• How much money up front? Down payment, earnest money, and closing costs. Your lender names the figure for your loan.
• Do I have to use a preferred lender? No. Financing advice comes from the lender you choose.
• What if the inspection finds a problem? You and your agent decide whether to negotiate, repair, or walk, inside the contingency.
• What is earnest money, and when could I lose it? It is a deposit with the offer. The contract says when it is refundable.
• How long does buying take? Often a month or two after mutual acceptance, longer if financing or the house needs work.
• Can I buy with a VA loan? If you are eligible. A lender confirms that, not this page.
• What should I know before acreage? Access, well, septic, outbuildings, and who maintains the road.

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