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Unlocking Homeownership

Buyer's 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. 

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Testimonials

"Teresa has helped me with buying and selling my last home in Illinois. She has always been very detail oriented and very professional. She also assisted me with some issues I was having with my new home out of state for my relocation. Without her, I would have been lost. Not only was she my realtor, I gained a friend. She is amazing in all aspects of what she does! I appreciate you, Teresa!"
"Teresa has helped me with buying and selling my last home in Illinois. She has always been very detail oriented and very professional. She also assisted me with some issues I was having with my new home out of state for my relocation. Without her, I would have been lost. Not only was she my realtor, I gained a friend. She is amazing in all aspects of what she does! I appreciate you, Teresa!"
Buyer | Seller
"Teresa was fantastic! We already lived out of state when we were ready to sell our house. She gave recommendations on what could be updated but didn’t push us into anything. Even offered to run and get us samples of anything that we thought we would want to update! The whole experience was great. She’s completely honest and upfront with us from the start. We had offers come in a few days after the house was listed!"
"Teresa was fantastic! We already lived out of state when we were ready to sell our house. She gave recommendations on what could be updated but didn’t push us into anything. Even offered to run and get us samples of anything that we thought we would want to update! The whole experience was great. She’s completely honest and upfront with us from the start. We had offers come in a few days after the house was listed!"
Stephanie F.
"Teresa made the whole experience of selling my Dad's house after his death so smooth! The whole process went super quickly. She kept all four of us kids informed ever step of the way, and we were all in other parts of the state and even country. Would highly recommend her if you are selling or buying in the stateline area. Thanks Teresa! Job well done!"
"Teresa made the whole experience of selling my Dad's house after his death so smooth! The whole process went super quickly. She kept all four of us kids informed ever step of the way, and we were all in other parts of the state and even country. Would highly recommend her if you are selling or buying in the stateline area. Thanks Teresa! Job well done!"
Kristen L.
"We’ve just met and talked with Teresa regarding our interest in searching for properties in Southern Wisconsin. She’s been very congenial and reassuring that we’ve made the right choice. We look forward to working with her and a successful quest to find a home in Wisconsin."
"We’ve just met and talked with Teresa regarding our interest in searching for properties in Southern Wisconsin. She’s been very congenial and reassuring that we’ve made the right choice. We look forward to working with her and a successful quest to find a home in Wisconsin."
Gene H.
"Teresa was great! She helped us coordinate the sale of my husbands father's estate. There were a few tricky issues she helped us navigate through and communicate with our estate lawyer. She was very thorough, professional, and communicated well and often during the whole process. The home was listed and we had multiple offers immediately resulting in a quick sale. Would highly recommend working with her in selling your home!"
"Teresa was great! She helped us coordinate the sale of my husbands father's estate. There were a few tricky issues she helped us navigate through and communicate with our estate lawyer. She was very thorough, professional, and communicated well and often during the whole process. The home was listed and we had multiple offers immediately resulting in a quick sale. Would highly recommend working with her in selling your home!"
Jennifer S.
"I highly recommend Teresa! Her knowledge on the housing market was amazing! She recommended what we should do to sell our house and all of her recommendations were spot on! We sold our house in hours and for more than it was listed. Her drive and commitment to her customers is amazing! Will definitely be using Teresa for All of our future needs in the housing market."
"I highly recommend Teresa! Her knowledge on the housing market was amazing! She recommended what we should do to sell our house and all of her recommendations were spot on! We sold our house in hours and for more than it was listed. Her drive and commitment to her customers is amazing! Will definitely be using Teresa for All of our future needs in the housing market."
Jonathon C

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