Setup
If ~/home-buying/ does not exist or is empty, read setup.md, explain what will be stored, and ask for confirmation before creating files.
When to Use
Use this skill when a user is buying a primary home or investment property and needs disciplined decisions across budget, search, offers, inspections, and closing.
This skill turns emotional decisions into a repeatable decision system with explicit guardrails and walk-away thresholds.
Architecture
Memory lives in ~/home-buying/. See memory-template.md for structure and status fields.
~/home-buying/
|-- memory.md # Decision defaults, status, and recurring constraints
|-- active-deals.md # Deal pipeline with stage and risk notes
|-- offer-log.md # Offer ladder history and outcomes
`-- closing-checks.md # Lender, title, insurance, and final walkthrough status
Quick Start
Use this workflow in order:
- Define
buy-box and monthly guardrails.
- Score listings using one scoring rubric.
- Build a tiered offer ladder before writing any offer.
- Run inspection and document risk transfer plan.
- Gate closing on a readiness checklist.
Quick Reference
Use the smallest relevant file for the current step.
| Topic |
File |
| Setup and activation behavior |
setup.md |
| Memory template |
memory-template.md |
| Budget math and guardrails |
budget-guardrails.md |
| Listing scoring rubric |
listing-scorecard.md |
| Offer strategy and concessions |
offer-ladder.md |
| Inspection and contingency triage |
due-diligence.md |
| Closing readiness gates |
closing-readiness.md |
Core Rules
1. Build the Buy Box Before Browsing
- Define non-negotiables (location radius, bedroom count, commute cap, property type) before reviewing listings.
- Add hard no-go criteria and keep them fixed for at least one week to reduce impulse drift.
2. Underwrite Total Monthly Cost, Not List Price
- Use all-in monthly cost: principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA, utilities estimate, and maintenance reserve.
- Reject properties that break the monthly guardrail unless the user explicitly approves a revised ceiling.
3. Score Listings With One Rubric
- Apply the same weighted scorecard to every candidate property.
- If a listing is selected against scorecard output, mark it as an exception and document the reason.
4. Use a Tiered Offer Ladder
- Build Plan A, Plan B, and walk-away offer numbers before contacting seller side.
- Each tier must include price, contingency set, credits target, and maximum concession risk.
5. Treat Due Diligence as Risk Transfer
- Convert each inspection issue into one of three actions: seller fix, seller credit, or buyer accepts risk.
- No unresolved high-severity issue should survive to final commitment without explicit sign-off.
6. Protect Timeline and Financing Certainty
- Keep a dated checklist for lender docs, appraisal milestones, title items, and insurance binders.
- Flag any critical path delay immediately and propose a concrete recovery action.
7. Keep a Decision Log for Every Deal
- Store offers, counter terms, rejected options, and post-mortem notes in memory.
- Reuse these patterns to improve future offers and avoid repeating avoidable mistakes.
Home-Buying Traps
- Shopping first, budgeting later -> overexposure and rushed compromises.
- Chasing low rate headlines without full closing-cost math -> misleading affordability.
- Waiving inspection blindly in competitive markets -> asymmetric downside.
- Negotiating only on price -> missed credits, repairs, or timeline value.
- Ignoring neighborhood-level signals (insurance trends, HOA health, permit patterns) -> hidden future cost.
- Accepting lender or title delays as "normal" -> preventable closing failures.
Data Storage
- Local notes only in
~/home-buying/ for active deals, scorecards, and decision history.
- Store concise operational data, not full personal identity packages.
- Ask before saving sensitive personal or financial details.
Security & Privacy
Data that leaves your machine:
- None by default. This skill is workflow guidance and local-memory only.
Data that stays local:
- Decision context, deal notes, and checklist state under
~/home-buying/.
This skill does NOT:
- Submit offers automatically.
- Call lender, MLS, escrow, or title APIs automatically.
- Share user data with external services by default.
- Modify files outside
~/home-buying/ for memory.
- NEVER modifies its own skill definition file.
Related Skills
Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:
real-estate-skill - Broad real-estate transaction guidance across roles and stages.property-valuation - Comparable and income-based valuation support.contract - Contract structure and clause review support.rental - Rental economics and landlord or tenant decision support.house - Home ownership operations after purchase.
Feedback
- If useful:
clawhub star home-buying
- Stay updated:
clawhub sync
1---2name: home-buying3description: Buy a home with budget guardrails, listing scorecards, offer strategy, due diligence triage, and closing readiness checks.4---5
6## Setup
7
8If `~/home-buying/` does not exist or is empty, read `setup.md`, explain what will be stored, and ask for confirmation before creating files.
9
10## When to Use
11
12Use this skill when a user is buying a primary home or investment property and needs disciplined decisions across budget, search, offers, inspections, and closing.
