Know Your Price Range
Before you start house hunting, you need to determine how much house you can afford. Consider getting pre-qualified or pre-approved for a home loan.
Pre-Qualified
A pre-qualification can be done online or over the phone and does not require you to submit any financial documents. You will be asked questions about your household income and debt load. The lender will estimate the loan you would qualify for. This is helpful to give you an idea of the price range that you should be considering.
Pre-Approved
A pre-approval is more involved and will require that you submit financial documents including paystubs, tax returns, credit accounts, and bank statements and possibly other items. The lender will consider several loan products and find one that suits your situation best. A pre-approval indicates that you will be approved for a certain loan amount and the lender is willing to do business with you depending on the purchase price of the property, a satisfactory appraisal and the underwriters approval.
Having a Pre-Approval letter from the lender indicates to the seller that you are in a position to follow through should your offer be accepted. Your offer may be seen as less risky than one that does not include a pre-approval letter.
Choosing a Lender
Your real estate agent should be able to recommend a few mortgage brokers. Here are a few questions you can ask as you decide what lender to work with:
What loan programs do you offer and which one do you think is best for me?
How long will the loan approval take?
What is your policy for locking in interest rates and will you honor a lower rate if one is available during the lock period?
Are there fees for prepaying on my loan?
Testimonials
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Our experience with Rick Coco was smooth and flawless!
We had been out of the housing market for many years when we decided to sell our house. We wouldn’t have considered anyone else for a realtor other than Rick. His years of knowledge and his thoroughness made for any easy and enjoyable experience. Selling a home can be overwhelming but we were very confident and trusting in his ability to walk with us through the transition process. We HIGHLY recommend Rick Coco, for us there’s no better choice for a realtor.
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- Anonymous
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Excellent Home Shopping Experience.
Rick is very knowledge about the housing market, and he was able to get our house sold above asking price, and find us a very nice new home. Along the way he was an excellent advisor!
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- Anonymous
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Thoughtful, Friendly and Professional.
We worked with Rick abut year searching for our new home. The market was tough and we made 3 unsuccessful offers before we found our home. Rick helped us to deal with our disappointment following the unsuccessful bids and provided a sound strategy for our successful bid. Although Rick provided some suggestions of homes we might like to see, we generally set our own path engaging Rick when we needed a private showing or a second opinion about a home we were interested in. When we did reach out, he was always ready to help even if he was busy or traveling. Once we had an accepted offer, Rick assisted with helping us engage a home inspector and attorney. He worked in the Seller's Agent to arrange a demonstration of the home's mechanical systems. We were glad to have him by our side and grateful for his guidance in such a challenging and stressful search.
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- Katherine Robinson
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Real Estate Professional.
Rick was great from the moment I reached out to list my property and right through the closing. He explained the process and came up with a great listing price. We had multiple above asking offers within days of listing it. We accepted an offer within 5 days. Everything went seamlessly and I would not hesitate to refer Rick to someone looking to buy or sell their home.
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- Bruce Veliz
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Rick as beyond a pleasure to work with!
WHile I have known Rick personally for a few years, he became our realtor this year when we had to sell our Mom's house. At the thought of selling the family home, we were all feeling a bit overwhelmed with no idea where to start. Rick took excellent care of us, checking in on us while we tried to clean it out, finding us a trustworthy estate sale agent to handle Mom's antiques, etc. and even helped us with the final removal of excess home goods. He truly was there for us every step of the way!
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- Anonymous
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Excellent experience working with Rick.
Rick is very knowledgeable providing us with everything we needed to make the sale of our home go smoothly. He was wonderful to work with and paid attention to details. He explained everything about the process and got back to us quickly with answers to our questions. I feel that we got the best price fot our home because of Rick’s experience and guidance.
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- Karen O'Brien
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Excellent Realtor.
From the minute I met with Rick I felt comfortable and at ease. He made it a stress-free process for me and kept me informed every step of the way. I would definitely recommend him. I was thrilled with how quickly everything happened, his communication with me and his professionalism.
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- Anonymous
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Work with the Best!!
Rick is such a pleasure to work with. His years of experience and knowledge of the industry allow you to put your complete trust in him. I was always confident that he was making the best choices for me! I would recommend Rick 100% to anyone!
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- Anonymous
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A consummate professional.
My wife and I have purchased for investment properties 30 years ago with Rick. Throughout the years we have received Christmas cards as well as sales literature and have always kept him in the back of our minds. Rick came up with a perfect plan to sell our properties in executed flawlessly .
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- Eric Carpenter
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Rick was EXCELLENT to work with.
A friend recommended Rick who used him to sell 2 properties, and to purchase a condo. Very professional and always communicated with me. Always on time, made a few recommendations for my home.
EXCELLENT TO DEAL WITH.
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- Mike Zabawa
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If you are in need of an expert realtor with incredible patience ...
If you are in need of an expert realtor with incredible patience, look no further. Rick Coco is the pro you want to help you sell your house and find your next home. Rick's years and years of experience along with his calm nature inform every decision he guides you to make. Rick will spend as much time as you need in-person, on the phone, and via text/email. Given the stress that the home buying/selling process can cause, Rick kept our deals moving forward even when thrown curve balls from other realtors. We are grateful for everything he did for us and give Rick our highest recommendation.
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- Anonymous
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Knowledgeable and Professional.
