Homebuyer 101

Have you ever wondered what you would look like as a homeowner? The perfect shade of Sherwin Williams you'd paint the walls (Alabaster), how you’d arrange your furniture, the spot you'd sip your morning coffee in while scrolling through interiors on Pinterest, the kitchen you’d entertain in… It truly is the American dream.

If you've been scrolling real estate websites and dreaming about having your very own sanctuary, I have FREE resources for you!

I help buyers get started as far as 12 months in advance so they can see the entire process at a glance and start taking steps towards homeownership. I offer a Homeowner 101 Guide: a 12 Month Game Plan to prepare you for homeownership. I designed this with you in mind so that you can start preparing for the home buying process on your own time line. This is a month by month breakdown of what to do when and is totally go at your own pace and it's FREE! If you'd like a copy of my Homeowner 101 Guide, simply send me a quick email. I will send you a copy for free, no strings attached. But, in the meantime, here are a few simple ways to start preparing for homeownership.

Step 1:

Stop looking at Zillow and call a real estate agent. Seriously ... I know looking at houses is fun, but until you take the first step, your dreams will stay dreams! Schedule a home buyer consult with me. This is where you'll learn everything you need to know about the buying process from start to finish. During our consult you will get your questions answered and a plan mapped out (even if you're not ready to press play on your home search for several months).

Step 2:

Figure out your Financing - how much do you need to have saved before starting the process, how much do you need to put down and how much can you afford monthly. During our buyer consult, I'll lay out all the expenses to be prepared for and share a few of my favorite local mortgage lenders who can dive into all the juicy details with you! Don't be scared, you don't have to get pre-approved yet if you're not ready. Most pre-approvals only last 60-90 days so if you're not wanting to move for 9-12 months, you might just do some preliminary research.

However, meeting with a lender will help get you prepared for how much you'll need to have saved, how you could potentially improve your credit score to lock in a better interest rate and all the financing details you'll need to know to buy with confidence.

Step 3:

Curate a Spotify playlist of your favorite songs to listen to while driving and hit the road! It's time for some research!

Start checking out locations you're interested in. The subdivisions, nearby amenities, where the schools are, how far it is from work. Scope out some specific neighborhoods you have in mind to make sure the layout and lots are desirable to you! There's so much you can do to prepare for your home search before you actually start looking at houses. This will help increase your confidence when the time comes to lock in the home you love! It will also eliminate any surprises like "I didn't realize you could hear the freeway from this neighborhood, ugh!" One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that buyers think they know exactly what they want until we actually start looking. Doing some pre-house hunting homework will help you decide if you absolutely love the area (as in YES I want to live here, there's a coffee shop in walking distance!) or "Actually, it's probably a little too busy for our family".

© {{year}} Shani Marbais - Coldwell Banker Tony Hubbard - (352) 394-4031.
Equal housing opportunity. An equal opportunity company.

© 2024 Coldwell Banker Tony Hubbard Realty. Equal housing opportunity. An equal opportunity company.

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