How Does Buying a Home in California Work If I'm Moving to Lodi?

Buying a home in California works like this: you get pre-approved, sign a written buyer agreement before touring, make an offer with an initial deposit, have the home inspected during your inspection period, and close through escrow and a title company. Start with a consultation and a lender, and you can do most of it before you arrive.

Audrey Schmierer is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Central Valley in Lodi, CA, helping first-time buyers and downsizers buy and sell with confidence. I'm Audrey Schmierer, and I've lived in Lodi my whole life.

Picture it. You pull into Lodi with your boxes, and instead of a hotel, there's a front door waiting with your key in it.

A few things may be new, depending on where you've bought before.

• The buyer agreement comes first. In California, a written agreement is signed before you tour a home with an agent. With me, it's my commitment to you and our agreement to each other, and signing it creates no obligation to buy a home.
• Your initial deposit goes to title. Once your offer is accepted, your deposit, typically 1% to 3% of the price, goes straight to the title company.
• You get an inspection period. Some call it the investigation period. It's typically about 17 days, though every offer is different.
• Escrow and title handle the closing. They hold the funds, prepare the paperwork and make sure the home transfers to you cleanly. Escrow typically runs 30 to 45 days.

1. Start with a consultation by phone or video. We go over your timeline, your budget and the parts of town worth a look.

2. Get pre-approved. I work with a number of lenders I trust and will connect you with one who suits your needs. They look at your income, your debt, your job stability, your credit and your down payment.

3. Sign your buyer agreement. Then the tours can begin.

4. Tour on video, then in person. I'll walk through homes for you room by room and show you the street and the block too. When you can visit, we tour in person.

5. Make your offer. We look at what similar homes nearby have sold for, then choose your price and terms together. A higher deposit tells the seller you're serious. See how to make a strong offer.

6. Inspect. I always recommend at least a home inspection, a termite inspection and a roof inspection. I go to the home inspection with you, and you can join by video with the inspector and ask anything you want.

7. The final walk-through, then keys. You check that everything agreed on is done and the home is in the same condition as when you made your offer. Then it's yours.

That's where a lifelong local helps most. Downtown Lodi has older homes full of character on tree-lined streets near the Lodi Street Faire. Parkwest has mid-size homes, often move-in ready. Rose Gate is new construction around Rose Gate Park. Rivergate has many homes with river access and private docks.

Commuting to Sacramento? Galt is a 20 to 30 minute drive from there. More in what to know before moving to Lodi.

Choosing from listing photos alone. Photos show rooms. A video tour of the street and the block shows you the rest.

Planning forward instead of backward. Start from your move or job start date and work back, leaving room for pre-approval, touring and escrow.

Here are a few made-up examples.

Say your new job starts in three months. We'd plan backward from your first day, so your keys are ready when you arrive.

Say you'd love a brand-new home. I like to go with you to the builder's sales office, at least for the first appointment. If I can't be there, register me as your agent. Read new construction or an older home.

Say you can't visit until escrow. We'd tour on video, I'd be at the inspection, and you'd hear from me with frequent updates the whole way. Audrey Schmierer is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Central Valley in Lodi, CA, helping first-time buyers and downsizers buy and sell with confidence.

Get pre-approved, sign your buyer agreement, tour homes on video or in person, make an offer with an initial deposit, inspect during your inspection period, and close through escrow and title.

Here's the move. Book a consultation by phone or video. You'll leave with a plan built around your move date.

See how I help people relocate, every step of how I help you buy a home, or call, text or email me. Audrey Schmierer is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Central Valley in Lodi, CA, helping first-time buyers and downsizers buy and sell with confidence.

This article describes how I generally help buyers in California. It isn't legal, tax or lending advice, and every purchase has its own details.