1. Save your downpayment!

I’m aware this isn’t easy and it takes time, but this is a non-negotiable. Sometimes you might need to think outside the box, move back home, live with your family for as long as possible and save everything that you can. I love my family, I personally couldn’t handle moving back home, but you need to do what you need to in order to get that downpayment saved up! I spoke with a client about this the other day and I want to make it clear here as well… You do not need 20% of the purchase price to buy. I REPEAT, you DO NOT need 20% down. People hear this all the time and it is not true. As a first time buyer, you can get away with as little as 5% of the purchase price down plus closing costs. Another conversation that I’ve had 3-4 times this week is that “you will never out-save the real estate market”. The longer you wait, you will continue to lose the opportunity to get into the market.

2. Get pre-approved.

This starts you off on the right foot. There’s nothing worse than looking at properties, getting ideas swirling in your head and finding out later that you’re pre-approved for $200,000 less than the price-point that you’re looking at. Believe me, this is more for you than us and skipping this step will only set you up for disappointment.

3. Find a great Realtor.

I’d love to chat with you, lay out the services that I offer and see if working together would be a good fit. This step is extremely important and I have another blog post, How to choose a Realtor, to help guide you towards the right Realtor for you.

4. Begin your search.

Now for the fun part, let’s see some great properties and find you a home!

This is only a brief guide and you SHOULD have some more questions about the buying process. Please give me a call to begin your home-buying process and go over this in much more detail.