Buyer's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Buyer's Guide

Buying a home is one of the most exciting milestones of your life. To prepare yourself for this moment, you need to know what to expect during the process. This step-by-step first time buyer’s guide created by your agent will help reduce the stress of buying a home and help you enjoy the journey as much as possible.

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Step 1: Research

Do you already know where you want to buy? If you want a condo, townhome, or single-family home? Which features do you like and dislike? What’s available on the market now? If you answered no to any of these questions, now is the time to start researching. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, also take note of any changes in asking prices. This could give you valuable insight into housing trends in specific neighborhoods and help you when the time comes to make an offer.

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Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Notice I said to decide on your budget—not determine how much the mortgage company will give you. In many cases, a mortgage company will pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why you need to determine the monthly payment you feel comfortable with before talking to a lender. This likely includes doing a full household budget and taking into consideration what changes other than a mortgage payment will occur once you move into your new home. If you’ve lived in an apartment or with roommates, you may overlook new expenses like garbage, water, or HOA fees that could easily blow your budget.

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Step 3: Get Prequalified

Just because you think you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree. Just as they may approve you for too large of an amount, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or deny you a mortgage altogether. Lack of time at a job, insufficient credit, past bankruptcies, or other financial issues can cause major problems when trying to secure a mortgage. Before you get your heart set on a home, talk to a mortgage professional to find out what amount you can qualify for. This will also be an advantage when you make an offer on a home, as some sellers won’t entertain offers from those who aren’t already prequalified for a loan.

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Step 4: Choose a Real Estate Agent

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without a real estate agent? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for an agent like me to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will I help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but I also have a knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where my expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let me show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.

Passion & Expertise

My goal is to provide you with the most personalized service possible, meticulously designed to help you navigate the process of buying your dream home. I am dedicated to understanding your unique needs and preferences, ensuring that every step of the journey is tailored to achieve your ultimate home-buying aspirations.

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Step 5: Find the Right Home

This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). I will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that are within your price range. Take notes about what you like and don’t like, and make sure to pay attention to details. Turn light switches on and off, open and close doors, and run the faucets in various rooms. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.

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Step 6: Make an Offer

Once you have selected the perfect home, work with your agent to craft a fair offer based on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price. I will be able to help you negotiate if you receive a counteroffer and reach an agreement. At this point, the house will go into escrow.

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Step 7: Have the Home Inspected

In most cases, your offer will be contingent on having the home inspected to ensure there is no major structural damage or large repairs needed. I can help you arrange this, and you can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process goes to step eight. If there is, you can renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed, or you can withdraw it.

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Step 8: Select Your Loan

Now is the time to go back to the mortgage lender who pre-approved or pre-qualified you and choose your mortgage. You will be presented with various options based on your unique financial situation, including fixed-rate, variable-rate, 15-year, 30-year, or special programs such as VA loans or FHA loans. Work with your mortgage lender to select the option you feel the most comfortable with.

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Step 9: Get a Home Appraisal

Your lender will have your new home appraised so they have their independent value of it. The appraisal is to ensure that all parties involved are paying a fair price for the house.

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Step 10: Finish Paperwork

No one looks forward to all the paperwork involved in buying a home, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you’ll know you are the legal owner of your new home.

Congratulations!

After signing the final paperwork to complete the purchase, you are now the owner of a new house. It may take a few days for your loan to be funded once the paperwork has been returned to the lender, but once that check is delivered to the seller, you’ll be all set to move into the home of your dreams. 

My Testimonials

See why my clients love working with me.
Ryan B.

Ryan B.

Melissa is one of the hardest working real estate agents in the area. We found her after we lost an offer when she was the seller’s agent on a previous home. I decided to contact her because I was impressed with her knowledge o...
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Natalie M.

Natalie M.

Melissa is very knowledgeable and is an expert in relocation. She has made the move for our family of six very seamless and has been extremely helpful with all aspects of relocating to an area that we are not familiar with. I a...
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Sue

Sue

From my first encounter with Melissa earlier this year, she has exhibited expertise, knowledge, professionalism, and genuine care. My initial encounter with Melissa was not planned but was meant to be. In working with her to se...
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Karie L.

Karie L.

Melissa was great. She provided a lot of industry knowledge and gave us great advice along the way. She was always responsive when we had questions too. I would highly recommend her to others.
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Claman C.

Claman C.

Melissa is remarkable. His breath of knowledge and savvy are incomparable. We have worked together over many years on four houses and all successfully, both buying and selling.
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Pepe

Pepe

Melissa has been in the real estate business for many years. She and Sarah, her team coordinator, were quick to respond to every question from day one to the settlement day. I highly recommend her if you are looking for an expe...
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Sandy L.

Sandy L.

Melissa was so knowledgeable and went above and beyond for us. We appreciated her making everything so easy. From the moment we first met we were at ease having her handle everything. She helped us buy a home and sell ours.
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Buyer & Seller

Buyer & Seller

During the purchasing process, Amy was excellent in every way. She is extremely knowledgeable about the area market and provided sensible guidance and advice to us every step of the process. She was quick to find new listings t...
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Gazda A.

Gazda A.

Mary Ann was very knowledgeable of the buying process and was willing to help with any of my needs. I would recommend Mary Ann to anyone searching for a new home.
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Sabitha R.

Sabitha R.

Kaylin did an outstanding job. We would love to work with her in the future to buy more houses. She has a lot of patience and explains clearly if we don’t understand something. I highly recommend that anyone who is willing to b...
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Jen Healy

Jen Healy

Sandy is the absolute best! So knowledgeable! Been in the business a long time and has contacts for everything you might need. Most of all she is a kind person and truly loves what she does. Her genuine excitement for us made t...
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Mike B.

Mike B.

I have purchased and sold dozens of homes with Sarah as my realtor. Sarah is always on top of all the details. She is a fantastic negotiator and has always strived to get the best result for me, her customer. Anytime I can, I r...
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Mina B.

Mina B.

Anna is a top notch real estate agent. She represented us on the sale of our home. She is incredibly knowledgeable about the market and how to best position your home to get the best offer. Her #1 asset is her communication ski...
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