Lender or Agent First Raleigh NC: The Truth Most First-Time Buyers Get Wrong
Lender or agent first in Raleigh NC is not a preference question — it is a financial risk question specific to North Carolina’s contract structure. When a buyer goes under contract in Wake County, the Due Diligence fee is paid directly to the seller and is non-refundable under any circumstance, including a financing failure discovered during underwriting. A buyer working from an unverified estimate loses that deposit when reality corrects the number. Kevin Martini NMLS 143962 and Logan Martini NMLS 159148 of Martini Mortgage Group take a Strategy Before Structure approach: the lender conversation, producing a fully underwritten approval, comes before the first showing. Experienced agents in Cary, Apex, and Fuquay-Varina will not schedule showings without a credible letter, and listing agents across the Triangle evaluate financing certainty before they evaluate offer price.