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Buyers Guide

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. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, and 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.

Passion & Expertise

My goal is to provide you with the most personalized service possible, meticulously designed to help you navigate the process of buying your dream home. I am dedicated to understanding your unique needs and preferences, ensuring that every step of the journey is tailored to achieve your ultimate home-buying aspirations.

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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. 

EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE FIRSTHAND

Testimonials

"I would give Christian 10 stars! He is the best there is! Very professional and proactive, and he knows his craft really well! I will definitely recommend him if you are looking to sell/buy your property, which was the case for me!"
"I would give Christian 10 stars! He is the best there is! Very professional and proactive, and he knows his craft really well! I will definitely recommend him if you are looking to sell/buy your property, which was the case for me!"
Tin C.
"It was an absolute pleasure working with Christian on our home-buying experience. It felt like he was available for us whenever we needed him, and he made the process of viewing properties under COVID-19 restrictions as easy as possible. His experience was additive in that he'd point out things to consider that we hadn't noticed ourselves. Christian was also patient with us when we had questions. When we did decide to make an offer, Christian's advice and instincts were spot on. He helped us secure the property we wanted at a great price."
"It was an absolute pleasure working with Christian on our home-buying experience. It felt like he was available for us whenever we needed him, and he made the process of viewing properties under COVID-19 restrictions as easy as possible. His experience was additive in that he'd point out things to consider that we hadn't noticed ourselves. Christian was also patient with us when we had questions. When we did decide to make an offer, Christian's advice and instincts were spot on. He helped us secure the property we wanted at a great price."
Justin
"Christian doesn't sleep, he doesn't take off weekends, and he doesn't stop working until he finds you a perfect home. It was an absolute pleasure working with Christian. He allowed us to take our time to figure out what he wanted- asking probing but nonjudgemental questions to help us figure it out while providing insight into the different ways we could spend our budget (location, condo v. SFH, space). In the end, Christian sent over our new home, and we fell in love instantly. It was something we had skipped over when perusing the listings on our own, but he encouraged us to take a look, and we are so glad we did. Buying a home in San Francisco is not an easy process, but Christian helped us navigate the market like a good friend we've known all our life (who also happens to be an expert in SF real estate!)"
"Christian doesn't sleep, he doesn't take off weekends, and he doesn't stop working until he finds you a perfect home. It was an absolute pleasure working with Christian. He allowed us to take our time to figure out what he wanted- asking probing but nonjudgemental questions to help us figure it out while providing insight into the different ways we could spend our budget (location, condo v. SFH, space). In the end, Christian sent over our new home, and we fell in love instantly. It was something we had skipped over when perusing the listings on our own, but he encouraged us to take a look, and we are so glad we did. Buying a home in San Francisco is not an easy process, but Christian helped us navigate the market like a good friend we've known all our life (who also happens to be an expert in SF real estate!)"
Josh K.
"Christian was a godsend during the hectic process of buying my very first home, along with a hectic work schedule. He was on top of things and gave us all very detailed information on everything required to close in such a small period to close the property. He was patient, educated in the Real Estate industry, kind, understanding, professional, and quick to return phone calls and emails. We could not have been any luckier to have worked with Christian. We have ranted about him to our friends and family and will definitely refer him to any of our family and friends looking to buy."
"Christian was a godsend during the hectic process of buying my very first home, along with a hectic work schedule. He was on top of things and gave us all very detailed information on everything required to close in such a small period to close the property. He was patient, educated in the Real Estate industry, kind, understanding, professional, and quick to return phone calls and emails. We could not have been any luckier to have worked with Christian. We have ranted about him to our friends and family and will definitely refer him to any of our family and friends looking to buy."
Monica N.
"Christian “gets it” - he’s the only realtor I’ve met who was able to understand the nuances of what I cared about (some very specific stuff to support a car collection, with views and some other requirements with a few block area) and filter through a lot of properties with me in an efficient manner to avoid wasting my time. He’s incredibly responsive at all hours of the day or night and worked incredibly hard to help me get a great deal ($150,000 under asking on a multi-family in the Castro!). He’s also very tech-savvy and able to effectively communicate over texts and email during the day when you’re in meetings at work and don’t have time for calls - and he’s all-in on e-signing anything possible to save you from dealing with paper. Great experience for me!"
"Christian “gets it” - he’s the only realtor I’ve met who was able to understand the nuances of what I cared about (some very specific stuff to support a car collection, with views and some other requirements with a few block area) and filter through a lot of properties with me in an efficient manner to avoid wasting my time. He’s incredibly responsive at all hours of the day or night and worked incredibly hard to help me get a great deal ($150,000 under asking on a multi-family in the Castro!). He’s also very tech-savvy and able to effectively communicate over texts and email during the day when you’re in meetings at work and don’t have time for calls - and he’s all-in on e-signing anything possible to save you from dealing with paper. Great experience for me!"
Garrett
"Until now, I can't believe what happened working with Christian. I felt everything was a blur, from us talking about how we start planning what we want, to us signing and getting the keys for our new home in a matter of 18 days, was unrealistic. Working with Christian felt like talking with your family, not your realtor. He treats us like his own. I wholeheartedly want to thank him as our family, friend, and realtor, and I would endorse him to people that I care about in terms of considering buying their first home or just wanting to be knowledgeable about real estate. Again, thank you so much, Christian."
"Until now, I can't believe what happened working with Christian. I felt everything was a blur, from us talking about how we start planning what we want, to us signing and getting the keys for our new home in a matter of 18 days, was unrealistic. Working with Christian felt like talking with your family, not your realtor. He treats us like his own. I wholeheartedly want to thank him as our family, friend, and realtor, and I would endorse him to people that I care about in terms of considering buying their first home or just wanting to be knowledgeable about real estate. Again, thank you so much, Christian."
Buyer

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