REAL ESTATE

HOME BUYING GUIDE

HERE FOR ALL OF YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS

Congratulations on starting the process of home ownership!

Buying a home can feel overwhelming, but working with a team who knows real estate and specializes in helping Immigrants and Refugees can be extremely helpful.

The Matt Smith Team is honored to have partnered with The Catherine McAuley Center to work with Immigrants + Refugees, assisting them on their way to owning a home. We are here to help every step of the way!

We have partnered with some local banks and lenders who are equipped to help in these situations, making sure that the process goes as smooth as possible.

From helping you get a credit card to build credit history, to moving day, we are here!

To get started we will need some information from you. Please fill out as much information as you can so we can help you to the next steps.

From all of us at The Matt Smith Team, THANK YOU for trusting us with your real estate needs. We can't wait to meet you!

PLEASE PRINT AND FILL OUT THIS INFORMATION TO GET STARTED

Legal Name(s): (These are the names listed on your documents. Please write them down exactly how they are on your documents.)

Buyer 1: ____________________________________

Buyer 2: ____________________________________

Social Security Number(s): (This number is on your social security card.)

Buyer 1: ____________________________________

Buyer 2: ____________________________________

Birth date: (The month, day and year you were born. Please write the birth date that is listed on your documents)

Buyer 1: ____________________________________

Buyer 2: ____________________________________

Place of Employment: (Where do you work right now?)

Buyer 1: ____________________________________ Start Date: ____________________

Buyer 2: ____________________________________ Start Date: ____________________

BANK ACCOUNT(S)

We will need bank account information for each person purchasing the home. (Spouse, partner or other.) If you have more than one bank account, please fill out a section for each account. If you need more room, please use additional paper or the back of this sheet of paper.

Account #1:

Name of Bank: ___________________________________________________

Name(s) on account: _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Account Number: ________________________________________________

(This can be found on your checks, (see image) or by contacting your bank.)

Routing Number: ________________________________________________

(This can be found on your checks, (see image) or by contacting your bank.)

Account #2:

Name of Bank: ___________________________________________________

Name(s) on account: _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Account Number: ________________________________________________

(This can be found on your checks, (see image below) or by contacting your bank.)

Routing Number: ________________________________________________

(This can be found on your checks, (see image below) or by contacting your bank.)

BUILDING YOUR CREDIT HISTORY

To purchase a home, you will need some credit history. This history shows you established credit already and have made those payments on time. This is a very important part of being approved for a home loan.

Do you have a credit history? (Any credit cards, car loans, or anything that might help your credit score?

___ Yes, I have credit history. (Explain here): __________________________________________

___ No, I have little/no credit history that I know of. I would like to start building my credit by applying for a credit card.

___ I am not sure. (If you don't know, we can have a lender find out for you)

To apply for a credit card, visit the link below:

https://www.academybank.com/personal/credit-cards/credit-builder

To apply, You will need:

Name
Drivers License
Social Security Number
Bank Account number for each active bank account you have
$300 (This is a prepaid Credit Card. The $300 will go onto your credit card, and this will be your spending limit for this card. You will pay it off each month.

IMPORTANT:

To help your credit score, you will have to pay the full balance on the credit card each month. If you do not, you will get a bad credit score and will not be able to get a home loan.

GATHER ALL OF YOUR DOCUMENTS

Please bring the following documents so we can make a copy of them.

These documents will be needed for all people purchasing the home. (Spouse, partner, or other) We do not need anything for children.

To keep organized, place a checkmark next to each item once it is in a folder and ready to bring to us.

Buyer Buyer

#1 #2

___ ___ Drivers License

___ ___ Social Security Card

___ ___ Green Card or Red Card (NOT expired)

Note: If you do not have your Green Card, you can provide your Red Card. This is your EAD: Employment Authorization Document. If you DO NOT have a Green or Red Card, provide the following two forms.

___ ___ 1-797C Form (Proof that you have applied for a Green Card)

___ ___ 1-94 Form (Shows proof of status. Some refer to this as your stamps)

___ ___ Paystubs from the last 30 days:

Note: These are attached to each paycheck you receive. If you do not have them, ask your employer for a copy.

___ ___ 2 Month of Bank Statements from all open bank accounts:

Note: You can get these online or by stopping into your bank(s) and asking for a copy.

___ ___ 2 Years of Address history:

Note: See "Address History" page for more information and to fill out your address history.

___ ___ 2 Years of Employment History:

Note: See "Employment History" page for more Information and to fill out your employment history

___ ___ 2 Years of Tax Returns (All paperwork)

ADDRESS HISTORY

(Places You Have Lived)

In this section, we will need to know all of the places you have lived in the last 2 years. Trying to remember all of this info can be hard, but it helps to work backwards.

On the next part, you will start writing down your address history.

To start, you will write down where you live right now. (Your current address).

Next, you will think back to where you lived BEFORE your current address.

After that, think where you lived before THAT address.

You will do this until you have written down 2 years worth of address history.

(For some people, this is just one address, for some it is many addresses. Just use as many "Previous Address" spots as you need.

Address Timeline:

Buyer 1: ___________________________ Buyer 2 : __________________________________

Current Address: (Where do you live right now?)

