The process in plain English.

Patrick Spina, Yoo Realty Group / Real Broker LLC, WI license 97503-94. Serving SE Wisconsin. Call or text 262.205.2463.

1. Talk to a lender before you fall in love with a house

Pre-qualification is a conversation. Pre-approval is paperwork — income, assets, credit — and a letter sellers take seriously. Get the letter first. Looking without it wastes weekends. We have preferred lenders that we trust to help you.

• Ask for the full monthly number: principal, interest, property taxes, homeowners insurance, and PMI if the down payment is under 20%.
• Ask what happens to that number if the rate changes before you lock.
• Programs that exist (your lender says if you fit): conventional, FHA, VA, USDA where the map allows, and Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) products. Disclaimer: We are not financial advisers, nor should this be taken as financial advice. See the full disclaimer.

2. What you actually need to bring

Lenders usually want recent pay stubs, W-2s or tax returns, bank statements, photo ID, and a list of debts. If something is messy — job change, gift money from family, extra account — tell the lender early. Hiding it slows the close.

3. Budget is not only the mortgage

Plan for closing costs on top of the down payment. The exact figure is on the lender’s Loan Estimate — not on this website. A simple cushion for a water heater or a roof surprise after you move in is smarter than stretching to the last dollar the bank will lend.

Do not use a listing’s tax line as gospel. Taxes change. We verify with the municipality and the title work, not a portal screenshot.

4. How we look at houses

Search live inventory on searchmidwesthomes.com, then text me what you want to see. I will not invent a private inventory.

• Listing photos lie in both directions. We walk it.
• Ignore “maybe the seller will take less” as a strategy until we have days on market and competing actives in that pocket.
• If a house needs work, we price the work before you offer — a contractor or inspector, not a guess from the internet.

5. Inspections that matter

A general home inspection is the baseline. Add extras when the house calls for them: sewer scope on older laterals, radon where it is common, pest if the inspector flags it. You can waive inspections. I will tell you when that is brave and when that is reckless. Your call either way.

6. Offers without overreaching

An offer is price plus terms: earnest money, closing date, what stays, inspection window, appraisal gap if you choose to use one. More money is not always the winning card. A clean, funded offer with a realistic calendar often is.

I will not tell you a number is “what the house will appraise for.” That is the appraiser’s job after you are under contract.

7. Wire fraud

Title companies do not suddenly change wiring instructions by email. If you get a message with new account numbers, stop and call the title company on a number you already have. Then call me.

8. From accepted offer to keys

1. Earnest money in on time.
2. Inspections in the window you negotiated.
3. Lender orders appraisal and underwriting.
4. Title work and homeowner’s insurance.
5. Final walk-through, then closing.

If a date slips, we talk the same day. Silence is how first-time deals get scary.

Questions that are allowed

• Can I buy with less than 20% down?
• What if my credit is fine but not perfect?
• Do I look at houses before I am pre-approved?
• What does earnest money actually do?
• What if I hate the inspection?

Text those. That is the work.