Buyer Guide
Here's a quick overview of the home buying process!
Click here to Download the buyer guide and roadmap timeline
1 - Your Road Map
- Determine why you are going to move
- Establish your timeline for purchasing your new home
- Decide on some areas that are appealing to you to live
- Make a list of your "Must Haves" in your new home
- Write down any concerns you might have about the process or buying your new home
- Use the search tools on this website to save a list of homes that have the features you are looking for
2 - Get Your Financing
- Find a lender and meet with them either in person or over the phone
- Your lender will require two years of income documentation as well as your two most recent paystubs
- With your lender, decide on the best type of loan program for you (VA, FHA, Conventional, USDA or anything else they may have available to meet your needs)
- Get your Pre Approval letter so you are ready to go shopping
3 - Tour Properties with Us - Showing Time
- Most people average between 1-4 weeks before they find the home they want to purchase. Don't worry if it takes longer, you'll know when the right home finds you
- Drive through your favorite areas and get to know the neighborhoods.
- Save your favorite homes on our website. This will create a list that will help us do deeper research to find homes you may have missed that meet your wants
- Call or text us at 520-444-0344 when you see something that gets you excited and you want to see
4 - Offer Time
- When it's time to make an offer be sure you have your Pre Approval available
- Allow up to 24 hours for the seller to either accept or counter your offer
- Write a personal letter to the seller to send with all offers. Many times this can get your offer accepted over a higher competing offer
- Your lender will call the Listing Agent and confirm to them that you're a strong buyer
5 - Inspection Time
- Averages about 10 days for the inspection period
- Costs are averaging between $400-$750 depending on the different inpections you want (pool, etc.)
- Once you have the inspection back, it's time to review it to decide on any repairs you may want to have the seller complete prior to continuance
- This is your opportunity to back out and get a refund of your Earnest Money Deposit
6 - Appraisal
- Your lender will require a property appraisal to validate the purchase price
- Averages are currently 1-3 weeks before closing
- Lender hires the appraisal through an appraisal management network and at no time has the ability to communicate with your appraisal
- During this time your lender is underwriting your loan application and will ask for additional information before final approval
7 - CLOSING!!!!!
- You'll bring a cashiers check as well as a photo ID to closing
- Allow for around an hour with the closing agent
- Once the loan funds and the deed records your Agent will let you know right away and it's time to get your keys and pop the champagn!
Testimonials
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Worked with me all the way with all my anxiety stuff and was always punctual. Loved the endgame.
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- Chris Boyd
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Purchasing a home sight unseen is a bit risky. However, we were very confident working with Paul and Darcy and after seeing our new home we are extremely happy. The whole process couldn't have been better! Phil and Kathy Stancliff
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- Phillip Stancliff
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We started working with Darci and Paul Dunn back in April. Both of them have been amazing through this whole process. They worked diligently for the whole three months it took us to get a offer accepted on a house here in Tucson. I have to say, we have a bought a couple houses before but they have been the best agents we have worked with and definitely will be calling them to sell our home here now when it’s time for me to transfer for my job. Thank you so much Darci and Paul. You two are the best in the west!
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- Christina Trikoris
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eXp Realty streamlines the home buying experience. Darci and Paul are excellent realtors who are hard working and willing to go the extra mile to show houses at any time on short notice. They took extra care and walked us through the home buying process. Great communication and very personable people work with. 10/10 would recommend!
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- Dylan Rudalavavge
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Darci helped me find the perfect house for me, she was so patient and understanding. I loved having her as my realtor :)
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- Angelica Felix
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Darci Dunn eXp Realty Tucson hands down is one of the best in the business! Dedicated and sharp, she doesn't miss a thing. She is a pleasure to work with along with her husband they are hard working professional team that go the extra mile for you to make things happen! Darci is pleasant, personable, an awesome listener, understands your needs and will be dedicated to finding you your dream home!!! We had just a wonderful experience with Darci Dunn eXp Realty, we highly recommend you contact them for your realty needs!
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- Scott and Patty
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Darci helped us purchase our Tucson area home. We worked with Darci from states away on what turned out to be a pretty irregular purchase. Darci was highly responsive to every need, issue and question we had. Her communication and document efficiency are an added plus to what is a very detailed and involved process.
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- Dean Hawker
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I worked with Darci and Paul for over a year. They helped me decide what type of home I would love. They were so patient and flexible when I needed time to take a break, when I felt I needed to change my strategy, and when I wanted to change the type of homes to look at. They were there for the up's and down's of the homebuying process; they care so much!
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- Edwin Runner
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Darci has worked with us for over a year as we slowly transitioned from Chicago to Tucson. She not only showed us numerous homes in various parts of the city as we were in the exploratory stage (do we want to move to Tucson?) to helping us find a rental before we could decide where exactly we wanted to locate permanently. As is probably typical, when it came down to making a final decision on a home to buy, we were picky. This would be our last home so we wanted it to be a gem. Again, she tirelessly took us from one home to another, pointing out the good points and possible deal breakers.
