Welcome to your Buyer Portal
This is your home base for your purchase. Documents, saved homes, offers and deadlines live here from today through move-in day. Bookmark this page, and start with your Criteria Guide and pre-approval.
Phase 1: Get Ready
Your Buyer Roadmap
Your path to the keys. This one-page roadmap walks through all eight steps of buying your home, from hiring your team and getting pre-approved to closing and move-in day. Each step shows what you’ll do and what we’ll handle. Most purchases close 30–45 days after an accepted offer.
Meet Your Team
Your sale is led by Chris Ristau and backed by the full E3 team. You'll always know who to call, and you'll never be handed off to someone who doesn't know your home.
Chris Ristau (Team Lead)
Ryan Evanson (Co-Leader)
Ally Gibbs (Contracts & Disclosures)
Rob Menconi (Project Management)
Your Buyer Agreement
This puts our working relationship in writing: the term, the scope, our services and how we’re paid. Compensation isn’t set by law and is fully negotiable. We’ll go through every section together, and the agreement must be signed before we tour homes.
Pre-Approval Checklist
Pre-approval sets your budget and shows sellers you’re ready to buy. Use the Pre-Approval Checklist to gather your income, asset, debt and ID documents. Then connect with E3 Home Loans or your own lender.
Your Budget & Monthly Cost
Look past the price tag. Your real payment includes principal and interest, property tax, insurance, HOA dues, Mello-Roos and any mortgage insurance. Plan for closing costs and moving costs too.
Protect Your Approval
Lenders often re-check your credit and employment right before closing. Until you have the keys, avoid new credit, big purchases, job changes and undocumented deposits. Tell your loan officer right away if anything changes.
Phase 2: Search
Your Home Criteria
Tell us what you need, what you’d love and what you can live without. Your answers shape your search and listing alerts from day one. Complete the guide before our consultation; it takes about 15 minutes. Your criteria will sharpen as you tour, and we’ll update your search as you go.
How Your Listing Alerts Work
We set up a search built on your criteria, so matching homes reach you the moment they hit the market. You’ll also see price changes, homes back on the market, open houses, and Coming Soon and off-market opportunities when available. Save your favorites, ask questions or request a tour in a tap. Good homes can go fast, so reach out the day you see one you like.
Compare Neighborhoods
Use our worksheet to score each community after you visit, so the best fit for your life stands out. Set your priorities, score each area and compare totals to pick your finalists. Drive the commute at rush hour, and visit at different times of day.
Researching Schools
School districts don’t always follow city limits, and assignments depend on the exact address. Our guide shows which districts serve which communities, plus a five-step plan to research any school: find the assigned schools, review state data, check programs, visit and talk to current families. We’ll help you fit your research into your offer timeline.
Tour Day Checklist
Make every showing count. Review the listing first, look past the staging and check the big systems while you’re there. Afterward, rate each home while it’s fresh. Take photos and notes, because homes blur together fast. Love one? We’ll pull recent sales and review disclosures before you offer.
Buying New Construction
Builder sales offices represent the builder, not you. Let us know before your first visit or registration, because many builders require your agent to be there on day one. We’ll compare incentives and upgrades, review the builder’s contract, schedule inspections and compare builder financing with E3 Home Loans.
Phase 3: Offer
Pricing a Home
A list price is the seller’s starting point, not the home’s value. Before you offer, we’ll pull recent sold, pending and active homes nearby, then adjust for size, condition, lot, upgrades and location to find a realistic value range. We’ll also flag any risk of your price outpacing the appraisal, then set your price and terms together.
Reviewing Disclosures
Disclosures tell you what the seller and agents know about the home, including its condition, repairs, hazard zones, pest findings, title, and any HOA or solar documents. We’ll review them with you, before you offer when they’re available, and help you estimate what any issues could cost. Signing confirms you received them, not that you approve of everything, and your inspection rights still apply.
Your Offer
We’ll build an offer that fits your goals and the market. That covers price, deposit, contingencies, close date, financing and any requests like credits, repairs or compensation. We present it and negotiate on your behalf. In multiple offers, we’ll talk through best-and-final, counters and escalation clauses, and help you set your walk-away price before you start. Keep your phone close, because responses can come fast.
