The sooner you involve an expert Sonoma County or Santa Rosareal estate agent in the home buying process, the more benefit you will receive. Too often buyers start by reading newspaper ads, visiting open houses or surfing the Internet.

While obtaining any information about Sonoma County property and how to purchasewine country real estateis worthwhile, a good real estate agent can guide you through the entire process, saving you considerable time and effort and making your home buying experience much easier.

A good Sonoma County real estate agent can help you:

Determine the type of home and the features you want

Find the areas in your town which best fit your needs and

Obtain valuable school and community information.

A knowledgeable wine country real estate agent can also help you:

Determine how much Sonoma County or Santa Rosa property you can afford and

Make recommendations of mortgage companies and loan officers that would be a good match for your needs.

The right agent can, after helping you find the right Sonoma County or Santa Rosa home to buy:

Write a purchase offer that maximizes your chances for acceptance and at the same time protects your interests.

At closing, go over the documents with you and explain them to your satisfaction.

Because agents in Sonoma County and Santa Rosa for both the seller and the buyer are compensated out of the sellers funds, there is no cost to the buyer. The buyer receives a very valuable service, free of charge.

The sooner you retain your Sonoma County real estate agent, the more value you receive. See the Sonoma County agent choices page for suggestions about how to choose your real estate agent.

2. Pre-qualify for your Wine Country Real Estate mortgage.

Before you start looking for a Sonoma County & Santa Rosa home, land or vineyard to buy, obtain a lenders pre-qualification or pre-approval letter (a letter stating that you are pre-qualified or pre-approved with that lender for a mortgage of up to a certain amount).

The distinction between pre-qualification and pre-approval is in the amount of information reviewed by the lender and the lenders level of commitment. A pre-approval letter is stronger, however, either one will prove very helpful.

Your pre-qualification or pre-approval letter for Sonoma County real estate is important for two reasons:

1. You will know in advance how much you can borrow. You wont have the disappointment of finding out later that you dont qualify for that wine country vineyard or Sonoma County dream home you have fallen in love with. It is important to know up front what the realities are and often Northern California real estate buyers are pleasantly surprised to learn that they can afford more house that they thought they could.

Knowing in advance that you do qualify for a loan takes one uncertainty out of the home buying process.

Knowing how much you can borrow helps you focus on a particular price range.

2. You will be a much more attractive buyer. When a seller receives an offer to purchase their Sonoma County or Santa Rosa property, they consider all aspects of the offer. The price, of course, is important, but also important are factors which indicate that the buyer is able to complete the transaction. One very important factor is the buyers ability to qualify for a mortgage.

A pre-qualification letter makes you a stronger buyer and, all things being equal, will make it more likely that your offer to purchase will be accepted over another buyer who is not pre-qualified.

Being armed with a pre-qualification letter gives you an advantage over other buyers and just might make the difference in your obtaining your dream home.

Check the Sonoma County real estate financing page for more information.

3. Know your Wine Country Property needs vs. wants.

Needs are features you absolutely must have in your Sonoma County or Santa Rosa property.

Wants are features that are highly desirable but not absolutely necessary.

Needs. Often Sonoma County & Santa Rosa land and home buyers arent clear enough about what their needs are. This can cause uncertainty and confusion when confronted with the myriad of choices available. When you see a wine country home or vineyard with some very appealing features, it is easy to overlook or discount the fact that it lacks some feature or attribute that is absolutely necessary for your family.

That darling 2/1 with the gingerbread trim may be appealing, but if three children are in your family plan, keep looking.

By having your Sonoma County & Santa Rosa real estate needs criteria clearly in mind, you will be able to focus only onwine country propertiesthat meet your needs, eliminate the others and save considerable time and effort.

Wants. When you clearly identify your wants it becomes much easier to recognize a particular house that stands out from the others. If, for example, you and your spouse have set out specific wants, such as a fireplace and a hot tub, when both a fireplace and a hot tub show up in one of the five houses you have looked at, making a choice between the houses should be a bit easier.

Sonoma County & Santa Rosa Real Estate Buyers - Valuable Exercise

1. On a sheet of paper draw a line down the middle. On one side write Needs at the top. On the other side write Wants.

2. Now, under Needs and Wants, fill in your specific needs and wants in wine country real estate to buy. It is easiest to do this by category. For example:

in the category of house size, your absolute minimum need might be a 3/1 and your ideal want would be a 4/2.

In the category commute time your absolute minimum need might be no more than a one hour commute and your ideal want might be a 20-minute commute.

In the category of schools, your absolute minimum need might be the xyz school district and your ideal want might be theABC school district.

3. Work through all the categories you can think of. In doing this exercise it is important to keep aware of the distinction between what you must have, the needs, and what you would like to have, the wants. Be clear about what you put under each heading, no fudging. At the end of the exercise you will have a much better picture of the house you are looking for.

Following these 3 Sonoma County & Santa Rosa homes, land and vineyards Buyer Tips should make your wine country real estate buying experience easier. I will be adding more tips to this page, so please check back.

Happy House Hunting in Northern California's Finest Wine Country!