Buying a Home? This One's For You!

I'm thinking about buying a home in the near future. What do I need to know?

This is an exciting time! Whether you're buying for the first time or 10th time, it always helps to review the basic steps of getting started. Here are three basics you need to know.

First, and this is important especially if you're a first time buyer (or it's been a while), meet with a trusted real estate agent. It's worth the time to have a one hour conversation to discuss your goals, areas/neighborhoods you want to focus on, and a little bit of information about the current real estate market. Even if you're months out (6+ months or more), have the conversation. There may be steps you need to take in advance of your search to get prepared, including connecting with a lender. A lender can discuss your financial situation with you and advise on any steps you might need to take with your finances to best prepare yourself for a purchase in the coming months.

It's worth it to plan ahead and have conversations early. As a case in point, I have met with several brand new buyers over the last few weeks who were initially intimidated by the process. They found great benefit in having a conversation about what the home buying process actually entails. They left the meeting feeling empowered, excited, and ready for their next steps. If you wait until you're ready to buy, and don't do the work on the front end, it could mean a delay in your goals if there are additional steps that need to be taken to prepare for a purchase.

Second, follow the steps outlined by your real estate agent and lender. I call this dynamic duo your "Real Estate Dream Team" to help facilitate the process from start to finish. The lender handles the financial side, and the real estate agent handles the property search, negotiations, and contract-to-close steps. 

While you're getting ready for a home search, I always suggest folks look at available properties on the market and start making notes about what they like and don't like. From there, start to determine your Negotiable (would be nice to have, but not deal breakers) and Non-Negotiable (must have) features and aspects of the property you're looking for. This will help later when you can start shopping so you're not wasting time viewing properties that might not be the best fit for you. 

Third, when the time is right, get pre-approved for a mortgage loan. This is a crucial step! A pre-approval is your home buying budget. Once you have been pre-approved by your mortgage lender, then you can start shopping for a home with intention! Every individual's financial situation is unique, and sometimes there are steps in the process to complete before you can achieve pre-approval. Back to the second point, connection early in the process with a lender is very important!

If you're interested in a conversation about buying home in today's market, I would love to buy you a coffee. 

If you're looking ahead to buying a home in the Portland, Oregon metro area in the near future and aren't sure where to begin, I'd love to connect to help you start off on the right foot. I'm Jennifer Schurter, a Realtor and expert marketer in the Portland, Oregon metro area. 

Jen@JenSchurter.com