Purchasing A Home

Your Guide to Purchasing a Home 

with 

Masha Halpern - Boutique Real Estate 

KW United - Chapel Hill 

Serving the Chapel Hill & Durham, North Carolina 

& Surrounding Areas 

Masha@MashaHalpern.com | 919-414-0337 | www.MashaHalpern.com

The Boutique Real Estate Team 

GET THE CONCIERGE EXPERIENCE! 

Masha Halpern has represented Chapel Hill and Durham area home buyers and sellers in North Carolina since 

1992. Masha is a recognized multi-million dollar top producer and believes that her commitment to education 

(attending seminars & conferences to stay ahead of the trends) allows her to provide her clients with 

extraordinary service. Her multiple designations of Broker, Graduate Realtor Institute, Certified Negotiation 

Expert and as a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Consultant through the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing 

means that she is dedicated to helping her clients, no matter what their real estate needs are. 

Serving as Client Care Manager for Masha, April Harrison assists with various aspects of the selling and buying 

process. She is a point of contact for current clients and keeps all transactions on track with regards to 

deadlines and paperwork. In addition, April creates marketing materials for Masha’s listings and makes sure 

each property has a strong online presence. 

Concierge Service 

Designed to prioritize her client's needs, we continually add new techniques, software, technologies and have 

processes in place to help us succeed at a very high level. We make your experience with us a smooth and 

enjoyable transaction. Our team provides assistance customized down to the smallest detail helping clients and 

their families- both locally and internationally- make the business of purchasing and selling real estate a 

seamless, exemplary process. At Masha Halpern Boutique Real Estate we are committed to providing our 

buyers and sellers with outstanding service. Choose our team for all of your real estate needs. We will take care 

of you with the utmost care and responsibility. We don’t just sell houses, we help families build and maintain 

solid roots in their communities. 

MASHA HALPERN 

BROKER, GRI, CLHMS 

APRIL HARRISON 

CLIENT CARE & MARKETING MANAGER 


Your Home Search 

Buying a home in Durham, Chapel Hill or the surrounding areas is a great choice! 

Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina is not just a place to live; it’s a way of life! 

It’s also a serious venture. Your house is not just your home.Sure, there is the 

investment in the property itself,but it’s also an investment in the area and the 

future. 

Finding and securing a home can be a complicated and 

stressful process with a long list of items to take care 

of;but it doesn’t have to be. Taking care of details is our 

speciality.When you hire Masha Halpern and Boutique 

Real Estate you have a team of professionals to rely on; 

someone who has your fiduciary interests at the 

foundation of everything she does. You have someone 

to be your advocate, plan a strategy with,and a 

negotiation expert to help secure your new home at the 

best possible price. 

Our promise to you is to make your home buying 

process smooth and worry free. We know the 

lenders,inspectors, attorneys, and we know the area. 

When you tour homes with Masha Halpern at Boutique 

Real Estate Group you won’t just see a home, you will 

see what brings the neighborhood to life; where to 

shop,get the best sandwich, snag the best local ice 

cream cone, and enjoy a stroll through the farmer’s 

market. Local culture is just around the corner with 

summer symphonies in the park, amazing places to eat, 

local galleries featuring an assortment of eclectic art to 

suit everyone’s taste, and lively downtown areas. There 

are beautiful nature trails, parks and jaw-dropping 

historic neighborhoods showcasing some of the area’s most significant homes. 


What’s A Buyer’s Agent 

WHAT IS A BUYER'S AGENT & WHY DO I NEED A BUYER’S AGENT? 

“Communicate, Defend, and Guide” 

 

In the past if a buyer worked with a Realtor to find them a home, that agent always 

represented the seller. This is called “Seller- SubAgency”. That meant that the agent had 

fiduciary duties to the seller. Even if you worked closely with the agent, they were obligated to 

negotiate in the interest of the seller. In 1992 North Carolina changed things for buyers and 

since then any buyer can put the Realtor exclusively in their corner. You can have 

representation by Masha as YOUR “ Buyer Agent”. 

 

 

YOU CAN HIRE MASHA TO BE YOUR BUYER’S AGENT 

 

And you would not be the first to do so. In fact, over the past decade 100% of buyers who 

have selected Masha Halpern to be their agent hired her to be their ‘buyer’s agent” and 

negotiate on their behalf - and many saved thousands of dollars, earned instant equity in their 

new home; and so could you! Masha and her team would be pleased to serve you in this 

capacity. 

 

HOW DO WE HIRE MASHA HALPERN & BOUTIQUE REAL ESTATE? 

