1:1 Coaching
Fill out the form below to learn more about my 1:1 coaching for buyers.
Fill out the form below to learn more about my 1:1 coaching for buyers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
My goal is to provide you with the most personalized service that is designed to help you buy your dream 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lynn Contacted me while I was doing an internet search. She was great and from that point forward, I never spoke with another agent. Lynn understood exactly what I wanted and she found it for me. The seller was a huge problem w...
Every house we buy to see. Lynn and I go over what she sees and what we need to do to renovate it to seal. Once completed we always have a contract withing a week. Lynn works very closely with us to make this possible.
While looking on realtor. com I asked to be contacted about a property for sale. A realtor from another firm contacted me that the house already had an offer on it and didn't follow through on his offer to contact me about othe...
Lynn was great and helped us with our first home purchase. Being out of state made this more difficult. She was always willing to answer the number of questions we had. She went out of her way a number of times to help us. She ...
Lynn is a terrific agent. She is knowledgeable, confident and very professional. She communicated well when she needed to convey something and other side I knew she was always working for us behind the scenes. I was 1,000% conf...
Lynn was recommended by a mutual friend that spoke very highly of her. Lynn worked vey hard to assist us in finding our new home. Lynn was able to give suggestions. Lynn was very knowledgeable and met with us whenever we needed...
Lynn came highly recommended by a friend of mine in the area and I am extremely thankful to have chosen her. Lynn was absolutely fantastic in every aspect of this move. She made sure we knew what to expect and her knowledge of ...
Lynn came highly recommended by a family member and I am glad she did. I would never have gotten through the process of being a house without her. She answered every question I had without make in me feel stupid no matter how s...
I feel that it would be extremely difficult to find anyone more knowledgeable or easy to get along with than Lynn. I'm very happy with her service. She went above and beyond to make the sale such a smooth process.
Lynn is amazing. We would never even think about using anyone else.
Lynn was very professional and understood my requirements. She did particularly well to make sure that the communications between me and the seller and their agent were on time and clear. I would recommend her to anyone looking...
Lynn makes this process very easy. She knows what she is doing and she explained everything to me during the process. She kept my interest in the forefront and she is very likeable. I will always go to Lynn when buying or selli...
Lynn is awesome to work with. She was quick to return calls and texts and was great at making sure we had all of the information we needed. She was also helpful in finding us a great lender. We have really enjoyed working with ...
Lynn helped us with every phase of our sale. She is very personable and considerate of us. She gave us recommendations for contractors when we needed them She did a great of explaining the contracts. No one could have done it b...
When dealing with buying and selling of real estate, it can be overwhelming and stressful at times. Lynn goes above and beyond in every aspect to make sure all of your questions are answered and you feel comfortable with everyt...
So happy to have found Lynn. She was there with my wife at every step of our home-buying process. She answered all of our questions and made the process very easy and stress-free. When we went out on house viewings she pointed ...
Lynn is simply the best at what she does! She is knowledgeable, kind accessible, and gets the job done. Our family has had several outstanding experiences with her and I would and do recommend her to everyone. She is not only a...
First-time homeowners. Let Lynn lead you! She has so much knowledge. I have heard so many horror stories about buying a house and it wasn't! She made everything easy and understandable. I am recommending her to everyone! I admi...
Great job. We even had the complication of our buyer dying on the night before closing but Lynn got us thru the process and found us another buyer right away.
Had a great experience with Lynn on a relocation. She was helpful, knowledgeable, and communicative, and made a complicated transition as smooth as possible! Would highly recommend.
Lynn is experienced in traditional sales and has a lot of experience with foreclosure sales. She loves the challenge of helping a first time buyer to navigate through the home-buying process!