Address: ____________________________________________________________________

Move In Date: (When did you move here?) ___________________________________

Previous Address #1:

Address: ____________________________________________________________________

Move In Date: (When did you move here?) ___________________________________

Move Out Date: (When did you move out?)___________________________________

Previous Address #2:

Address: ____________________________________________________________________

Move In Date: (When did you move here?) ___________________________________

Move Out Date: (When did you move out?)___________________________________

Previous Address #3:

Address: ____________________________________________________________________

Move In Date: (When did you move here?) ___________________________________

Move Out Date: (When did you move out?)___________________________________

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

(Places You Have Worked)

In this section, we will need to know all of the places you have worked in the last 2 years. Trying to remember all of this info can be hard, but it helps to work backwards.

On the next page you will start writing down your employment history. Start with Buyer #1. After that, go to Employment History for Buyer #2 If purchasing home with spouse, partner or other.

To start, you will write down where you work right now. (Your current job).

Next, you will think back to where you worked BEFORE your current job.

After that, think where you worked before THAT job.

You will do this until you have written down 2 years worth of employment.

(For some people, this is just one job, for some it is many jobs. Just use as many "Previous Job" spots as you need.

Job Timeline:

Buyer 1 Employment History

Current Job: (Where do you work right now?)

Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________

Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________

Are you paid hourly or do you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___ Salary

Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________

# of Hours worked per week: _____________________________________________________

Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ___________________________________

Any Employment Gap between your current job and Job #1?: (One or more months

not working between these jobs)

___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #1:

Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________

Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________

Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___ Salary

Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________

# of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________

Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________

End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________

Any Employment Gap between Job #1 and Job #2?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)

___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #2:

Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________

Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________

Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___ Salary

Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________

# of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________

Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________

End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________

Any Employment Gap between Job #2 and Job #3?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)

___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #3:

Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________

Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________

Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___Salary
Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________
# of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________
Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________
End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________

Any Employment Gap between Job #3 and Job #4?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)
___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #4:
- Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________
- Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________
- Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___ Salary
- Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________
- # of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________
- Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________
- End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________
Any Employment Gap between Job #4 and Job #5?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)
___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #5:
- Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________
- Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________
- Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___Salary
- Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________
- # of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________
- Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________
- End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________
Any Employment Gap between Job #5 and Job #6?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)
___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #6:

Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________

Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________

Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___Salary

Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________

# of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________

Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________

End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________

Any Employment Gap between Job #6 and Job #7?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)
___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #7:
- Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________
- Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________
- Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___Salary
- Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________
- # of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________
- Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________
- End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________

BUYER 2 EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Current Job: (Where do you work right now?)

Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________

Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________

Are you paid hourly or do you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___ Salary

Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________

# of Hours worked per week: _____________________________________________________

Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ___________________________________

Any Employment Gap between your current job and Job #1?: (One or more months

not working between these jobs)

___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #1:

Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________

Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________

Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___ Salary

Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________

# of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________

Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________

End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________

Any Employment Gap between Job #1 and Job #2?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)

___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #2:

Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________

Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________

Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___ Salary

Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________

# of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________

Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________

End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________

Any Employment Gap between Job #2 and Job #3?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)

___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #3:

Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________

Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________

Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___Salary

Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________

# of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________

Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________

End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________
Previous Job #4:
- Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________
- Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________
- Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___ Salary
- Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________
- # of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________
- Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________
- End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________
Any Employment Gap between Job #4 and Job #5?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)
___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Previous Job #5:
- Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________
- Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________
- Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___Salary
- Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________
- # of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________
- Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________
- End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________
Any Employment Gap between Job #5 and Job #6?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)
___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Job #6:

Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________

Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________

Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___Salary

Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________

# of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________

Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________

End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________
Any Employment Gap between Job #6 and Job #7?: (One or more months not working between these jobs)
___ Yes ___ No (If YES, please explain here) _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Previous Job #7:
- Business/Company Name: ________________________________________________________
- Position/Job Title: _________________________________________________________________
- Were you paid hourly or did you have a salary? ___ Hourly ___Salary
- Hourly Rate/Salary: (How much do you get paid?) _________________________________
- # of Hours worked per week: ______________________________________________________
- Start Date: (When did you start working here?) ____________________________________
- End Date: (When was your last day working there?) _______________________________

WE CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU!

Once you have all of the information filled out that is needed (or as much as you are able to fill out) it's time to contact your Real Estate Agent!

Jen Jacobs specializes in helping Immigrants and Refugees find their home, and will be there every step of the way! If there is some information you aren't sure how to find, please reach out to Jen and she will be happy to help.

You can call, text, or email Jen.

Phone Number: 319-350-8927

Email Address: jennifer.jacobs@re/max.net

Let her know you have filled out this information and would like to try and purchase a home.

First, she will get you connected with a lender. (This is someone from a bank who will help get you approved for a home loan. We partner with lenders who specialize in transactions like yours.)

Once the lender tells us you are pre approved for a home, it's time to start looking for your perfect house! Jen will take you to see the ones you might want to purchase. Once you find the one you love MOST, we will make an offer! You can only make an offer on one home. If the offer is accepted, you will have signed the paperwork to purchase it! At this point, you will be "under contract" and unable to view or purchase any other homes. If the offer is denied, we will continue looking for other homes. We are so excited to help you through this process and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

From all of us at The Matt Smith Team, THANK YOU for trusting us with your real estate needs. We can't wait to meet you!

COMMON REAL ESTATE PHRASES AND TERMS