 

The simple answer is we complete the NC Real Estate Commission’s 

Exclusive Buyer Agency Agreement so that we would become YOUR 

agent and work diligently to locate and secure your next home! A 

Buyer Specialist is paid from the proceeds of the real estate 

transaction so there is no fee extra fee to you for this service. Under 

this Agency Contract Masha’s Fiduciary Duties would match those in 

the chart below under the BUYER AGENT column. 

As Your Buyer’s Specialist Masha Will Always 

COMMUNICATE, DEFEND, & GUIDE 

Her Clients to Make their BEST Decision! 


The Benefits of a Buyer’s Agent 

Services & Duties Provided 

Selling 

Agent 

Buyer’s 

Agent 

Arrange Property Showings X X 

Assist with Financing X X 

Provide Property Data X X 

Explain Forms & Agreements X X 

Monitor Closings X X 

Prepare a Property Value Study X X 

Provide Access to the Entire Market (listed & unlisted) 

Promote & Protect Buyer’s Interest; Advise Buyer 

Negotiate the Best Price & Terms for Buyer 

Point Out Reasons Not to Buy 

Assist in the Offer with Buyers Best Interest in Mind 

Keep Buyer’s Bargaining Position Confidential 

Research Property for Liens & Original Purchase Price 

Provide Anonymity, if Desired 

Put the Buyer’s Interest First During Entire Process 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 


Steps For Buyers 


Financing Your Home 

Financing Your First Home 

The Do’s & Don’t’s for getting approved for a Home Mortgage! 

** PS- It’s a good idea to start on this list before starting your home search! 

DO - 

Continue paying down credit card debt and other bills. 

Get Pre-Qualified to learn how much mortgage you can afford. 

Start saving for your down payment and closing costs if you have not begun this. 

Keep all accounts current,including mortgage,car loans, and credit cards. Contact both your 

lender & Masha anytime a question comes up BEFORE you act on it! 

Make all payments on or before due dates even if your loan is being paid off with your new 

loan. 

Have any lender required funds to your lender’s office within 72 hours after your home 

inspection so that they can order your appraisal and keep the loan process moving on time. 

Return any phone calls or emails from your lender, Masha, closing attorney, or anyone else 

involved in your purchase within 3 hours to avoid delays in closing. 

Call Masha, your lender, your closing attorney if you have a question about something that is 

not on this list. 

DO NOT - 

Do not change or quit your job. If this happens, notify your lender immediately. 

Allow anyone to make an inquiry on your credit report except your lender. 

Change bank accounts or transfer money within your existing account. 

Charge abnormal amounts to your credit cards. 

Open new credit cards. 

Co-sign for anything 

Purchase or attempt to purchase anything else on credit like a new or another vehicle,truck, 

boat, furniture,jewelry, or other real estate. 

Apply for credit anywhere except with your lender. This can REALLY damage your credit score 

and lower your rating. 

Send in late payments or incur late fees or miss payments on ANYTHING. 


Contract to Closing 

I’ve Found My Home- What do I do now?- 

Masha will prepare all documents for you to purchase the house. She will thoroughly research recent 

relevant sales,and begin preparing documents to review with you in person or, if you are out of town, via 

email. Masha will make sure to write in contingencies that will protect you! Your offer will then be 

presented to the seller’s representing Broker where she will introduce you in a story that accompanies 

your offer for the seller to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Masha has found that often times THIS can be 

the thing that seals the deal for you to win the home over other buyers who may be competing for the 

same home. Masha will negotiate to get you the best price and terms. 

 

What Three Things Can Happens Next?- Once presented, the seller will review your offer and consider all 

of the terms- not just the price! They can either accept your offer as submitted, counter some of the 

terms, or reject your offer. Once our final offer is accepted, the sellers sign all of the documents and then 

you have an executed and legally binding Offer to Purchase and Contract!* 

 

Congratulations! Now for the details….Executed contracts will be delivered (usually by email) and then 

your Due Diligence fee* and sometimes your Earnest Money* are delivered to the seller and closing 

attorney. Both checks will be processed and applied to your downpayment. 

 

Investigate & Confirm through Due Diligence- Getting to Know Your New Home!- Due Diligence is the time 

period you have to confirm that you truly want to purchase this home. It is when you do all of your 

inspections repair and update review. It is also when Masha’s Closing Manager will schedule your closing 

with one of the real estate attorneys that Masha refers to you. From there, the attorney will perform all title 

work and order your survey and confirm there are no title defects, unpaid liens or encroachments to the 

property. 

 

At the same time,you and your lender will continue to work together to get your loan confirmed. They will 

confirm credit, order the appraisal, and verify information on all the documents you submitted.Expect that 

during this time there will be several emails and calls back and forth from these professionals as they are 

working towards the same goal under the time constraints set in the Due Diligence deadline of your sale 

contract. Once this is done, your loan will be approved. 

