Mortgage Motivation
Mortgage & Motivation advice that you can use in your life!
Mortgage Motivation
Maple Conston's Blueprint for First Responder Homeownership
Ever wondered what it takes for our community protectors to transition from serving on the front lines to settling into their dream homes? Joining us in the studio is Maple Conston, a spirited ex-deputy of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office, who now dedicates her days to guiding first responders through the maze of home buying. She's on a mission, armed not with a badge, but with an arsenal of real estate savvy and an insider's understanding of the unique housing needs that come with a life in law enforcement. As we chat, Maple unveils the ins and outs of a special housing grant program and the critical steps our heroes in uniform should take when they're ready to hang their hats in a place of their own.
This isn't just any house-hunting tale; it's a heartfelt journey of change and community support. Maple's transition from patrolling to property listings is nothing short of inspiring, and her expertise in negotiating not only deals but dreams is truly enlightening. In our lively conversation, she sheds light on the misconceptions surrounding the home buying process and advises on how to balance the scale between wants and needs. For those ready to build memories in a new home, Maple Conston is the ally you never knew you needed. Tune in to hear her story and gather the essential knowledge to navigate your path to homeownership with confidence.
Welcome to this episode of Margesh Motivation. Today I have with me Maple Constine, friend from Constine. Help me, maple Constine. Constine Got it right I'm friend of Calla Williams. So, maple, tell me a little bit about yourself when you started, why you here, where you going. Let's talk about all that good stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah well, I'm originally from Alexandria, louisiana, moved to Lafayette in 2011, where I started with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office in November of 2011. And I was with the Sheriff's Office for 10 years, prior to real estate, and it was a career I enjoyed. It was just time for a new season in my life, helping people in a different way. I still help people, just in a different way, helping them get in their homes and sell their homes, move to the next home.
Speaker 1:So not only you're helping people in a different way, but you're also helping all the colleagues and everyone you worked at the Sheriff's Department, which is wonderful, and I want to thank you for partnering with me and the Sheriff's Department. So what Maple and I have done together to let you guys know is we have what's called a first responder product, which is through the Louisiana Housing Commission, which allows them to receive a grant for the purchase of a home. So if you're in the Sheriff's Department or first responder, right. But our niche is, yes, law enforcement, law enforcement, because that's what you're good at, right. Yes, you're good with working, with understanding their needs, understanding what they're going through. We are partnered and we're so excited to bring to you this product and this grant. So let's go through the process so all of our law enforcement guys understand how it works, what's step one Step one is partner with a real estate agent that you trust, you know and that you like.
Speaker 1:And that would be you, right? Yes, of course. Okay, if you're in law enforcement, you want to get my friend Maple a call about step number one and she will guide you through the process. Once you connect with Maple and she gets an understanding of what your needs and wants, or the next step is, maple will refer you to us, our team here in Acadiana, to get you pre-approved. And at that pre-approval process we're going to establish a budget and the worst thing you can do is go out shopping without a budget right Maple, definitely yes.
Speaker 2:What happens when that happens? It doesn't happen. We don't do that, it just doesn't happen right?
Speaker 1:No, it's important that you develop that budget. And once you develop that budget, we issue the pre-approval and you go back to Maple. And once the budget is established, what's next with you?
Speaker 2:Then we'll begin to look at homes and make a favorites list, decide which homes you would like to go see. Then we'll schedule those showings and we start shopping.
Speaker 1:And when we do develop the budget, we go over two very important things. One is how much do we anticipate you would need down for the transaction Correct and then we'll do what your monthly payment will be. Those are very important two things before you start shopping, because if you're not shopping in that proper price range then you may not get loan approval. You may fall in love with something that you can't afford. It sets yourself up for failure. I don't know how else to say it Failure and disappointment.
Speaker 1:Disappointment, or whatever you want to call it. So establishing the budget before you go out shopping, and then the fun starts. Then you really start to realize what are my wants, what are my needs, how does my family function, all those kind of things. That's where Maple comes in, Right, because then you're what?
Speaker 2:We begin to narrow it down by your wants and your needs. Must-haves, deal breakers, all of that. You have to make sure that this is going to be where you're comfortable, or you're going to make memories, so it has to be something that you love.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And if you love it, you're going to do what Pay for it, right, right, which is very important. So once you fall in love with that home and Maple is such a great negotiator she'll go back and forth. You know, a lot of people have the misconception that when they're looking for a home, they need to call the person on the sign. Once you have an agent that works for you, they represent you. If there's a sign in the yard, they represent who the seller, the seller, okay. So you want to let Maple know of anything? You see that you won't and she'll bring you out looking at those homes. And once they fall in love with that home, we've negotiated the price. What happens next?
Speaker 2:So next we submit the offer and the sellers will either accept, reject or reject it with a counter offer.
Speaker 1:And once we have a sign contract, then the party begins right.
Speaker 2:Yes, Then we go to inspection and due diligence period where you have all your inspections done home inspection If there's a pool, we get a pool inspection, any kind of inspection you might need check school zones, flood zones, insurance quotes, all that stuff.
Speaker 1:And I think a lot of people have the misconception just because you go into a contract on a house doesn't necessarily mean that you are buying that home. That means you're agreeing to go into a due diligence period where you can do your homework to make sure that everything is okay with this home and you're okay with moving forward. Correct how long is that due diligence period normally?
Speaker 2:Normally it could be between 10 and 12, 10 to 14 days, 10 being the most common.
Speaker 1:You determine that upon the contract in that you offer and the seller agrees upon it.
Speaker 1:That's something you handle and Maple also handles the inspection for you. She'll hold your hand, she'll walk you through that process. You'll know everything that's going on with that house. So once you're finished with your due diligence, then you send them back to me, right, correct? So here we start doing our homework. If we may need to update paperwork on you at that time and we'll order appraisal for you. We'll get title work done, we'll put you through our underwriting process and once we go through that, the time span normally from the time you go into contract to the time you obtain your keys is normally a 30 day period. This gives us the time to get the appraisal done, update everything, scandal, your closing give you plenty enough time to make arrangements with your current home. So you have a period of when you go into contract, your due diligence, then at that point that's when you go through underwriting, appraisal, title, the whole nine yards, okay, and once that's complete, what happens? Maple?
Speaker 2:Once that's complete, then schedule closing date and go to the closing table and that's where the and we celebrate.
Speaker 1:And we celebrate and that's where the memories began. So if you're working in law enforcement Maple is so knowledgeable we do have grants available. You know, often people think, oh, I don't have enough money to purchase a home, and they're not aware of all the grants and down payment assistant products that they have out there. We have a large selection of those products. Please don't ever feel like you can't.
Speaker 1:Both Maple and I believe that everyone deserves to own a home at one point in their life. The earlier you're going to start, the better path we can create for you on that journey. But if you don't give one of us a call today, you'll never obtain that dream of home ownership. Right, absolutely Any message. You want to live with everyone? Oh no, just give us a call, let's get started. And I want to invite you guys to go out on Sundays to Midtown, because Maple has a beautiful set of loans on her, so if you ever want to hear her sing, you can always find her there after service. You can answer any questions you have or just give her a call and she'll make an appointment for you. Thanks, mimi. Thank you for serving in all capacities. Thank you, you're welcome.