Then when we found THE house, she let us take advantage of her time by being present in our soon to be ours home while we had designers come in, general contractors advising us on remodeling, etc.
She is knowledgeable of Tucson's specific areas and what they offer. We never felt any pressure to buy higher than we felt we could afford. In addition, she always had a smile on her face and a warm welcome.
I would have no qualms about referring someone to Darci.
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- Meridee Welsh
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Darci and Jake worked very hard to find us a home. They were very accommodating while I was in Tucson to look at houses. When I returned to Minnesota, they continued to look, and even did FaceTime so I could see the house in real time. Darci was able to very quickly get a feel for what I wanted, so we didn’t waste time looking at houses that were not a match. She and Jake found us a fantastic home!!
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- Jan Taplin
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Literally the best realtor I've ever worked with. You will not find a better agent anywhere. I've worked with many different realtors in my time, and Darci is one of a kind! Quite exceptional on all cylinders.
Extremely responsive, thoughtful of your needs, has your back on pricing and contractual obligations, has the best connections for plumbing, electric, handyman, etc..
She helped us find the home of our dreams at the exact price point we wanted.
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- Kyle M
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We used Darci to sell out home in Skyranch. She and her husband Paul were also our neighbors and friends. In addition to selling our house in one day during a pandemic, they helped us pack and unpack our stuff! Packed us to move and helped us unpack in Tempe!! Who does that? We are super thankful for all the help and support. And of course the selling process was smooth and easy. She took care of every detail!!
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- Jill Keto
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Buying my first home with Darci and Paul was Such a wonderful experience. Their kind, caring and honest approach made my cross Country move, a quick and smooth transition. Darci and Paul are very communicative, and responsive to my many questions and concerns, which made my first time home buying experience fun, exciting and stress free. It is also comforting to know that I can reach out to them anytime, even after closing. Thank you so much for this magical experience. I love my new home!!
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- nana byun
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Darci helped us find out dream home! She was helpful, patient and willing to listen to our needs. Darci followed up with everything after the offer, tracked the inspections and followed up with our lender. She was on top of it all! We recommend Darci and Jake for all real estate transactions!! Great work!
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- Olivia Webb
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I cannot begin to describe the fantastic experience I had with Darci. I owned a house in Tucson and did a quick flip from California. Darci helped me every single step of the way, with absolutely no hiccups. She went above and beyond because I couldn't be present during any construction or inspections. Her communication was professional and punctual for a fast close and a easy purchase. I highly recommend Darci as a realtor She deserves an award for her outstanding service 👏 Thank you again Darci.
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- Jessica Berlanga
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I can’t say enough about how amazing our experience was with Darci and Paul Dunn at eXp Realty! We house shopped online, initially, and the listings Darci sent to us were perfect matches for us. Our in person home tours were great and we appreciated their eagle eye and valuable insights on possible repairs/updates on the older properties. Ultimately, we found the perfect home and just moved in!! Thank you so much Darci and Paul!
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- Cristi Burgess
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One of my goals in finding a realtor was to have someone that I believed would help me get an accepted offer the first time in this crazy market of bidding wars, declined inspections and appraisals, etc. In the first 5 minutes of talking to Darci Dunn I knew she would be able to do this for me. Five days after moving to Tucson I found the house of my dreams at the very first property we visited (we did visit others and this is the 5th house I've owned), I submitted and offer and it was accepted. The purchase process went very smoothly, all things considered.
There are so many decisions to be made after an offer is accepted, and Darci was exceptional with each one of them. Having just moved to the area I wasn't aware which inspectors/companies to trust, Darci was able to provide me multiple options for each, giving pros/cons and her experiences. I found every one of them that I worked with to be high quality and would use again. The inspections revealed some challenges and her advice and actions saved me thousands.
I would consider Darci Dunn top tier in her field and can highly recommend!
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- S.H.
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We could not have asked for a better experience. Darci and Paul made the process go so smoothly, were available whenever we needed them, and helped us find the perfect home. We highly recommend them!
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- Stephanie Parkinson
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They were are true blessing to our family! We had a terrible experience with a different realtor and they came in and saved the day. Buying a new home in a different state can be overwhelming and exhausting, but with their professional expertise and guidance we did not experience that at all. They did multiple videochats to allow us to buy the perfect home for our family. For every process and procedure they were present and helpful. They were responsive and available for every question and worry. They genuinely wanted to make sure our needs were met.You can tell they truly love helping people find their special home. If you are looking for a home and you do not have Darci and Paul Dunn at eXp Realty as your realtor, you are doing yourself a disservice.
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- Veneshia McKinney
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When we needed an agency to sell a co-op, saw Darci on five star. She immediately got on the job and demonstrated every step of the way why her rating in the business is five star!
