Rites of passage are always daunting. From growing up to graduation and your first job and marriage and everything in between, moving up in the world can sometimes be scary. This is never more true than when you go to buy your first home or refinance it. The legal process of an Arizona Refinance or Arizona mortgage can seem like a labyrinthine struggle beyond your understanding. But let’s look at it closely.

We can really break the whole process down into seven easy steps. The first one should be obvious: you need to talk to your lender and secure your funding. Often, this is the most nerve-wracking part of the whole process; it’s when you aren’t even sure if you’ll be able to buy anything yet. Looking at houses is fun, so know that it’s all uphill from here.

Go out there and check out those houses. When you get ready to make an offer on one, you’ll know that everything will go smoothly as far as the lender is concerned. Otherwise, you are going to be playing a nerve-wracking waiting game where you wait for both the lender’s decision and to find out what the seller thinks of your offer. It is just not worth it.

The next step is to take a look at the houses within your pre-approved price range. Once you find the one that’s right for you, you’ll make an offer, which will instigate a meeting between you and the seller. Always make sure the solicitor is present at such meetings to take care of important legal considerations and paperwork for you. You and the seller will talk things over, decide on a final buying price, and establish the finance date.

The finance date is the next step. It refers to the day when the lender will get everything in sync with your solicitor and get ready to close the deal. It’s not guaranteed that the money is in place, so you pay an agreed upon deposit to the seller and then that’s that — except for a few more signatures and formalities, you own a house.

All that is left is signing the loan documents. The bank you went with will provide these, but do not be surprised if they send them directly to your solicitor instead of to you. This is just common practice these days. Besides, their job is to handle it all for you and just show you where to sign. So, once you sign, the mortgage is active and you’re ready to start making monthly payments.

And that can happen now that the loan documents have been signed. The last step before moving in is to transfer the title from the seller to you. Once it’s in hand, congratulations–you own a home! You can move your things in, sit back, and relax, knowing that you’ve achieved a big part of the American dream.

If there is a final step beyond that, however, it is insuring your house. You’ve just gone through the legal process of an Arizona refinance or Arizona mortgage, one of the most convoluted legal maneuvers imaginable. Do not let it all come to nothing due to theft, accident, or unforeseen disaster.

Looking to buy a brand new house or perhaps take out a loan on the equity you’ve accumulated? Check out our super online overview of mortgages and refinancing for the low down on Az refi and Az mortgage .