inception-app-prod/ODZkZjE2YjAtNWYxOC00ZGZmLWFjOTQtYmU3ZWMzOGQ5NmVh/content/2021/09/CAPE-PROPERTIES-LOGO.png
  • AREA GUIDE
    • DENNIS
    • Bourne
    • Sandwich
    • COTUIT
    • Provincetown
    • Cape Cod Beaches
    • Hike Cape Cod
    • Golf Cape Cod
    • Fish Cape Cod
    • Bike Paths
    • Cape Cod Baseball League Schedule
    • Things to do on The Cape
    • The South Shore Properties
  • RESOURCES
    • Resources To Help Our Transaction
    • SELLING A HOME
    • BUYING A HOME
    • CHECKLIST FOR HOME SHOWINGS
    • SEPTIC & TITLE V
    • Cape Cod Tax Rates
    • Cape Contractors
    • INVEST ON THE CAPE
    • Invest in Real Estate on Cape Cod
    • Vacation Rentals
  • ABOUT
    • Meet Dave Hunter
    • About Gibson Sotheby’s
    • The Local Break Blog
    • Success stories from my customers
  • CONTACT
6176991645
dave.hunter@gibsonsir.com
Sign In
Sign Up
inception-app-prod/ODZkZjE2YjAtNWYxOC00ZGZmLWFjOTQtYmU3ZWMzOGQ5NmVh/content/2021/09/CAPE-PROPERTIES-LOGO.png
  • AREA GUIDE
    • DENNIS
    • Bourne
    • Sandwich
    • COTUIT
    • Provincetown
    • Cape Cod Beaches
    • Hike Cape Cod
    • Golf Cape Cod
    • Fish Cape Cod
    • Bike Paths
    • Cape Cod Baseball League Schedule
    • Things to do on The Cape
    • The South Shore Properties
  • RESOURCES
    • Resources To Help Our Transaction
    • SELLING A HOME
    • BUYING A HOME
    • CHECKLIST FOR HOME SHOWINGS
    • SEPTIC & TITLE V
    • Cape Cod Tax Rates
    • Cape Contractors
    • INVEST ON THE CAPE
    • Invest in Real Estate on Cape Cod
    • Vacation Rentals
  • ABOUT
    • Meet Dave Hunter
    • About Gibson Sotheby’s
    • The Local Break Blog
    • Success stories from my customers
  • CONTACT
inception-app-prod/ODZkZjE2YjAtNWYxOC00ZGZmLWFjOTQtYmU3ZWMzOGQ5NmVh/content/2021/09/CAPE-PROPERTIES-LOGO.png
inception-app-prod/ODZkZjE2YjAtNWYxOC00ZGZmLWFjOTQtYmU3ZWMzOGQ5NmVh/content/2021/11/af9341a2f7105a5ebc58c21970327f76e7c45b36.jpg

BUYING A HOME

A Typical Timeline to Buying a Home with Estimated Costs.

Got any questions?

Finding the perfect house on your own is not easy - choose the agents you can trust.
123More
This field is required.
Send
Submitting
Succes! Your message was sent!
Oops! Error occurred.

Don't Get Lost in your own Internet Search.  Let me Help!   

Start your search here with me. 

 Buying a home is an emotional, exciting, and also exhausting experience. You may also be wondering along the way—what am I should I expect? This is a common question. Here’s how the buying process works from start to finish.

