How I work
Most of the value comes early
By the time you’re writing an offer, the important decisions are already made. The useful conversation is the one before you tour anything.
That’s where I save buyers the most money: steering them away from the wrong area, the wrong budget or the wrong model home before they’ve fallen for a house. I’m Frank Coxx, a North Carolina broker with HomeSmart.
What to settle before you tour
Your real monthly number
Not the most a lender will approve. The payment you can carry on a bad month and still sleep.
Full pre-approval
Underwritten, not just a phone conversation. In a competitive spot, a seller takes that offer more seriously.
Your VA eligibility
If you’re using a VA loan, get your Certificate of Eligibility early. It’s the step people skip, and it stalls everything later.
Where, not just what
Commute, schools, the drive you’ll make every day. We narrow the areas first so you aren’t touring houses in places you’d never live.
New build or resale
If new construction is on the list, call me before you walk into any model home. Most builders won’t add your agent after your first visit.
Your timeline
Lease end dates, orders, school years. Working back from the date you need to be in decides how hard we push and when.
What the first call looks like
You tell me where you are. Just curious, already pre-approved, or one model home in and wondering what you got into.
I ask about your timeline, your monthly comfort zone and the areas you’re considering. Then I tell you what I’d do in your position, including when the answer is to wait.
Before we tour homes together, you sign a written buyer agreement. It spells out what I do for you and how I’m paid, in plain language. No surprises later.
One conversation now is worth more than ten showings later.