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. I may be able to steer you away from certain homes or neighborhoods, suggest hidden gems, or give you pointers that will help you find your dream home for the right price.

My goal is to provide you with the most personalized service that is designed to help you buy your dream home.

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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.

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WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Jenna was calm in the middle of a pandemic house search. We had a tight deadline we needed to meet, and Jenna exceeded our expectations and got us home well ahead of the time we needed to close. Jenna also gave us great references for our inspection, garage door installation, and lawyer. Jenna was patient and not overbearing, allowing us to take our time and the lead in our house buying process. When we ...

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Our family has been on a journey to find the perfect property for our small micro-farm. Natalie not only helped guide us through this endeavor but went above and beyond to do so. My family is incredibly grateful for the time, effort, kindness, and knowledge of Natalie Wright. Natalie is an incredibly beautiful, kind person who carries herself with such grace. I inherently distrust most people, especially...

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Natalie really was a gift from God. Our process started rather quickly and finished quickly but Natalie didn’t miss a beat. She kept us updated by the day and she really was on our side. She fought for us when things weren’t going as they should and she thoroughly explained everything. We are so thankful to have had Natalie as our Realtor® and will choose her for every property we purchase in the future....

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Natalie Wright was our Realtor® in purchasing our first home. The experience was phenomenal and she made it very uncomplicated. She truly has a passion for helping others in buying their dream home and not just settling for less than what they absolutely want. Natalie is family-oriented and her greatest focus is accommodating everyone in the household. She’s a great person at heart and Realtor®. We great...

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Natalie helped my husband and me purchase our first home and she was absolutely amazing. She made sure that our home was everything we ever wanted and for a great price as well. Natalie negotiated on our behalf and made sure that the seller had everything intact prior to us sitting at the closing table. I would recommend Natalie over and over again, and when we purchase our next home, she’ll definitely b...

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Jenna did an amazing job making sure that I got the right home for me. She worked with me through the entire process to make sure that the home was in a location desirable for my lifestyle and that it had all the things on my list of must-haves. Jenna was patient and thorough in all aspects of the home buying process. She was always available and if she didn’t have an answer, she got it quickly. I couldn...

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She is by far the best. I can’t thank her enough for finding the home I dreamed of. Also, she is the only agent I know who keeps in touch with her customers after the sale of your home. If you reach out to her she will reach back to you for any concerns or questions you may have. She is awesome.

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Jenna is always on the job. She makes sure you fully understand the process while making sure you are getting the bang for your buck. Beautiful personality and it was such a joy working with her. I look forward to doing so again in the future.

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I recently connected with Jenna and she is inspiring! Very prompt, respectful, professional, and just a wonderful person. Definitely will recommend it to any and all friends searching for real estate.

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Jenna was nothing less than professional. From the beginning of my home buying process to the very end Jenna was the best real estate agent I could’ve asked for.

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