Buying, in order
Six steps from the first conversation to the first winter. At each one, you'll know what you're deciding, what we're doing, and what comes next.
The six steps
Massachusetts does a few things its own way. They're explained where they come up.
- 1
Discover
Which towns, what kind of house, and what budget feels right rather than what a calculator allows. We start with the life you want the house to hold, then the house.
At our first meeting we'll give you the Massachusetts relationship disclosure, the state form that explains who represents whom. Before we tour homes together we'll also sign a written buyer agreement that says what we'll do for you and how we're paid. Written agreements have been standard practice nationally since 2024, and we'll go through every line with you.
We: a first conversation, town notes for the places on your list, an introduction to a lender or two so you can get pre-approved.
- 2
Understand
What the market is doing in the towns you chose: what sold, for how much, how quickly, and which houses sat. You'll see the sales we're looking at, not a summary of them.
We: recent sales explained in writing, and a saved search tuned to you, with fewer and better alerts.
- 3
Tour
Seeing homes, and seeing past the staging. We look at the roof, the foundation, the windows and the heating system before the paint colors, and we write down what we saw.
For a house built before 1978, you'll receive the lead paint notification Massachusetts requires and a chance to have the house inspected for lead.
We: notes on each house, the questions to ask the seller, and an honest opinion when you want one.
- 4
Offer
Price, terms and contingencies. In Massachusetts an offer is usually a signed Offer to Purchase with a small deposit; once it's accepted, the home inspection happens, and then the attorneys draft a Purchase and Sale agreement with a larger deposit.
We: comparable sales, your options laid out in writing with their risks, and a recommendation.
- 5
Close
Inspection, appraisal, mortgage commitment and paperwork, each with its own date. Closings in Massachusetts are handled by attorneys; the lender's attorney usually runs the closing and records the deed.
We: one timeline with every deadline on it, your attorney looped in from the start, and a final walk-through before you sign.
- 6
Move
Keys, utilities and the first season. Property tax bills arrive on your town's schedule, quarterly in many Massachusetts towns, and an older house will teach you something in its first February.
We: contractor names we trust, the tax and utility dates for your town, and a check-in a year later.
Words you'll hear
Plain explanations. Your attorney and lender have the final word on each.
- Offer to Purchase
- The first signed agreement on price and terms, with a small deposit. It sets the dates for the inspection and the Purchase and Sale agreement.
- Purchase and Sale (P&S)
- The full contract, drafted by the attorneys after the inspection. A larger deposit is paid when it's signed.
- Mortgage commitment
- The lender's written approval of your loan, due by a date in the P&S. With a mortgage contingency, your deposit is protected if the loan falls through before that date.
- Title 5
- The state's septic-system inspection, required when a house on septic is sold. More in Field Notes
- Smoke and CO certificate
- The local fire department's sign-off on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, which the seller must have before the sale closes.
Costs to plan for
We'll put real figures in writing for your price range at the first meeting.
Before the offer
Pre-approval, and the time to tour. Nothing is owed to us to look.
Under agreement
Deposits, the home inspection, and any specialist inspections it calls for: septic, radon, lead, pests.
At closing
Down payment, lender and attorney fees, title insurance, and prepaid taxes and insurance.
Start with a conversation
Thirty minutes, no forms to fill in first. Tell us where you live now and where you're thinking of going.