Barbour & Company's Buying Process
Your Path to the Right Home
Guided Buying Support from Consultation to Final Signature
At Barbour & Company, we understand that buying a home is an exciting yet complex experience. It's a big financial and personal decision. That's why we’ve developed a process that’s as thoughtful as it is thorough, designed to guide you step by step from your very first conversation with us through closing day and beyond. Whether you're a first-time homebuyer or a seasoned investor in the Triad, our dedicated team is here to guide you through every step of the process.
Our Buying Process is designed to provide you with a comprehensive and personalized experience, crafted to your unique needs and preferences. We believe in setting the highest standards of excellence and professionalism, making sure that you find the perfect home to match your dreams and lifestyle.
Common Questions from Our Homebuyers
What You’re Wondering, Answered Clearly
Buying a home comes with plenty of questions, especially if it’s your first time. Whether you're a first time home buyer or purchasing your third property, it's natural to have questions. At Barbour & Company, we've guided clients through all kinds of buying journeys—from downtown condos to 3 bedroom homes in the suburbs, and even long-term investment properties. No matter where you're starting from, we’re here to make sure you feel informed and empowered.
How can I stay on track?
We know buying a home can feel overwhelming at first. That’s why we’ve created a structured, guided process to take the guesswork out of your experience.
Our agents stay in close communication, walking you through pre-approval, showings, offers, inspections, and closing—always at your pace. You’ll have access to helpful tools, real-time updates, and a responsive team who genuinely cares about your success.
Curious about how it all works? Explore Our Buying Process to learn more.
What Does It Really Cost to Buy a Home?
Beyond the sale price, buyers should plan for a due diligence fee, earnest money deposit, down payment, and closing costs. These vary based on your loan, location, and contract terms, but we’ll walk you through each one clearly and early in the process.

What will I pay beyond my mortgage?
Expect ongoing costs like property taxes, homeowners insurance, HOA fees (if applicable), home maintenance, and monthly utilities. Understanding these upfront helps make homeownership smoother and more sustainable.
Step-by-Step Home Buying Checklist
Here's What Every Home Buyer Should Know Before Making a Move
Understand Your Budget
Before exploring new homes for sale, take a close look at your finances. This includes checking your credit score, estimating your monthly payment comfort zone, and determining a down payment range. Online mortgage calculators can help, but a conversation with a trusted lender is the best way to clarify what’s truly affordable for you.
Get Pre-Appoved
Pre-approval is more than a formality—it shows sellers you're serious. After choosing a lender and submitting financial documents, you’ll receive a pre-approval letter that outlines your qualified loan amount. This step also helps you confidently focus your search on homes within your range, from townhouses to 3 bedroom homes.
Choose Your Realtor
Working with an experienced buyer’s agent is a critical step. Our team of residential realtors will represent your best interests throughout the process—educating you, advocating for you, and helping you avoid common pitfalls.
Start The Search
This is where it gets exciting. Together, we’ll identify your wants, needs, and non-negotiables to narrow down the best homes for your lifestyle. Whether you’re drawn to historic neighborhoods, walkable areas, or quiet cul-de-sacs, we’ll guide you through available listings and private showings that match your goals.
Make An Offer
Once you’ve found the right home, your agent will help you prepare and submit a competitive offer. Offers typically include your proposed purchase price, any contingencies, a due diligence fee, and an earnest money deposit. We’ll also help you understand and propose a closing timeline that works for your needs.
Negotiate the Details
The seller may respond with an acceptance, rejection, or counteroffer. If there’s room to negotiate—on price, repairs, or closing costs—we’ll help you navigate that dialogue strategically until both sides reach a mutual agreement.
Schedule Your Home Inspection
A licensed home inspector will evaluate the condition of the property, including major systems like HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing. Based on the findings, we can request repairs or negotiate credits before moving forward.
Appraisal and Final Loan Approval
Your lender will order a third-party appraisal to confirm the home’s value. Once the appraisal clears, your loan goes through final underwriting. During this stage, we help you stay organized and in communication with your lender to keep everything on track.

Secure Homeowners Insurance
Before closing, you’ll need to have an active homeowners insurance policy in place. This protects both you and the lender in case of damage or disaster. Our team can help you compare quotes and coverage options.

Review the Closing Disclosure
At least three business days before closing, you’ll receive a Closing Disclosure from your lender. This document outlines your final loan terms, monthly payments, and closing costs. We’ll review this together to ensure everything matches expectations.

Final Walkthrough
Just before closing, you’ll revisit the property for a final walkthrough. This ensures the home is in the agreed-upon condition, any negotiated repairs have been completed, and nothing has changed since your last visit.

Closing Day
On closing day, you’ll sign all legal documents, pay remaining closing costs, and officially take ownership of the property. The meeting typically happens at a closing attorney’s office or title company.

