10 Important Tips For Home Buyers
- Get Pre-Approved For A Home Loan
Getting pre-approved means a lender has looked at all of your financial information and they've let you know how much you can afford and how much they will lend you. Being pre-approved will save you a lot of time and energy so you are not running around and looking at houses you can't afford.
2. Location, Location, Location
One of the most important things to think about when buying a home is location. You can change everything else, but you can't change a home's location.
3. Thoroughly Research The Neighborhood
Before you buy, get the lay of the land-drop by morning, noon and night. Many homebuyers have been completely distraught because they thought they found the perfect home, only to find out the neighborhood wasn't for them. Drive by the house at all hours of the day to see what's happening in the neighborhood. Do your regular commute from the house to make sure it is something you can deal with on a daily basis. One of your best resources is neighbors who live in the area. Ask them about the home and area, see if they would recommend that neighborhood. Research the schools and school district. If you buy a house in a good school district versus bad this could greatly enhance the value of your home.
4. Get A Home Inspection
Hire a home inspector. It will cost you a few hundred dollars but could end up saving you thousands. A home inspector's sole responsibility is to provide you with information so that you can make a decision as to whether or not to buy. If the home inspector does find any issues with the home, you can use it as a bargaining tool for lowering the price of the home. A good example is a home a I am currently in Escrow with my buyer, the agreed upon purchase price was $699,000. After completing a home inspection, we found multiple issues with the home and were able to negotiate a new purchase price of $658,000. A $41,000 dollar credit. This would not have happened without a home inspection.
5. Don't Try To Time The Market
Don't obsess with trying to time the market and figure out when is the best time to buy. Trying to anticipate the housing market is nearly impossible. The best time to buy is when you find your perfect house and you can afford it. Real estate is cyclical, it goes up and then it goes down then it goes back up again. So, if you try and wait for the perfect time, you're probably going to miss out.
6. Don't Move Your Money Around Before Purchasing
About 3-6 months before going to buy a home and especially when you are in Escrow on a home, it is best not to make any major purchases that could affect your credit in a negative way. If you open new credit cards or buy a lot of big-ticket purchases, you're going to have a harder time getting the loan.
7. Hire A Professional Realtor
Real estate agents are an important part of the home buying and selling process. Hire a reputable real estate agent. A real estate agent will guide you through and explain all the steps involved in the home buying process, help you to complete the offer, reduce stress, save you time, and advise you on which homes for sale on the market could be a good fit for you and your budget. Ask your real estate agent as many questions as you need to help you understand the entire home buying process.
8. Never Neglect That Final Walkthrough
Even if you did a thorough home inspection, the final walk-through is crucial to verify that the home is exactly the way it should be on closing. Make sure the seller has not trashed the property or if there is anything missing that should have been left. There are many times when home buyers decided to waive the final walk-through only to discover that certain items were removed, trash was left, and certain repairs were not even made. Make sure that final walk-through is to your satisfaction. If not, extend the closing.
9. Keep Shopping
If you love the first home, that's great, but check out multiple homes, It's important to look at a few houses so you can compare the pros and cons. Viewing more homes will give you a better understanding of your options, likes and dislikes.
10. Know Your Property Boundaries
In order to know exactly what you are buying; it is important to get a survey done on your house if the boundaries are not clear. Knowing exactly where your lines of land are will save you from future conflict with your neighbors. Your property tax is also likely to be dependent on how much property you have.
Testimonials
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Mark was an amazing realtor. I would recommend him to anyone. He went above and beyond all the tasks that came our way. He made us feel like he was our ally during the entire process. Mark brings the small town feel with the big city negation tactics. Mark is honest and does not pressure you to go outside of your comfort zone. I was not the easiest client to work with due to being nervous about the process and he was extremely patient. A 5 star rating does not do him justice. Salt of the earth person. Thank you Mark.
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- Jordan B - Buyer
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Mark was very easy to work with. His knowledge of the market was very impressive . He was available at all times which was very comforting to us. Our transition went virtually smooth as silk and would recommend him highly.
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- Randy S
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Buying a home can be extremely daunting and can be the biggest decision of your life. I recently had the pleasure of working with Mark Spino to help find and purchase a home for my father and we couldn’t have been happier! He is highly knowledgeable about the local market, focused on our preferences and needs and made sure we always felt like a priority. He is always available and communicated how each part of the whole process would move forward. His negotiation skills were in our best interest, and he consistently found ways to get us the best deal possible. He is reliable and trustworthy and provided us with very helpful advice and guidance every step of the way. He always went above and beyond to ensure every detail was taken care of including setting up inspections to even arranging his own handy-man to finalize last minute touches, and the list goes on.Throughout the whole process, Mark came through with his commitment to excellence, exceeded our expectations and helped find our dream home. He demonstrated patience and understanding and made this home buying experience smooth and successful. We are forever grateful and thankful for him and highly recommend his services to anyone in the area looking for an amazing realtor!
Thanks again Mark!!
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- Jasmine B
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Selling and buying homes are stressful. However, Mark was able to make the selling of our house stress-free and anxiety-free. He helped us through every step, including staging the home, setting up open house events, advertising, and making paperwork/documentation simple and easy. Our house sold within 24 hours of listing. And that is heavily due to Mr Spino's professional work.
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- Learned G
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Mark was wonderful . He was knowledgeable , personable and so easy to work with. He was always available to answer any questions and supportive in our time challenges in getting to the Desert [ we did not live in the area .] He was eager to determine the style of house we were looking for and once he had that knowledge , he ' zeroed in' on our taste of houses and he was successful in helping us find the perfect home! I highly recommend Mark Spino !