In addition to these items, you will need to set up your new home insurance policy. If you are buying an 

attached property (condominium or townhome), Masha will work with your insurance company and the 

community HOA manager to gather information needed. If you are buying a single family property, Masha 

will assist your provider with providing a quote. If you do not yet have a preferred insurance vendor, 

Masha will be glad to refer you to a few companies that have provided good service to her clients. 


Contract to Closing 

During Due Diligence we may also prepare and send the seller a Repair Agreement document if there are 

some important structural items that you would like for them to consider repairing. Keep in mind, in North 

Carolina, homes are considered to be sold in AS IS condition UNLESS a buyer and seller agree otherwise; 

and your Due Diligence period is when this would happen. Masha will carefully review all of the home 

inspections and explain the negotiating process for repairs. She can obtain work estimates for any items of 

importance and ancillary inspections as followup to the main home inspection. Once repairs or credits are 

agreed to by all parties and terms are noted in the Repair Agreement, the sellers will arrange for the repairs 

to be completed prior to our final walk-through. This usually happens the day before or morning of 

settlement ( commonly called ‘The Closing’). 

 

It’s CLOSING- What do I need to bring?- 

Within a day of settlement we should the final paperwork from the attorney indicating what funds you need 

to bring to closing/settlement. 

Payment should be made to the closing attorney’s firm. Masha’s client care manager will schedule the final 

walk-through at the house for you and Masha to occur the afternoon before or morning of closing. From 

there you will meet Masha at the attorney’s office. Please be sure to bring a photo ID and your bank certified 

check for your down payment. Settlement should only take an hour and the attorney will review all of the 

lender and legal forms you will be signing. Often times the lender will accompany us to closing in case there 

are any last minute questions. After paperwork is signed, the attorney will record the closing transaction. 

Often times this is also done electronically so that within a few hours you will receive your keys to your new 

home and can meet your home movers at your new home! 

** It’s important to note that the transaction must be recorded before it can be considered your home, so be 

prepared to come back to the attorney’s office to get your house keys. 

 

We don’t just leave you hanging- Often times after a closing, there are a lot of things that just ‘pop up’. 

Don’t worry about it… Things happen. If something does, or you just need a referral for a new Vet for your 

family dog or to find a good hair salon… Masha and her team at Boutique Real Estate will still be with you 

to offer our concierge services beyond the closing! We want to help you grow and maintain solid, happy 

connections in your new home and community. So keep in touch and let us know how we can continue to 

provide service Above & Beyond your expectations! 


Why Keller Williams Realty 

Technology 

Leading-edge tech tools and training give me the edge in effectively finding the perfect 

home for you! 

Teamwork 

Keller Williams Realty was designed to reward agents for working together. Based on 

the belief that we are all more successful if we strive toward a common goal rather 

than our individual interests, I'm confident that every Keller Williams professional 

shares the common goal of serving you, my client, in the best way possible. 

Knowledge 

Keller Williams Realty helps me stay ahead of trends in the real estate industry 

through its comprehensive, industry-leading training curriculum and research 

resources. It's what prepares me to provide you with unparalleled service. 

Reliability 

Founded on the principles of trust and honesty, Keller Williams Realty emphasizes the 

importance of having the integrity to do the right thing, always putting your needs first. 

It reinforces my belief that my success is ultimately determined by the legacy I leave 

with each client I serve. 

Track Record 

I'm proud to work for the world's largest real estate franchise by agent count. It's 

proof that when you offer a superior level of service, the word spreads fast. 


Client Endorsements 

"Masha worked very hard to get me the house of my dreams! She persevered when the 

owners of the property were being difficult. She is terrific! 

Sue F. 

Bought with Masha in 2016 

"Working with Masha to buy our condo was a great experience! She explained all the steps. 

Her knowledge of the process and wonderful personality made it easy. Thank you Masha!” 

Ina Persia 


"Masha really stuck with us through a long process of choosing not just the right house, but 

the right path. She recently told me that she wanted me to be able to stay where I am and 

be happy there for a long time. You know your realtor is your friend when she doesn't want 

you to move again!" 


"Masha & Team: Thank you so much for helping us find our perfect house! Your help was 

great while we were in Maryland and so far away. From negotiations to taking our friends on 

house tours, we couldn't thank you more. We will be sure to tell our family and friends about 

the great work you do!” 

Ryan & Karen Gilmore 


Ask us for more references! 


Dedicated To Our Community 

Keller Williams is dedicated to serving the communities in which they live and work, 

and Masha Halpern & The Smart Move Team take this serving spirit to heart. Below 

are a few of the charities, fundraisers and events we have been involved in helping, 

and we hope you will join us in serving these worthy organizations and causes as

Purchasing A Home

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?