First Time Home Buyers

The thought of owning your own home is exciting. The thought of purchasing your own home is overwhelming. The fact is, it is easier to buy a home than you may think! Helping you weed through the process is our job. We can, and will help and represent you every step of the way at no cost to you! First, there are some things you should consider:

1) Should I buy or rent? Ask yourself how long you plan to live in your home. Assuming the average appreciation factor in most real estate markets, your equity will likely increase enough to cover your closing costs after the first 2 years of owning your home. After that, average equity increases each year generally begin to work in your favor and lean towards owning rather than renting. If you plan on living in your home 3 years or more, you should probably consider buying.

2) Make a list of "Needs" & "Wants". When we meet to begin the search for your home, we will take your list and, based on your criteria, we can determine which homes to look at. Examples of "needs" are: price, location, neighborhood, size, number of bedrooms, baths, school districts, etc. "Wants" are up to your imagination. To save time, listings can be emailed, most with multiple photos directly to your computer so that you can "pre-sort" them before we ever even get in the car!

3) Let Us Help You! Our job is not to sell you a home! Our job is to help you find your home! We are real estate professionals and we have access to every home in the MLS and many for sale which are not listed at all. Once we find your home, we will counsel you every step of the way, from Making a Offer right through the Closing. Best of all, our services to you are free!

4) Prequalification. Prequalification allows you to make an offer on your dream home as soon as you find it! This is also the part of the process that most buyers don't like, yet it's usually very simple. The right mortgage counselor can spend 15 minutes with you on the phone and tell you whether or not you qualify for a mortgage and what price range of homes you should look at. There are many different mortgage programs available to first time buyers! YOU DON'T ALWAYS NEED A DOWN PAYMENT!!! It is often easier to be approved for a mortgage than to buy a car! If you aren't sure who to call, we work closely with several mortgage counselors and lenders who would be happy to tell you what you may qualify for!

5) Let's go house hunting! Once we know what you want and where you want to live, we will provide you with a list of available homes, set up the showing appointments and help you sort through the good and bad in each property.

6) Make an offer! The next step will be to make an offer to the seller. The asking price is not necessarily what you will end up paying. Everything is negotiable! In our offer, we will help you to negotiate price, closing dates, home warranties, closing costs, etc. It is important to know that each buyer and each home have different needs and circumstances and are negotiated differently in order to satisfy those needs.

7) Secure your Financing. Once the terms of the deal are negotiated, we will submit the contract to your lender and the financing process will begin. It normally takes about 30 days to complete the process however, some lenders can close faster. We will remain in contact with your lender and walk you through the entire process.

8) The closing. Welcome Home! That's it! The actual closing usually takes about an hour. We will be present at the closing table with you and once everything is signed and in place, you'll get the keys to your new home!

We're looking forward to helping you begin your journey toward homeownership!