Rick is top notch. He communicates every step of the way and let's you know what to expect so there are no surprises.
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- Anonymous
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Haverhill St.
Richard was great! He is very knowledgeable, friendly, and listens to his clients. He is very honest and responds quickly. I highly recommend him!
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- Alicia Kleczkowski
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Great realtor.
Rick was very knowledgeable about the real estate market. We were very happy that we worked with him to sell our home and purchase a new one!
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- Emma & Ryan
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Impeccable Knowledge and Service.
Rick Coco helped my family exceed our expected outcome of a very successful sale - from helping with prep, providing resources to get us in good shape, to shaping a immensely successful. And he was incredibly involved in things we never even knew, especially in the last week before closing - maintained accuracy and precision between both the buyer and seller RE legal teams.
We owe a mountain of thanks to Rick. And strongly reccomend him to others.
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- Mark Mylan
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Great experience working with Rick CoCo.
Walked into his office on Wednesday Saturday and Sunday we were showing the building could not believe how fast we went from just talking to actually selling the building very professional and knowledgeable
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- Anonymous
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Top Notch Agent.
Rick is The Best. Smart,Knowledgeble, Experienced, Personable, Reliable,Etc. Rick answers when called. If you need an answer to something, Rick gets right on it. He does not shy away from anything. He was Highly recommended to me and I will highly recommend him also. I have dealt with numerous real estate agents over the years and would put Rick at the top of the list. The attorneys and others recommended by Rick did a great job. Thank you Rick you did a great job. Jim Carney
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- Jim Carney
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I never thought selling my condo could be so easy!
My agent, Richard Coco's many years of experience surly showed in selling my condo. It was the fastest and easy transaction I ever experienced. And he helped me every bit of the way. From the beautiful photo's taken of my condo and ensuring everyone's safety to the day of closing. His negotiating skills proved to be a huge plus for me.
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- Anonymous
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Master at his craft.
It was a pleasure dealing with Rick Coco while selling my property. He toured my home, did some comparables and suggested a listing price over what I was expecting. His knowledge of the market and the area is superb. Rick mentioned there would be no need for an open house, that my home would sell itself. That it did, an offer within 72 hours of listing well over asking price. Thank you for making selling my home so easy. I highly recommend Rick as your next real estate agent.
He won't let you down.
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- John Payson
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My experience working with Richard Coco.
Working with Richard was an excellent experience. As a recent widow Richard was a godsend to me in helping in the preparation needed to prepare for selling my condo. He helped me find a mover, a removal company for furniture that I didn't want and a general contractor to replace some windows. All these companies were professional and affordable. Any time I had a question or had reservations about something he was always there to consult with me and put me in the right direction. I would heartily refer Richard to anyone I know to use this wonderful man.
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- Carol Reebenacker
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Rick is wonderful! Professional, knowledgeable and always helpful.
Rick is wonderful! Professional, knowledgeable and always helpful. I have worked with Rick to both buy a home and sell a home. My family has worked with Rick as well and I would highly recommend Rick and his staff to anyone who needs assistance or advice on real estate.
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- Anonymous
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Best in the Business.
Nobody is better. Nobody knows the Merrimack Valley like Rick Coco. This is the second time we have utilized his professional services. We found ourselves in the need of selling a longtime family home due to a myriad of estate and elder medical situations. There was only one person we called.
He handled the non-real estate related situation with not only professionalism but also with the utmost grace, tact and respect. We never doubted we were in the best of hands. All calls/emails were returned promptly, inspections and listings done quickly, and showings were accommodating of our schedule. We can not say enough positives about Rick. He has been this families only agent for 15years.
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- M****n One Family Trust
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With So Many Agents Out There Who Can You Trust?.
Rick was a referral and I'm fortunate to have met and worked with him and his staff. Rick was involved in the selling of our property and from our initial meeting to the selling and closing he was always responsive. From my first email/call or text, if he wasn't available he always got back with me in a timely manner. He made sure my wife and I clearly understood every step in this process. In the future we will be purchasing another home and Rick will be the one we contact for this purchase and a referral for anyone we meet who needs an Agent. Do yourself a favor, contact Rick for any of your Real Estate needs, you will not be disappointed.
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- Joe Berry
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Listing broker.
Excellent. I have know Rick for 40 years and they just don't come any better.
His experience in this industry is second to none. His work ethic is old school.
You will not find anyone better. Maybe equal but not better.
Go with the best. Hire Rick and sleep at night.
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- Anonymous
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Goes above and beyond.
We worked with Rick to sell my mother's house and to find her a new property. During this multi-year process Rick did everything he could to ensure that she was happy with her new property and that the transition between properties was a smooth one. He is so helpful and experienced in every way, I would not hesitate to call on him again!
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- Anonymous
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Outstanding.
We were seriously considering selling to a higher than average offer with a flipper until Rick showed us how he could nearly double our money by listing with him, which we did! Rick got us about 20 showings and sold the house in about two days.
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- Anonymous
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Highly recommended.
Very attentive agent. Always responds to your questions and needs. Thoroughly researched the market analysis to keep up with market changes. Fully explains any questions regarding paperwork. Would highly recommend Rick.
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- Anonymous
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Copyright 2026 PrimeMLS. All rights reserved. This information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. The data relating to real estate displayed on
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consumers may be interested in purchasing. Data last updated September 28, 2026 8:16 AM UTC