Receive the Keys and Move In
Once the paperwork is complete and the deed is recorded, the keys are yours. You can move in and begin settling into your new home—whether it’s a cozy starter or a spacious 3 bedroom home in a neighborhood you love.

Post-Closing Details
Don’t forget to update your address, file your deed with the county (often done by the attorney or title company), and organize home documents for safekeeping. And of course, we’ll still be here for any questions or referrals you may need as you get settled.


Built With You In Mind
Our Home Buyer Experience
Getting the keys to a new home after purchase and feeling great about it comes with making smart, well-supported decisions that align with your life and goals.
At Barbour & Company, we treat each phase of the buying journey as an opportunity to give you reliable knowledge and peace of mind. From first meeting to final walkthrough, we operate with one core belief: the process should serve you. We offer a fully personalized, compliance-forward, and data-supported experience that adapts to ever-changing needs. Let’s break down what you can expect when you work with our team of dedicated realtors and real estate professionals.
Financial Guidance That Grounds Every Step

Your financing decisions shape your home search and ultimately your offer. That’s why we support you through the mortgage process early.
Our buyer agents understand how to align offer terms with lender conditions, so your strategy always makes sense on paper and in practice. From organizing your loan worksheet to helping you understand how financing details influence the strength and structure of your offer, we make sure your approach is both realistic and competitive.

Access to A Network of Trusted Residential Vendors and Experts
Need a great inspector? Lender? Contractor? We’ve got you covered. Over the years, we’ve built relationships with local professionals who share our commitment to quality and service.
You’ll have access to our network of highly recommended vendors, all of whom we know, trust, and have worked with firsthand.

Custom Valuations and Offers Backed by Real Data
When you're ready to make an offer, we don’t wing it and grab numbers from the air. We do our due diligence and perform research. Sometimes the best negotiation support is logical, data-driven insights that are well connected and reflected in the offer details. Our team creates detailed, property-specific valuation reports to help you understand true market value, anticipate seller expectations, and structure your offer accordingly. Making your offer with as much fact and perspective as professionally possible greatly increases your chances of success with your specific offer priorities altogether. By using local data, property history, and comparable sales, we help you avoid overpaying while crafting compelling, competitive offers. Our strategy is grounded in facts so your decisions are too.Understanding Your Needs Through In-Depth Consultation
Before we dive into listings, we start with a meaningful conversation. You’ll receive a full briefing on key disclosures and legal aspects that affect you as a buyer, including consumer rights, agent responsibilities, and compliance considerations in North Carolina. But just as important—we ask the right questions.- What type of home fits your lifestyle?
- What location suits your day-to-day?
- How soon are you hoping to move?
- And how do you view the role of your buyer’s agent?

Connectivity And Search Tools
Whether you prefer the MLS Automated Emails, Zillow, Redfin, BrokerApp or your favorite real estate app, we'll help you make the most of the tools at your fingertips. We’ll assist you in setting up auto-emails tailored to your specific needs and teach you how to interpret listings like a pro. You’ll also have access to our professional-grade search platforms, but more importantly, you’ll have a trusted guide who helps you filter out the noise, focus on what matters, and track market shifts as they happen. But what you do will still impact the ultimate outcome.

Beyond The Showings: Professional Insight at Every Tour
In other words, we don’t just unlock the doors and tag along; we analyze properties with intention. We are actively scrutinizing a property with you, and have our own set of priorities to be mindful of as we tour homes with you. Experienced buyer’s agent support during showings help focus concerns and priorities that need to be reflected in the offer and how it is presented to the seller.It’s not always what it looks like in the photos, and some things that should be disclosed are! During showings, your Barbour & Company agent is actively assessing the home with you, looking for hidden details, red flags, and context that doesn’t always show up in listing descriptions or photos.
We ask the tough questions, investigate material facts, and make sure you’re walking through homes with both curiosity and critical thinking. Our goal is to help you identify what’s worth pursuing and what to walk away from.

Transaction Support That Keeps Everything on Track during contract-to-close
Once your offer is accepted, the real work begins. Barbour & Company’s transaction coordination support team makes certain the entire buying process is organized and maximized step-by-step to deliver you value. From due diligence inspections to repair negotiations and appraisals, lender follow-ups, and closing statement review, the contract-to-close phase is full of moving parts, no pun intended! Luckily, we’re right there managing it all so you don’t have to. It’s important your buyer’s agent is experienced and has a team of administrative and operations support to make sure nothing important is overlooked or falls through the cracks. You’ll benefit from our transaction coordination team, who ensures deadlines are met, paperwork is correct, and opportunities for added value aren’t missed.Testimonials from our happy clients!











Client Success Stories
Barbour & Company has hundreds of happy clients over the years. Our experience with them has shaped the development and fine-tuning of the home real estate process we use today. Hear what they have to say about working with us.