©
Sinko Realty 
Your Complete Resource for Buying a Home in Gastonia, NC
Sinko Realty LLC - Exceeding Expectations
We're here to guide you through the process!
REALTOR® ABR®
📞 (704) 616-7764
✉️ info@sinkorealty.com
REALTOR®
📞 (704) 674-8263
✉️ cindy@sinkorealty.com
REALTOR® Notary Public
📞 (704) 691-9079
✉️ nikia@sinkorealty.com
Steps to Finding Your Dream Home
Discuss your needs, timeline, and budget
Secure financing and know your budget
Tour homes that meet your criteria
Submit a competitive offer on your dream home
Offer accepted, contingencies begin
Complete due diligence on the property
Complete paperwork and walk-through
Close on your new home
Browse available homes and calculate your mortgage payments
🏠 Search Homes 💰 Mortgage CalculatorHouse shopping is an exciting time! Get pre-approved for a loan first so you can be ready to make an offer when you find a home you love.
In order to be pre-qualified, a lender may or may not check your credit score and won't require documentation, only going off what you tell them. This will give you an idea of what you could qualify for, but when you're serious about buying, you'll need to get pre-approved.
To be pre-approved, the lender will pull your credit and ask you for documentation to verify your finances. Before making an offer on a house, it is best to get pre-approved to show sellers your offer is serious and that a lender has already approved you for enough money to purchase the home.
Use our free mortgage calculator to estimate your monthly payments
💰 Try Calculator NowWhich Type of Loan is Right for You?
| Type of Loan | Down Payment | Terms | Mortgage Insurance | Min Credit Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional | 3-20% | 15-30 Years | On down payments under 20% | 620 |
| FHA | 3.5-20% | 15-30 Years | For 11 years or life of loan | 580 |
| VA | None | 15-30 Years | None | 640 |
| USDA | None | 15-30 Years | None | 640 |
The most common type of home loan, which is offered through private lenders.
Loans designed for those with high debt-to-income ratios and low credit scores, and most commonly issued to first-time homebuyers. Offered by FHA-approved lenders only and backed by the Federal Housing Administration.
Loans designated for veterans, spouses, and reservists, offered through private lenders and guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
Loans for homebuyers in designated rural areas, backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Not all Lenders are the Same. The type of loans available, interest rates, and fees can vary. Interviewing lenders is an important step in determining what type of home loan is best for you.
We work with trusted local lenders who provide excellent service to our clients.
✉️ harrison@refinemortgage.net
📍 1096 Assembly Dr. Suite 212, Fort Mill, SC 29708
🌐 emortgagecapital.com/officer/david-frum
📍 1566 Union Road Ste B, Gastonia, NC 28054
✉️ nthompson@cfmortgagecorp.com
🌐 cfmortgagecorp.com/nelson-thompson
📍 1325-A East Garrison Blvd, Gastonia, NC 28054
📞 (828) 312-8235 or (828) 229-7877
📍 3808 Park Ave, Suite 100, Wilmington, NC 28403
📍 12450 Maitland Center Pkwy #200, Maitland, FL 32751
To determine loan eligibility, lenders typically require the following types of documents from each applicant:
Determine the features you are looking for in your ideal home and prioritize which items are most important to you. No house is perfect, but this will help us find the best match for you.
☐ Single Family Home ☐ Townhouse ☐ Condo ☐ Other
☐ Move-In Ready ☐ Some Work Needed is OK ☐ Fixer Upper
___ Bedrooms ___ Bathrooms ___ Car Garage
Ideal Square Footage: ___________
Yard Size: ☐ Small ☐ Large
Desired Location/Neighborhood/School District: ________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
Tips for Finding Your Ideal Home
Drive around neighborhoods that interest you to get a feel of the area, how the homes are cared for, what traffic is like, etc.
Talk to family, friends and co-workers to see if anyone might know of a house for sale in an area you're interested in. One of them may even know of someone that's thinking about selling but hasn't put the house on the market yet.
Finding your dream home isn't always an easy task! Have a priorities list but keep an open mind when viewing houses.
When you visit multiple houses it gets difficult to remember specific details about each one. Take notes while touring houses so that you can reference them later when comparing the properties that you've seen.
