BUYING A HOME DOESN’T HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED.

LET’S WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS TOGETHER.

There’s no sugar-coating it: buying a home can be stressful. As with many other life experiences, who you have beside you matters.

I’ve helped dozens of buyers navigate towards a smooth, stress-free, and successful home purchase. My commitment to providing a pleasant buying experience includes:

-Putting YOUR needs, goals, and desires FIRST via an in-depth consultation, where we analyze your goals and budget, and establish your “must haves” and “wish list” features to create a tailor-made strategy.

-Connecting you with my preferred partners, including lenders, insurance agents, inspectors and contractors, and facilitating those relationships so you can focus on what’s important to you.

-Thoroughly researching the market — not just new listings, but also recent trends — to help you find the perfect property AND craft a strong offer backed by data.

-Negotiating offer terms, scheduling and attending inspections, and providing you with options for addressing necessary repairs.

-Being there for you after the sale.

Now, let’s look at an overview of the homebuying process.

This might surprise you…but the first step is not to contact me to start touring properties (though I certainly hope you’ll think of me when we get to that step!). While I’m never too busy to chat with you and learn more about your hopes and dreams, your very first step should be:

Take stock of your finances, including your current housing costs and debt-to-income ratio. Do you have a lot of credit card bills or installment loans, such as student or auto loans? Is your current housing expense at a comfortable level, and if not what would the ideal amount look like?
Check your credit score. Obtain your credit report (and the reports of any co-purchasers) from all three major bureaus — you’re entitled to one free report from each bureau every 12 months! — and check them with a fine-tooth comb for accuracy. Dispute any inaccuracies and address any negative items such as collection accounts.
Plan for your down payment (if obtaining a mortgage) or your purchase funds (if paying cash). Do you have funds available in savings, or will you be obtaining a monetary gift from a relative or friend? Your mortgage lender might have some attractive options with a low down payment percentage, but you should still plan for closing costs, moving expenses, and both routine maintenance and unplanned repairs.
Engage with a mortgage lender early on. Although following steps 1-3 should give you a pretty clear picture of your finances and budget, obtaining a pre-approval letter will not only allow you to house-hunt with confidence, but you’ll be better-equipped to act quickly when that perfect property hits the market (and If you need help finding a local mortgage lender, I’ll be happy to provide some recommendations!).
Partner with a real estate professional. Finally, here’s where I come in! The right agent will make you feel confident in the process (and in them!), will have your best interests at the forefront, and will know the local area and market inside out. The right agent will make you feel like you’re ready to take on the real estate world - with them by your side, of course.
Start your property search. The fun part has finally arrived - it’s time to see some houses! In the previous step, we will have had a consultation to establish your preferred area, home configuration, amenities, and budget. Now, we’ll investigate the available listings that best fit your criteria and dial in your search accordingly. Depending on market conditions, we might have several homes to choose from immediately, or we might have none. I’ll help you not get discouraged, because the right property WILL come along, and when it does, we’ll be ready to….
Make an offer. Because you’ve done your homework in steps 1-4, and we’ve been creating some dream team energy in steps 5 and 6, we’ll be more than ready to write a strong offer with terms you understand and are comfortable with. Be prepared - there will likely be some negotiation before your offer is accepted, but I will make this process as positive and painless as possible for you! Negotiation is a normal part of the process - the key is for us to craft an offer that is intriguing enough for the seller to counter (or accept!).
Celebrate (a little). Having your offer accepted and being under contract is a huge deal and is worth celebrating. We still have a ways to go on our path towards closing day, though, so don’t party too hard!
Inspections, Financing, and Appraisal (oh my!). While you’re recovering from celebrating being under contract (it’s OK, it happens!), my team and I will get to work on forwarding your contract documents to your preferred attorney for deed prep and title search, as well as your lender for processing. If you’d like to have a home inspection (which is strongly recommended!), a survey, or any other inspections, we will contact our preferred vendors and schedule those on your behalf. Your lender will schedule the appraisal. Your lender, attorney, inspectors and I will make sure all of the moving parts are moving in tandem and I will be in constant contact with you throughout the process.
Shop for homeowners insurance. It’s a good idea to shop around with a few different agents to obtain the best rate for the level of coverage you desire. Remember to keep the value of your personal possessions in mind, too. I’m happy to provide agent recommendations to you - just let me know!
Negotiate any inspection or appraisal issues. Together, we will comb through the inspection reports and determine which items you’d like to ask the seller to address. I will negotiate those requests with the listing agent, and we will work together to find a resolution that satisfies both parties so that we can move towards closing. Similarly, should there be any issues with the appraisal valuation, I will work on your behalf to address them in a fashion that best benefits your interests.
Finalize closing preparations. Life comes at us fast as closing day approaches. During this time, I’ll be working hard to make sure your closing goes off without a hitch, so I’ll be in touch with you even more than usual (you might grow weary of hearing from me!). I will be checking in with your lender and attorney constantly to obtain the (magic words!) clear to close. We will schedule your closing appointment with your attorney, as well as a final walk-through to ensure that the property is in substantially the same condition as when we went under contract. We will ensure that you have transferred your utilities into your name. You will also receive your preliminary closing disclosure from your lender (or attorney, if you’re paying cash) so that you’ll have a final tally of the certified funds you’ll need to bring to closing.
At long last….it’s CLOSING DAY! On closing day, you will officially take ownership of your new home. We will meet at your attorney’s office, where you will sign all paperwork, pay your closing costs, and receive the keys to your new home.
Congratulations - you’re a homeowner! Move in and enjoy getting to know your new home and neighborhood…and remember, if you have any questions, I’m just a quick call away.

Want to see what’s on the market now? Go to our firm’s property search page!