Buying a home

This is what Issam does

Most agents will happily work either side. Issam has spent over 30 years working primarily as a buyer's agent - showing property, reading disclosure packages, spotting what an inspection report is actually saying, and negotiating on behalf of the person buying.

That matters more than it sounds. A listing agent works for the seller. When you walk into an open house unrepresented, the person being helpful to you has a fiduciary duty to somebody else. Buyer representation exists so that someone in the transaction is obliged to act in your interest.

How representation works now

This changed recently and buyers are often unclear on it. You will now generally sign a written buyer representation agreement before touring homes, setting out what your agent will do and how they are compensated. Compensation is negotiated and disclosed rather than assumed, and it can be paid in different ways depending on what is agreed with the seller.

We will walk you through the agreement before you sign it, in plain language, including what you are committing to and for how long. Any agent who wants you to sign it without reading it is telling you something about how the rest of the transaction will go.

Start with financing, not with listings

Browsing is the fun part and the wrong first step. Until a lender has looked at your documents you do not know your budget - and in a competitive situation an offer without solid pre-approval is often not seriously considered.

Juliet is a licensed mortgage broker as well as a real estate broker (NMLS ID 316166), so this happens inside the same firm instead of being handed to a stranger. It also means that when you are competing against other offers, we can read the other side's pre-approval and tell you whether their financing is solid or fragile - which is frequently worth more than the price difference.

What a lender will ask you for →

What we actually do

• Set up a search against what you tell us you want, and keep it current
• Show property, and say honestly when something is not what it appeared online
• Read the disclosure package properly - including the Mello-Roos and HOA parts most people skim
• Advise which inspections are worth ordering for that specific property
• Write and negotiate the offer, including contingencies that give you a way out
• Track every deadline through escrow so nothing lapses by accident

The full escrow timeline →

The local thing that catches people

Across much of the Inland Empire, a large share of newer subdivisions sit inside a Community Facilities District, and the Mello-Roos assessment varies street to street rather than city to city. Two comparable-looking houses a few blocks apart can carry very different monthly costs for reasons that have nothing to do with the buildings.

We check the real assessment on anything we show you, and we will say so when a listing's advertised monthly payment quietly leaves it out. The full explanation →

Where we can help

You tell us where you want to look and we will tell you honestly whether we know that market well enough to represent you properly in it. See where we work → - and if you are looking somewhere we do not cover, we would rather refer you to someone good than take it on badly.