When you find a home you want to buy, keep in mind there will be others interested in it as well. Be ready to make a solid offer quickly in order to have the best chance at getting that home.
Browse our current listings and find your dream home
🏠 View Available HomesWhen we have found a home that you're interested in buying, we will quickly and strategically place an offer.
We will decide on a reasonable offer price based on:
Paying in cash versus taking out a loan offers a faster closing timeline and less chances of issues arising, making it more appealing to sellers. But, most homes are purchased with a loan.
An offer that includes a larger earnest money deposit presents a more serious and competitive offer.
An offer that includes a strong due diligence deposit can give you an advantage over other offers by making yours stand out from the rest. But remember... if you back out, you lose that money.
An offer with a shorter timeframe for closing is generally more attractive to sellers over one with an extended time period with a house sale contingency. A typical closing timeframe is 30-45 days.
Once the seller has accepted your offer, and signed your offer to purchase contract, you're officially under contract.
Your earnest money deposit will be put into an escrow account that is managed by a neutral third party (typically a closing Attorney) who holds the money for the duration of the escrow period. They will manage all the funds and documents required for closing, and your deposit will go towards your down payment which is paid at closing. Due diligence deposit goes directly to the seller and if you continue with the sale, the funds will also be applied toward your down payment.
Home inspections are optional but highly recommended to make sure that the home is in the condition for which it appears. Inspections are typically completed within 3-10 days after signing the sales agreement and cost about $600 depending on the size and age of the home.
The home inspection will tell you if there are any dangerous or costly defects in the home that need to be addressed. You can then choose to either back out of the deal completely, ask for the seller to make repairs, or negotiate a lower price and handle the repairs yourself.
Once you've come to an agreement on the final offer, it's time to finalize your loan application and lock in your interest rate if you haven't done so already. You may need to provide additional documentation to your lender upon request.
An appraisal will be required by your lender to confirm that the home is indeed worth the loan amount. The appraisal takes into account factors such as similar property values, the home's age, location, size and condition to determine the current value of the property. Appraisal should be completed during your due diligence period. Your lender might ask you to pay this fee up front.
Extremely important... Do NOT do any of the following until after the home buying process is complete and you closed on your home:
Important: Any of these types of changes could jeopardize your loan approval. It's standard procedure for lenders to also do a final credit check before closing.
You're Almost There!
Most lenders require both homeowner's insurance and title insurance. Homeowners insurance protects your home and possessions against damage. Policies vary so it's recommended to get quotes from multiple companies to compare price, coverage and limits. While title insurance protects the lender and/or homeowner from financial loss against claims regarding the legal ownership of a home.
At least 3 days before closing, lenders are required to provide you with a Closing Disclosure with your final loan terms and closing costs for you to review. Closing costs for the buyer typically range from 2-5% of the purchase price, which can include lender fees, lender's title insurance, and HOA dues if applicable. There will be other fees from the closing Attorney and those fees will be provided before closing.
Within 24 hours of closing we will do a final walk through of the home before signing the final paperwork. This last step is to verify that no damage has been done to the property since the inspection; that any agreed upon repairs have been completed; and that nothing from the purchase agreement has been removed from the home.
Closing is the final step of the buying process and is done at the closing Attorney's office.
On the day of closing you'll be going over and signing the final paperwork. Most Attorneys will previously arranged a wire transfer to pay the remaining down payment and closing costs. The closing Attorney pays off any loans on the property and records the deed in the county's court house.
Here's what our clients are saying
"We moved across country and Cindy & Arnold made it easy. They were in constant communication. They made several trips to the property during the build and took videos and pictures to keep us up to date and informed. You cannot go wrong with them."
- John and Terri ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Arnold and Cindy Sinko are the best! They're very experienced in real estate. They took time to answer all my questions and to explain the house buying process in detail. Mr. Sinko even offered to make a few repairs after the closing. I'd recommend these agents to anyone!"
- Michael ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I had an amazing experience working with Nikia! She listened, informed, adjusted, made herself available, was accountable, pleasant, and knowledgeable. I couldn't have asked for a better first time experience. She walked me through the process, answered all my questions, and ensured that I was getting the best deal possible."
- Patric Irvine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Let's work together to find your dream home in Gastonia, NC
©
Sinko Realty
