Buyer's Guide
The complete walk-through of buying a home, start to finish.
This is the big-picture guide: how buying a home works from your first conversation with an agent through the weeks after closing. If you like seeing the whole process before you start, begin here.
Alongside each stage, it spells out what my team and I handle for you, so you always know who's doing what.
The first conversation shapes the whole search
Before I send a single listing, I ask a lot of questions. Who'll be living in the home? What are your five non-negotiables, and what's the one thing beyond those you'd really love? Are you looking for move-in ready, or are you up for a project?
Timing matters just as much. If the right home hit the market tomorrow, would you be ready to make an offer? Do you need to sell a home before you can buy? If you need equity from your current place, I'll help you plan that sale alongside your purchase.
Offers and going binding
Depending on the market, making an offer can feel like a race or a slow game of chess, and a few rounds of counteroffers are normal. Part of writing your offer is deciding how many days you'll have for each contingency: due diligence, appraisal, financing and closing. Your contract goes binding once you and the seller agree to the terms and sign.
From binding to closing day
The guide lays this stretch out as a ten-step roadmap. Once you're binding, you deposit your earnest money and schedule your inspection. If something turns up that worries you, you can renegotiate or back out within your contract terms. Your lender will ask for documents, so turn them in quickly, and you'll pay for an appraisal.
Meanwhile, the closing attorney runs title to make sure there are no clouds on it. Once you're clear to close, you'll review your final numbers and wire your funds. Be careful with that step. Wire fraud schemes target buyers, so treat any emailed change to wiring instructions as a red flag and confirm the details directly with your closing attorney.
What your agent handles along the way
The back half of the guide is a stage-by-stage promise. A few highlights:
- Every important contract date sent to you as calendar invites
- Help setting up an inspection with a local inspector you choose, then negotiating based on what it finds
- Writing any contract amendments and making sure promised repairs get done
- A targeted advertising campaign to turn up off-market homes if nothing for sale fits
- After closing, a reminder to file your homestead exemption and a fresh CMA whenever you'd like one
Common questions about the home buying process
Who pays the buyer's agent?
It depends on your agreement and your contract. Agent compensation is negotiable and isn't set by law. Sometimes the seller offers to cover it, and if not, you'd pay it yourself or negotiate it into your offer.
What happens if the appraisal comes in low?
You renegotiate. At or above your purchase price, you're all set. Below it, it's back to the seller, and if the appraisal looks flawed, I'll help you appeal it.
When is the final walkthrough?
On closing day. You'll walk the home one last time to make sure nothing has changed and the seller has fully moved out.