Buying with Riley Real Estate
Buying a home doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We guide you from the initial conversation through closing—and beyond—so you always know what comes next.
Buying a Home Step-by-Step
1. Define Your Goals
We start by understanding what you’re looking for, where you want to live, your timeline, budget, and priorities.
2. Get Pre-Approved
Before seriously shopping, we establish your purchasing power and financing strategy. As both real estate and mortgage professionals, we can help you evaluate loan options alongside your home search.
3. Start Your Home Search
We search the MLS, private networks, upcoming listings, and off-market opportunities to identify homes that fit your criteria.
4. Tour & Evaluate Properties
We look beyond finishes and staging to help you evaluate location, condition, layout, potential improvements, resale considerations, and overall value.
5. Make an Offer
Once you find the right property, we analyze comparable sales and market conditions to develop an offer strategy designed to protect your interests while remaining competitive.
6. Inspections & Due Diligence
Once under contract, we coordinate inspections and review disclosures, reports, title information, and other available property records so you can make an informed decision.
7. Appraisal & Financing
If you’re financing the purchase, your lender completes underwriting and typically orders an appraisal. We stay involved throughout the process to help keep financing and escrow on schedule.
8. Final Walkthrough & Closing
Before closing, we complete a final walkthrough to confirm the property's condition. Once the loan funds and the deed records, you receive the keys to your new home.
Neighborhoods
Los Angeles is a collection of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own architecture, lifestyle, schools, amenities, and housing market. Explore Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Beachwood Canyon, the Hollywood Hills, and surrounding communities to find the neighborhood that best fits how you want to live.
Costs of Buying
The purchase price is only part of the cost of buying a home. We help buyers understand down payments, closing costs, property taxes, insurance, inspections, financing expenses, and other costs so you can evaluate a property based on the complete financial picture.
Off-Market Opportunities
Not every home for sale appears on the MLS. Through our agent relationships, local network, direct owner outreach, and private-market connections, we help buyers uncover off-market and pre-market opportunities that may never reach the broader public.
Real Estate Investing
Los Angeles real estate can offer opportunities beyond a primary residence. We help buyers evaluate duplexes, triplexes, small multifamily properties, ADU potential, rental income, financing options, and long-term value to identify investments that align with their goals.