Buying a home
How I help you buy a home
How James Brinkman helps you buy in Northwest Austin: a consultation first, a lender you trust, a light one-day agreement to start, and a calm path to closing.
The short version
A lot of home searches start with a showing. Someone sees a listing, calls the number on the sign, and a week later they're touring houses before anyone has asked what they actually need or what they can comfortably afford.
I start a step earlier. Before we look at a single home, we talk, you get the information you need to make good decisions, and we line up the pieces that let you move when the right house shows up. I organize that work in four steps: Ready, Educated, Aligned and Locked.
You'll see fewer houses this way, and better ones. When the right one comes along, you'll know it, and you'll be in a position to write an offer that holds up.
I've lived in Northwest Austin since 1976 and have helped people buy and sell here since 1995. Many of my buyers are relocating for work and need the right part of Austin fast. Others have been here for years and are making their next move. The plan below works for both.
Set up a buyer consultation
Ready: the conversation before the first showing
A consultation, your way
We start with a buyer consultation. It can be a phone call, a video call or a sit-down, whatever works for you. This is where I ask the questions that get past the wish list: why you're moving, what a good day in the new house looks like, what you'd trade for a shorter commute or a bigger yard. It's also your chance to ask me anything.
Afterward I'll send you my buyer guides and my buyer video series, so you can learn the process at your own pace.
Talk with a lender early
I encourage every buyer to talk with a lender at the start. If you don't have one in mind, I can introduce you to a handful of local lenders I trust completely.
I don't have a hard rule that you need a pre-approval letter before we look, but I generally wait for one, and here's why. Knowing what you can afford tells us what to see. The worst thing that can happen early is falling in love with a home you can't qualify for, because every house after it gets compared to that one.
A light agreement to start
Texas requires a written buyer representation agreement before an agent works with you, and it has to state how the agent is paid. That pay is not set by law and is negotiable.
I keep mine light. For the first day we go out, I usually use a one-day agreement. If we're not a good match, you're not tied into anything longer. If we are, we sign an updated agreement that covers the rest of your search.
Educated: what to know before you fall for a house
The buyers who end up happiest are the ones who understood the ground before they started making decisions. So I teach first.
That means a straight look at what your budget buys in the parts of Austin you're considering, before a listing photo does the talking. It means knowing which neighborhoods feed which schools, because in Northwest Austin that can change from one street to the next, and sometimes from one house to the next. And it means understanding the Texas contract before you're asked to sign one.
The two deposits
Most Texas buyers write two checks in the first few days of a contract, and most can't say why there are two.
- The option fee buys you an unrestricted right to end the contract for any reason during a set number of days, the option period. You and the seller negotiate both the fee and the number of days. It has to be delivered within three days of the contract's effective date.
- The earnest money is held at the title company. It shows the seller you're serious, and it's what you put at risk if you back out of the contract the wrong way.
If the sale closes, both are credited back to you. I walk every buyer through these before we write an offer, so nothing about the first week of a contract is a surprise.
Aligned: a search built around what you actually need
A good search isn't everything on the market in your price range. It's the short list of homes that fit the life you described in our first conversation.
Sometimes that means a neighborhood you've never heard of. One couple relocating from the Seattle area wanted land, strong schools and room near other employers. They found it in a pocket off Spicewood Springs Road, behind Laurel Mountain Elementary, where 1970s homes sit on lots of around half an acre. Most search filters miss it.
Sometimes it means ignoring the usual advice. Another buyer, starting a job at Firefly, didn't need schools at all. The commute was what mattered, so we found a home about eight minutes from work.
Sometimes the right house isn't listed yet. In Deanna Berger's words: "James really listened to what we were looking for in a home and what locations appealed to us, and ultimately he found an off-market home that was the perfect fit and the one we closed on."
When we tour, I'll point out what the photos don't show: the busy road behind the fence, the lot that slopes toward the house, the update that will need redoing, and the things that make a home better than it looks online.
Locked: from offer to keys
The offer
When you're ready to write, we look at the terms as well as the price. The strongest offer isn't always the highest number. It's the one the seller can trust to close. I'll tell you what I'd do if it were my offer, and you decide.
The option period
Once you're under contract, the option period is when the inspections happen and when you decide whether to move forward, ask for repairs, or walk away. It's also the time to line up homeowners insurance. In Central Texas, hail, wind and wildfire all affect what a policy costs, and that is a number you want before your lender needs it, not the week of closing.
Title and survey
The title commitment comes from the title company and has its own review period, negotiated in the Texas contract and separate from the option period. The survey is due within a set number of days, often in the first couple of days of the contract if one isn't already available, and it's reviewed by the title company and your lender. I keep track of those dates so none of them slip.
Closing
Closing happens at the title company. Between the contract and that day, I stay on top of your lender, the title company and the other agent, so the ending is the least eventful part of the whole process.
This describes how I generally work with buyers. It isn't legal, tax or lending advice, and every purchase is different.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a pre-approval letter before we look at homes?
It isn't a hard rule, but I generally wait for one. Knowing what you can afford tells us what to see, and it keeps you from falling for a home you can't qualify for.
Do I have to sign an agreement before we go out?
Yes. Texas requires a written buyer representation agreement, and it states how the agent is paid, which is negotiable. I usually start with a one-day agreement for our first day of looking, so you're not tied into anything longer unless we're a good fit.
What's the difference between the option fee and the earnest money?
The option fee buys you the right to end the contract for any reason during the option period. The earnest money is held at the title company and is what you put at risk if you back out the wrong way. Both are credited back to you at closing.
Can we do the first consultation by video?
Yes. Phone, video or in person, whichever works for you.
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