13
14This skill turns emotional decisions into a repeatable decision system with explicit guardrails and walk-away thresholds.
15
16## Architecture
17
18Memory lives in `~/home-buying/`. See `memory-template.md` for structure and status fields.
19
20```text
21~/home-buying/
22|-- memory.md # Decision defaults, status, and recurring constraints
23|-- active-deals.md # Deal pipeline with stage and risk notes
24|-- offer-log.md # Offer ladder history and outcomes
25`-- closing-checks.md # Lender, title, insurance, and final walkthrough status
26```
27
28## Quick Start
29
30Use this workflow in order:
311. Define `buy-box` and monthly guardrails.
322. Score listings using one scoring rubric.
333. Build a tiered offer ladder before writing any offer.
344. Run inspection and document risk transfer plan.
355. Gate closing on a readiness checklist.
36
37## Quick Reference
38
39Use the smallest relevant file for the current step.
40
41| Topic | File |
42|-------|------|
43| Setup and activation behavior | `setup.md` |
44| Memory template | `memory-template.md` |
45| Budget math and guardrails | `budget-guardrails.md` |
46| Listing scoring rubric | `listing-scorecard.md` |
47| Offer strategy and concessions | `offer-ladder.md` |
48| Inspection and contingency triage | `due-diligence.md` |
49| Closing readiness gates | `closing-readiness.md` |
50
51## Core Rules
52
53### 1. Build the Buy Box Before Browsing
54- Define non-negotiables (location radius, bedroom count, commute cap, property type) before reviewing listings.
55- Add hard no-go criteria and keep them fixed for at least one week to reduce impulse drift.
56
57### 2. Underwrite Total Monthly Cost, Not List Price
58- Use all-in monthly cost: principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA, utilities estimate, and maintenance reserve.
59- Reject properties that break the monthly guardrail unless the user explicitly approves a revised ceiling.
60
61### 3. Score Listings With One Rubric
62- Apply the same weighted scorecard to every candidate property.
63- If a listing is selected against scorecard output, mark it as an exception and document the reason.
64
65### 4. Use a Tiered Offer Ladder
66- Build Plan A, Plan B, and walk-away offer numbers before contacting seller side.
67- Each tier must include price, contingency set, credits target, and maximum concession risk.
68
69### 5. Treat Due Diligence as Risk Transfer
70- Convert each inspection issue into one of three actions: seller fix, seller credit, or buyer accepts risk.
71- No unresolved high-severity issue should survive to final commitment without explicit sign-off.
72
73### 6. Protect Timeline and Financing Certainty
74- Keep a dated checklist for lender docs, appraisal milestones, title items, and insurance binders.
75- Flag any critical path delay immediately and propose a concrete recovery action.
76
77### 7. Keep a Decision Log for Every Deal
78- Store offers, counter terms, rejected options, and post-mortem notes in memory.
79- Reuse these patterns to improve future offers and avoid repeating avoidable mistakes.
80
81## Home-Buying Traps
82
83- Shopping first, budgeting later -> overexposure and rushed compromises.
84- Chasing low rate headlines without full closing-cost math -> misleading affordability.
85- Waiving inspection blindly in competitive markets -> asymmetric downside.
86- Negotiating only on price -> missed credits, repairs, or timeline value.
87- Ignoring neighborhood-level signals (insurance trends, HOA health, permit patterns) -> hidden future cost.
88- Accepting lender or title delays as "normal" -> preventable closing failures.
89
90## Data Storage
91
92- Local notes only in `~/home-buying/` for active deals, scorecards, and decision history.
93- Store concise operational data, not full personal identity packages.
94- Ask before saving sensitive personal or financial details.
95
96## Security & Privacy
97
98Data that leaves your machine:
99- None by default. This skill is workflow guidance and local-memory only.
100
101Data that stays local:
102- Decision context, deal notes, and checklist state under `~/home-buying/`.
103
104This skill does NOT:
105- Submit offers automatically.
106- Call lender, MLS, escrow, or title APIs automatically.
107- Share user data with external services by default.
108- Modify files outside `~/home-buying/` for memory.
109- NEVER modifies its own skill definition file.
110
111## Related Skills
112Install with `clawhub install <slug>` if user confirms:
113- `real-estate-skill` - Broad real-estate transaction guidance across roles and stages.
114- `property-valuation` - Comparable and income-based valuation support.
115- `contract` - Contract structure and clause review support.
116- `rental` - Rental economics and landlord or tenant decision support.
117- `house` - Home ownership operations after purchase.
118
119## Feedback
120
121- If useful: `clawhub star home-buying`
122- Stay updated: `clawhub sync`
modbender