Content Provided by Tim Sherman Law: 

Week One

Meet with a Mortgage Professional to get “Pre-Approved”. No Cost

Meet with a Real Estate Agent who specializes in Buyer Representation. No Cost


Week Two

Schedule property showings with your agent. No Cost

Once you have found “the one”, submit an offer. The standard is a $1000 Deposit
The Seller typically has 24-48 Hours to Response and negotiate the exact details, such as
Closing Date. Closing Date is typically +/- 45 days from accepted offer. No Cost
Once the offer is accepted, celebrate! No Cost
Hire a Home Inspector and schedule the inspection. +/-$450
Hire a Real Estate Attorney. +/-$600, payable at the closing

  • Week Three

    Attend the home inspection. No Cost
    Your agent can negotiate further if there were deficiencies found in the inspection. You also
    have the right to withdraw and get your deposit back if issues are too big. No Cost
    Submit your offer to your Mortgage Professional. Confirm the Mortgage Commitment Date is
    feasible. No Cost
    Review the draft of the Purchase and Sale Agreement (P&S) with an attorney. No Cost

     

    Week Four

    Sign the P&S. +/- 5% Deposit is due. This Deposit is refundable if you cannot get a Mortgage
    Commitment by the date specified in the P&S.
    Submit the P&S to the Lender for an Appraisal. +/- $450
    Work with the Lender on final documentation. No Cost

    Weeks Five-Seven

    Schedule your Move. TBD
    Contact Utility Companies to arrange service for your Move-In. No Cost
    Obtain a Homeowner’s Insurance Policy. +/- $1000
    Schedule the exact time and place of the closing with your Attorney’s office. No Cost
    Schedule a final walk-through of the home. No Cost

    Weeks Eight - ten 

    Review the Settlement Statement with your Mortgage Professional. No Cost
    Obtain a Bank Check for any funds due from you at closing. TBD

    Attend the closing and sign the loan paperwork. No Cost

    Get your keys and MOVE IN 

     

     

    No Regrets: Why Buying a Vacation Home Was One of Our Best Decisions Yet.

    December 01, 2020

    We have all had those moments in life. Those few big decisions when you have two choices: Stay firmly within the boundaries of your comfort zone, or leap into the unknown. What was that moment? That moment when you knowingly said to yourself, “No Regrets.” before taking a leap of faith? In 2015, we took our first big leap off the well-worn path of the norm.

    Instead of investing in Boston where we were living and working at the time, we decided to buy a vacation home on Cape Cod. Like many, “No Regrets” moments – it has proven to be one of our best decisions yet.

    It was initially a lifestyle choice, without question.

    We knew we wanted a getaway at our fingertips for whenever we wanted to get out of the city – and we knew we only wanted to drive an hour on most days. But we also knew there is an upside when investing in real estate. Our small investment would pay off someday and, in the meantime, it would help us enjoy life NOW.

    What we didn’t know at the time:

    1. We would get much more bang for the buck

    • It didn’t take us long to get discouraged looking at real estate in Southie and Dorchester in 2015. Prices were already hovering around $500,000 for a one-bedroom and we needed two. And despite working in the city, we knew our love for all things Southie would eventually have an expiration date. Our love for The Cape, however, was one thing we knew would never change.

    • With a change in mindset, we soon realized we could have the things on our wish list for significantly less cost: THE OCEAN, a large yard, extra bedrooms and bathrooms for guests, and in our case, a barn for entertaining and storage for that lawnmower we would soon need.  

      2. Our friends and family would grow to love The Cape as much as us

    • Our investment wasn’t just in our own memories, buying a vacation home was an investment in memories we could share with our family and friends. Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day weekend, holidays in the offseason have all become annual traditions.

    • Our next generation is growing up with sandy toes and salty hair and it is truly the best feeling ever.

      3. There was a vast opportunity in the vacation rental market

    • We closed on our house in June 2015 and received our first HomeAway rental for 10 weeks before we had even moved in. In our first half-year of owning a vacation home, it paid for itself.

    • By year two, we were averaging $3,000 per week in peak season, with rentals extending into the off-season and throughout the winter.

    • By renting our vacation home, we were able to not only cover all our expenses, we were able to invest in home improvements we could also enjoy year after year.

      4. It would result in a source of income, which would lead to a career change, a move, and a full-time business.

    • After the first or second year, we knew we were onto something; by year three we couldn’t deny the data. Our investment in a vacation home had become a full-fledged source of revenue averaging well over $30,000 of income per year. And we were still using it ourselves!