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- Frank F
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If you want a great experience buying or selling your home, have Mark Spino represent you. He will work harder than anyone for you. He is very knowledgeable and professional. Mark sold our home and found us our dream home. He handled everything from A to Z. We could not be happier. Thank you Mark Spino.
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- Mike M
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Mark Spino is one of the good guys! Super proactive and experienced with a high degree of patience for his clients. My family and I will never forget his kindness and support. We couldn't be happier in our new home thanks to Mark. He is the only agent we will ever use again!
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- Joe Thaete
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Immediately responded to calls. Very knowledgeable about properties.
Detail oriented and easy to work with. Without his advice I am not sure
we would have secured our property. I have recommended him to
other friends and they have all been extremely happy. He goes above
and beyond what is required.
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- Barbara B
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I recommend Mark as a great real estate agent. He was able to find the perfect condo for our needs. He also helped us throughout the process of the sale to ensure the sale was conducted in an efficient and cost effective manner. Mark’s stellar professionalism and good attitude makes him one of the best real estate agents I dealt with.
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- Buyer- Palm Desert
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Mark was an outstanding Real Estate Agent
He went beyond what any real estate agent would do such as taking care of inspection problems and made sure everything was in order for pictures and was definitely cleaned including carpet and every little detail he did was impeccable
He sold it and got a buyer in 2 weeks and was the highest sold in the neighborhood
The escrow was closed and we got the money in no time!!
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- Josefina K
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Mark was a great realtor! Knowledgeable and professional with high standards of care and ethics and with focus to get the job done! Mark went above and beyond from the start to the close of escrow! We could not have achieved our success without Mark leading the effort! Selling is stressful but Mark guided us and helped smooth out the process by taking ownership for exceeding our expectations! We highly recommend Mark for your real estate needs!
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- Seller - Rancho Mirage 2023
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Very Good Experience with Mark Spino as my realtor.
Not only did he help me find my home he made sure it was a good fit and stressless.
He has a great personality and great availability.
Thank You Mark!
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- Debbi R
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What's my word limit? :-)
I'll give it in short:
A+ professional in every way, dilligent, follows through, excellent communication, doesn't short cut anything, available when you need him, supportive and informative, incredibly knowledgeable, hard working, funny, patient, and as honest as they come.
If you have just a minute more time, read below....
Mark is an incredible realtor, but more importantly just a wonderful man. My wife and I had spent a number of months looking for a condo in Palm Springs without a lot of luck, and not great help from an earlier realtor we engaged.
We walked into a listing appointment one day to a place we really liked, and the two listing realtors were both so engaging and warm and personable to us it really stood out. They wanted to know our story, where we'd been living and made connections to our lives through their own experiences. Though we were being shown through by our own realtor who should have had the most interest in us and our wants, these two fellas were just all class and completely non-pushy. Truly, they were just being friendly because that's who they are.
On return home to KC we decided to drop our current realtor and try reach out to these men we'd met at the listing. One of them turned out to be Mark Spino.
I can't talk highly enough about this terrific man and incredible realtor.
From being beyond pleased to take us on and find us our dream home, visiting and vetting dozens and dozens of potential homes on our behalf as we lived out of state, and to going so many extra miles and doing so much leg work we ourselves (we live in KC). He had endless patience over many many months in the search for something that would really make us happy, never once suggesting we sell our dreams short.
To sum up, Mark is just a lovely human being, a brilliant realtor who learns your needs and will save you so much time looking and visiting the wrong homes, and stays with you through the entire process - not just leaving when it seems assured that a commission has been earned.
If you need to find a home in Palm Springs and surrounding cities, there is NO ONE else I would recommend.
Thanks Mark, can't wait to see if your golf game is any good! ;-)
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- Buyer -
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He is a personable, highly professional real estate agent which goes above and beyond his duties!
I highly recommend Mark Spino!
He sold my house over asking price and within one day!
Thank you!
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- Seller - Rancho Mirage
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Mark, was very helpful, he help us out on buying our first house, help is from 1st step to finish and in this crazy market we were able to find our first house we can call home.
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- Mark B
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Mark is the reason we found the home of our dreams! In a hot, fast-moving market, he reacted quickly and efficiently, and provided excellent guidance to get us through the process quickly and with no missteps. He is personable, professional, understood our needs and did a wonderful job for us. We would recommend him highly to anyone that needs a conscientious, experienced realtor!
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- CJ Sweeper
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Mark Spino is an excellent realtor and we could not be more pleased with the way he guided us through the sale of the house. He clearly is well versed in the Coachella Valley market. He was willing to hold as many open houses as we wanted and he advised us on how to optimally stage our home. Mark assisted us and at times managed the repairs required of the inspection report and handled all the paperwork quickly and efficiently. We would not hesitate to call Mark to sell another house of ours in the future."
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- Noreen Hughes
Based on information from California Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. as of September 11, 2026 1:41 AM UTC This information is for your personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties you may be interested in purchasing. Display of MLS data is usually deemed reliable but is NOT guaranteed accurate by the MLS. Buyers are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all information and should investigate the data themselves or retain appropriate professionals. Information from sources other than the Listing Agent may have been included in the MLS data. Unless otherwise specified in writing, Broker/Agent has not and will not verify any information obtained from other sources. The Broker/Agent providing the information contained herein may or may not have been the Listing and/or Selling Agent.
Information should be deemed reliable but not guaranteed, all representations are approximate, and individual verification is recommended. Copyright ©2017 All rights reserved.