Phase 4: Escrow
Congratulations, You’re in Contract!
Your offer was accepted and escrow is open. The first week moves fast: wire your deposit (after verifying instructions by phone), book inspections, review disclosures and start insurance quotes. We’ll send the contract to escrow and your lender, schedule inspections, and track every deadline from here to closing. Your contingency periods start the day your offer is accepted.
Your Escrow Timeline
Most purchases close in 30 to 45 days, and much of the work happens at the same time. Inspections, appraisal and loan approval run side by side in the first three weeks, followed by insurance, your final walk-through and closing. Your contract sets your exact dates, and cash, VA, FHA or negotiated terms can change the schedule.
Important Dates
These are the common deadlines in a California purchase agreement, counted from acceptance: deposit, inspections, appraisal, loan approval, final walk-through and close of escrow. Your contract may set different dates, and we’ll list every one here and remind you before each. Once you remove a contingency in writing, you’ve accepted that part of the purchase, so we’ll review each one with you first.
Your Deposit & Wire Safety
Your deposit goes to escrow, not the seller, and is credited toward your purchase at closing. Wire fraud targets home buyers. We and escrow will never email you new or changed wiring instructions. Before every wire, call escrow at a number you already know, never one from an email, and call again afterward to confirm your funds arrived.
Inspections & Repair Requests
Inspections show you the home’s true condition while you’re still protected by your contingency. We’ll schedule them right after acceptance and go through the reports with you. Then you can ask for repairs, a credit or a price change, or decide not to move forward. Specialists such as roof, sewer lateral, HVAC or foundation are added when needed.
Appraisal & Loan Approval
Your lender orders an appraisal to confirm the home’s value, then underwriting reviews everything before issuing your clear to close. If the appraisal comes in low, you can renegotiate, cover the gap, split the difference, or cancel within your appraisal contingency. Reply to your lender quickly and keep your finances steady until closing.
Insurance vs. Home Warranty
Homeowner’s insurance covers damage and loss, and your lender requires it before closing. A home warranty is optional and covers repairs to systems and appliances from normal wear; it’s often negotiated for the seller to pay the first year. Start insurance quotes the week you’re in contract, because coverage in higher-risk fire areas can take longer to secure.
Solar, HOA & Mello-Roos
Some homes come with ongoing agreements and costs. For solar, we’ll confirm whether it’s owned, financed or leased, plus the terms and the transfer process. For HOAs, we’ll review dues, rules, reserves and any assessments. For Mello-Roos, we’ll confirm the annual amount and when it ends. All of it goes into your monthly payment, and we’ll review it before your contingencies end.
Phase 4: Keys
Your Final Walk-Through
This is your chance to confirm the home is in the condition you agreed to, usually within the last 5 days before closing. Plan on 30 to 60 minutes. Check that agreed repairs are done with receipts, that systems and appliances work, that there’s no new damage, and that included items are still there. If you find something, tell us right away so we can resolve it before you sign or close.
Closing Day
You go from home buyer to homeowner. You’ll review your Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days ahead, then sign with a notary, usually a few days before closing. Wire your funds only after verifying the instructions by phone. Once your loan funds and the deed records with the county, the keys are yours. We’ll call you with the news.
Your 30-Day Moving Checklist
A week-by-week plan for your move, from booking movers to your first night in your new home. Schedule utilities to start on your closing date, update your address everywhere it matters, and pack a first-night box. If you’re moving on closing day, leave a buffer in case recording runs late. Need movers? Ask us for trusted local referrals.
We’re Still Here For You
Closing day isn’t goodbye. In your first few months, file the Homeowners’ Exemption with the county assessor and watch for a supplemental property tax bill, which is often not paid through your impound account. Property taxes are due in two installments, by December 10 and April 10. We’ll send an annual home value update, refer trusted vendors, and help with refinancing or whatever comes next.
Share Your Experience
If we earned it, a review means the world to us and helps other families find us. A few honest sentences on Google, Zillow or Yelp are all it takes. Know someone thinking about buying or selling? Send them our way, and we’ll take great care of them.
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Zillow Link: https://www.zillow.com/profile/chrisristauRE