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- Alvin Thomas III
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I really lucked out finding Darci as my realtor for my first home purchase. She guided me through the process and looked for homes she knew had my wants and needs. She is very accommodating and her follow through is amazing! Darci was there for me through every aspect of the experience to which I am grateful and will never forget. Thank you Darci!!
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- Lisa Patton
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We have purchased 2 homes with Darci and she is fantastic! We conducted most of our home search remotely as we don’t live in Tucson full-time and we had an extremely positive experience with her. Darci and her husband Paul gave us countless facetime tours and even created youtube videos for multiple homes so that we could get a good feel for the houses before we put in any offers. Darci also connected us with several great lenders and inspection companies when the time came. Throughout the entire process Darci was incredibly responsive and willing to help with anything we asked. Darci followed up on everything throughout the closing process and was completely on top of all the moving parts. Once we closed on our houses, Darci also provided excellent recommendations for maintenance and renovation resources. We would gladly recommend Darci to anyone looking in the Tucson area, she was great to work with.
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- Elizabeth Wheeler
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We just bought our first house and darci was so very helpful. We were not that knowledgeable about purchasing a home and darci gave us all the information we needed she did not try to talk us into any particular house but pointed out what needed to be done and how to effectively use the rooms in the houses. I would recommend Darci to anyone looking for a home. To me it was like shopping with a friend!
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- Kristyl Gilson
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Darci sold our home and helped us find a new one in record time! She is the most helpful, knowledgeable, and kind real estate agent I have ever worked with. She was ALWAYS responsive to my millions of questions. She kept her eye out for what we were looking for and we got it! Thank you Darci and Paul for making this transition so smooth for us! Best real estate team in town!
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- Paul Olenick
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When I was looking to purchase my first home, my friend suggested Darci and Paul as realtors, and I couldn't have asked for a more knowledgable and personable duo. They knew exactly what to look for and ask about every time we toured a house, and Darci made the entire home buying process actually pretty painless. I'm sure Darci knows half of Tucson because if she doesn't know the answer to something, she certainly knows exactly who to ask. You can really tell how invested Darci and Paul are in their clients happiness and finding the right home for them. I don't foresee needing to use a realtor anytime soon, but if I do, Darci is my go-to.
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- Tim Schoenrock
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Darci Dunn is the hardest working realtor in the greater Tucson area. Darci staged my home to showcase it's best features. She went the extra mile to assist with anything that needed to be addressed. I would highly recommend Darci Dunn and her team.
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- Jane Dunn
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My husband and I worked with Darci for about a year. She was the listing agent for my husband's rental home and we ended up with a full price offer within minutes of listing it! Darci was so patient with us and spent many weekends looking at houses with us until we found the right one. We had issues with our lender and Darci was able to get us into contact with a loan officer that was able to get our loan processed in about two weeks, it was taking our previous loan officer a year and he still was coming back asking for the same thing over and over again. Darci helped us so much with the whole process and really helped us keep our wits about us during the homebuying and selling process.
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- Brianne Karner
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Five stars isn't enough to show how valuable Darci is as a realtor. Darci was very professional and had great intuition about what my husband and I were looking for. When we first saw our dream home, I thought it was a long-shot that we would actually get it and without Darci, I am not sure we would have. She did extensive research and spent a tremendous amount of time to make it possible for us to get our home and always with a positive attitude! I can't recommend her (and Paul) enough and hope to work with her again in the future.
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- Jill Heater
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It was such a Blessing to have found Darci and Paul to represent my voice in the sale of my home. Darci was quick to respond to my questions, thorough in explaining the process, and they offered such sound advice. Her confidence and positivity made the whole process of selling an easier and more joyous experience!
I highly recommend Darci and Paul, and would use them again in a heartbeat should the opportunity to arise! Thank you so much Darci & Paul for providing such a supportive experience. I feel I have gained friends for life! ~Vicki
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- Vicki Lynn
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We found Darci based on her super inspiring Instagram account (hey @selltucson ) and what a great DM that was! Darci and her husband Paul were professional, communicative, honest, and super helpful, they filled in as parental guidance for ours who were across the country. Darci was on her game finding us houses as they popped up on the market and was extremely patient (which was contagious in this crazy market). We found our dream home right downtown from our favorite bars and coffee shops with plenty of recommendations for resources to help us fix it up!
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- Hannah Gisness
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We had a great experience with Darci. We were first time home buyers and having her knowledge, experience, and patience! to help guide us through the process was invaluable. She did a great job listening to what we wanted and finding homes that really matched what we described. Another plus for us was that we never felt pushed or rushed, it was about finding a home that was right for us. We are now happy home owners. Thanks Darci!
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- Matthew Becker
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She is smart quick personable and really pays attention to you and what you want. She found me a palace. A forever home everything on my wish list was met and at the price I wanted. My experience with her was above and beyond my expectations could ever be. What a professional!! I was so pleased I bought her a gift at the end of the process! What a woman...
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- Michel Platz
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Darci is amazing! She took the time necessary to find us the house that was exactly right for us!
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- Suzanne Droubie
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