    • By year five, it was clear – not only did we tap into a steady source of revenue for our family, but we also loved all things homes, home improvement, and vacation rental management. It was also clear there was an opportunity to support existing homeowners on Cape Cod and help educate new vacation homeowners who were considering their own No Regrets approach to real estate.

    • In 2019, we took our second leap of faith and moved to Cape Cod to start THE CAPE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT offering real estate, property, and vacation rental management services. Today, THE CAPE serves as a go-to resource for existing and soon-to-be homeowners on Cape Cod.

      5. There would be a global Pandemic

    • There are some things in life you can never quite anticipate and other things you wish never to be true. While we never envisioned a global pandemic could be a reality, it came and impacted our lives and business like so many others.

    • COVID-19 has changed the landscape of nearly every aspect of life – specifically impacting the real estate and vacation rental market in ways we never could have imagined – remote work, social distancing, canceled vacations, a new norm, and ultimately, a newfound appreciation for the small and big things in life – like toilet paper and making memories with family.

    Spring has never sounded sweeter as we walk into another cold, dark New England winter - especially this year. While we know there is some light at the end of this long pandemic, no one can quite predict how the future will look. What we do know is how much our appreciation has grown for things we knew would never change – the smell of the salt air, walks along the water after a long day, watching our new pup run around his yard and slowly but surely, tackling the never-ending list of projects at our big old house on Cape Cod, so hopefully, we can enjoy them in the sun with friends and family next year.

     Considering your own vacation home on Cape Cod? 

    Dave.Hunter@gibsonsir.com 

    617 699 - 1645 

     

     

Office information

Gibson Sotheby's International Realty
563 Main StDennisMassachusetts 02638US

6176991645

dave.hunter@gibsonsir.com

Helpful resources

  • BUYING A HOME
  • SELLING A HOME
  • Contact

Consumer Protection & Privacy

  • DMCA Compliance
  • Accessibility
For ADA assistance, please email compliance@placester.com. If you experience difficulty in accessing any part of this website, email us, and we will work with you to provide the information.
inception-app-prod/ODZkZjE2YjAtNWYxOC00ZGZmLWFjOTQtYmU3ZWMzOGQ5NmVh/content/2021/10/a4770b0d159bfaa3c4e2aa769cea2c32c3682b52.png

© 2025 All rights reserved

Created with Placester

Sign In

Sign in with your email address

Sign In
Success! Your message was sent!
Thanks for your message, we will contact you soon.
Back to homepage
Oops! Error occurred.
Please try again.
Back to form
Forgot your password?
Create an account
You have been successfully logged in
The page will reload automatically.
Go to the homepage
Sorry something went wrong
Login or password are incorrect. Please try again.
Try again

Sign Up

Your password needs:
At least one uppercase letter
At least one special symbol or number
At least 8 characters
Sign Up
Success! Your message was sent!
Thanks for your message, we will contact you soon.
Back to homepage
Oops! Error occurred.
Please try again.
Back to form
Already a User? Sign In
You have been successfully registered
Please check your email.
Go to the homepage
Sorry something went wrong
Please try again.
Try again

Reset password

Enter your email address

Reset password
Return to Log In
Reset password email has been sent.
Go to the homepage
Sorry something went wrong
Please try again.
Try again

Change password

Your password needs:
At least one uppercase letter
At least one special symbol or number
At least 8 characters
Change password
Sign Up
Your password has been successfully reset.
Go to the homepage
Sorry something went wrong
Please try again.
Try again

Account verification in progress

Please wait...

Account Verified!
The page will reload automatically.
Go to the homepage
Verify your email address
In order to log in to your account, you need to confirm your email address. Please check your inbox!
Go to the homepage

Share this listing

Copy Link

Hold on!

You’re being redirected to the page with listing data.

You have been successfully logged in.
The page will reload automatically.
Sorry something went wrong.
The page will reload automatically.