For Columbus home buyers
If you're thinking about buying a home, you're probably feeling both. That's normal. I'm Gagan Timsina, and by the end of this video, I want that voice in the back of your head to be a lot quieter.
See the 6 stepsWhere you are right now
Excited
Terrified
And there's a voice in the back of your head asking:
That voice is normal.
By the end of this page, I want it to be a lot quieter.
Why I do this
In 2008, my family and I immigrated to America from Nepal. Back home, my family were farmers. And when you come from a family that farms, owning the ground under your feet means everything.
When we got here, we didn't own the walls. We didn't own the roof. We didn't own the ground. And today, my family owns our home.
It wasn't just a house. It was proof that we had built something here. Something that was ours. Something we could pass down.
That's what I want to help you build.
Gagan Timsina
The Timsina Team, Real of Ohio. I also run The Columbus Report.
2008
Terraced farmland, Nepal.
Where the story starts.
Not the walls. Not the roof. Not the ground.
My family owns our home.
Why that matters to you as a buyer
Every single week, we cover
So when you work with us, you're not getting someone who looked up a neighborhood on Google the night before your showing.
You're getting a team that lives and breathes this city, and tells the truth about it on camera, in front of millions of people.
There's a good chance that's how you found me.
We cover these neighborhoods every single week.
Schematic
Not to scale
5,500,000
views on Instagram alone, in the last 30 days. That's The Columbus Report.
How we help you buy a home
Step 1
Before we look at a single house, we sit down together. And I'm going to ask you 3 questions.
That last question is the one most agents skip. But your why is everything. It's what keeps you going when you lose a house you loved, or when an inspection comes back ugly. If we know your why, we can make every decision around it.
the one most agents skip
Step 2
We connect you with a lender, and we figure out the payment you're actually comfortable with. Not the biggest number a bank will approve. The number that still lets you live your life, take the trip, and sleep at night.
A lot of buyers don't know thisThere are programs in Ohio built to help 1st-time buyers with things like the down payment, and a lot of people never even hear about them. We make sure you know your options before you decide you can't afford it.
Step 3
This is where our content becomes your advantage. Columbus isn't one market. It's dozens of little markets.
You're not just buying a house. You're buying the street.
Step 4
Every buyer has a moment. You walk in, and something in your chest goes, "This is it."
We call that the catalyst home. And when you find it, we can move fast, because we've already done the homework.
Step 5
Price is only one part of an offer. There are repairs, closing costs, timelines and seller credits.
If the home has been sitting, we negotiate.
If it's going to get multiple offers on day 1, we make sure yours is strong, clean, and gets noticed.
And this is a big one.On a conventional loan for a home you'll live in, with at least 10% down but less than 25%, the seller can contribute up to 6% of the price toward your costs.
Most buyers never even ask.
Step 6
We manage all of it.
We'll tell you what's wrong with a house before you sign, not after.
In Ohio, about half of the homes tested come back high. It's fixable, but you have to test. We make sure you do.
If the home was built before 1978, you have the right to have it checked for lead paint.
The contract
Most buyers see the purchase contract for the 1st time on the day they're asked to sign it. So we took the real Columbus REALTORS and Columbus Bar Association contract, all 16 pages, and added notes in plain words beside every part. Here's a look inside.
The whole deal on one page
A contract is mostly deadlines. Miss one and you can lose a right. Here are 9 of the 17 in the guide.
* Used if no other number is written in. Day 1 is the day after both sides sign and the signed paper is sent back. Every day counts, even weekends and holidays. A text or email is not a notice. It must be a signed paper.
Short and plain. Each one is color coded, so you can tell at a glance what kind of note it is.
How much the home costs. One number. Check it two times.
No new car. No new credit cards. No big buys. Try not to change jobs. Wait until after closing. A change can sink your loan.
You can leave the deal and get your deposit back. But you must send the seller the lender's "no" letter within 3 days of getting it. Miss that and this way out is gone.
The biggest number for a buyer. It is how many days you have to inspect and ask for fixes. Weekends count. Blank = no inspection right.
Big = hurts health, safety, living there, use, or value. Think bad roof, cracked base, mold, bad wiring. Small = paint color, a loose knob, old carpet.
If it is attached, it stays. Lights, fans, blinds, the mailbox, the shed, the doorbell camera. TV wall mounts stay. TVs go.
You get the full guide on your game plan call. All 19 pages, all 17 deadlines with room for your own dates, and me to walk you through it.
Book the call and get itThe guide is a study copy. You will sign a clean copy. Our notes are a plain-English guide, not legal advice. If a note and the contract do not match, the contract wins. For law questions, ask a lawyer.
The questions I know you're thinking
I can't tell you where rates are going. Nobody can. But here's my rule. Today's rate matters a lot less than you think, if:
And never buy a house you can only afford in the future.
Sometimes, month to month, it is. But rent can go up every single year, and your landlord keeps the equity.
With a fixed-rate mortgage, your principal and interest never go up. And part of every payment goes toward something you own.
Then we'll build a plan for when you are. Whether you're buying in:
It's never a bother.
Before we ever tour a home together, I'll walk you through, in writing, exactly how we get paid and what you get for it. No surprises.
How we work
We show you, we don't just tell you. The data, the comps, the costs. All of it on the table.
You always know what's happening and what comes next. You'll never have to chase us down.
The ones that work.
Because the house you buy isn't just a transaction to us. It's where your life is going to happen.
Where your life is going to happen
I hope I get to be there the day you open your own front door for the 1st time.