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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. 

Real Client Experiences

Testimonials

"Even though we had several banking-related issues and delays, Juli was always motivational and kept on top of the situation. She is very professional, and patient, and always remained positive during our house searching and closing activities. I would definitely recommend Juli if you're searching for someone who knows the business and is looking out for your best interest!"
"Even though we had several banking-related issues and delays, Juli was always motivational and kept on top of the situation. She is very professional, and patient, and always remained positive during our house searching and closing activities. I would definitely recommend Juli if you're searching for someone who knows the business and is looking out for your best interest!"
Janet
"Answered every question, returned every phone call, dropped everything to join us viewing houses. We finally felt like valued clients. She is personable and professional. We enjoyed her very much. We found and bought a house and promptly contracted Juli to sell our old one. That was another amazing experience and we couldn't be happier with the excellent service Juli provided and thrilled with the results."
"Answered every question, returned every phone call, dropped everything to join us viewing houses. We finally felt like valued clients. She is personable and professional. We enjoyed her very much. We found and bought a house and promptly contracted Juli to sell our old one. That was another amazing experience and we couldn't be happier with the excellent service Juli provided and thrilled with the results."
Terry
"After a frustrating period of working with other real estate agents to find a new house, we contacted Juli Kelley and everything turned around for the better. Juli answered every question, returned every phone call, and dropped everything to join us in viewing houses. We finally felt like valued clients. She is personable and professional. We enjoyed her very much. We found and bought a house and promptly contracted Juli to sell our old one. That was another amazing experience and we couldn't be happier with the excellent service Juli provided and thrilled with the results."
"After a frustrating period of working with other real estate agents to find a new house, we contacted Juli Kelley and everything turned around for the better. Juli answered every question, returned every phone call, and dropped everything to join us in viewing houses. We finally felt like valued clients. She is personable and professional. We enjoyed her very much. We found and bought a house and promptly contracted Juli to sell our old one. That was another amazing experience and we couldn't be happier with the excellent service Juli provided and thrilled with the results."
Terry
"Excellent broker. Would not hesitate to use her again and/or refer people to her."
"Excellent broker. Would not hesitate to use her again and/or refer people to her."
Mike
"Working with Juli was great. She has so much insight to help us navigate the offer process as well as the closing process. As first-time buyers, it could have been very stressful, but Juli made it so easy and she was on the ball the entire time."
"Working with Juli was great. She has so much insight to help us navigate the offer process as well as the closing process. As first-time buyers, it could have been very stressful, but Juli made it so easy and she was on the ball the entire time."
Evan
"Juli was simply amazing from start to finish. Professional, knowledgeable, and very personable. I would highly recommend her to family and friends."
"Juli was simply amazing from start to finish. Professional, knowledgeable, and very personable. I would highly recommend her to family and friends."
Ross Hazlett
"Juli is absolutely amazing! She knew what we were looking for and kept pushing to help us find what we wanted! She is very responsive and always there to help with any needs! I couldn't have asked for a better realtor to work with through this stressful process."
"Juli is absolutely amazing! She knew what we were looking for and kept pushing to help us find what we wanted! She is very responsive and always there to help with any needs! I couldn't have asked for a better realtor to work with through this stressful process."
Addison S.
"Juli was amazing! From the initial consultation to our closing. She is attentive, hardworking, and knowledgeable. We had many showings and she always came with a smile and great attitude. I would definitely use her again and recommend her to anyone looking to sell or buy a home."
"Juli was amazing! From the initial consultation to our closing. She is attentive, hardworking, and knowledgeable. We had many showings and she always came with a smile and great attitude. I would definitely use her again and recommend her to anyone looking to sell or buy a home."
Arline H.
"Juli has been so helpful and easy to deal with. We struggled to find the right place for us and looked at so many places. She always made herself available at the drop of a hat, she was putting in offers for us late into the night. She sold our place and got us moved into our new home seamlessly on the same day. She even had dinner sent to us our first night in! She will be my first call if I have any real estate needs."
"Juli has been so helpful and easy to deal with. We struggled to find the right place for us and looked at so many places. She always made herself available at the drop of a hat, she was putting in offers for us late into the night. She sold our place and got us moved into our new home seamlessly on the same day. She even had dinner sent to us our first night in! She will be my first call if I have any real estate needs."
Joey M.
"I’ve absolutely loved working with Juli! Super fun and professional. Very knowledgeable and helped us to get the house we wanted. She was so patient while we kept looking until we found a house that meets our needs! Really enjoyed getting to spend time with her"
"I’ve absolutely loved working with Juli! Super fun and professional. Very knowledgeable and helped us to get the house we wanted. She was so patient while we kept looking until we found a house that meets our needs! Really enjoyed getting to spend time with her"
Shannon B.
"Juli was amazing ! We have been looking for a house for about 2 years for my daughter and husband . She took us seriously and worked hard, sending listings , setting up appointments in a reasonable time, and always showing up on time . She always showed up with a big smile , great attitude and down to earth approach. She was extremely knowledgeable, if there were any questions, she got back to us very quickly . Her hard work and dedication brought us to the right house. I would highly recommended her for all your real-estate needs , buying or selling , you can't go wrong with her on your side !"
"Juli was amazing ! We have been looking for a house for about 2 years for my daughter and husband . She took us seriously and worked hard, sending listings , setting up appointments in a reasonable time, and always showing up on time . She always showed up with a big smile , great attitude and down to earth approach. She was extremely knowledgeable, if there were any questions, she got back to us very quickly . Her hard work and dedication brought us to the right house. I would highly recommended her for all your real-estate needs , buying or selling , you can't go wrong with her on your side !"
Donna C.
"If you're looking for real estate in NH, we would highly recommend Juli Kelley. We had been searching for a home for a while and Juli was always responsive, prompt and extremely flexible for us. As we navigated through our home search, Juli always respected our wishes and concerns, and worked with us to find what we were looking for. She was always helpful and had attention to detail and would be sure to point out potential concerns to us. Once we found a home, she was knowledgeable and went above and beyond to be sure everything was completed in a timely manner. We can't say enough good things about our experience and would recommend her to our family and friends."
"If you're looking for real estate in NH, we would highly recommend Juli Kelley. We had been searching for a home for a while and Juli was always responsive, prompt and extremely flexible for us. As we navigated through our home search, Juli always respected our wishes and concerns, and worked with us to find what we were looking for. She was always helpful and had attention to detail and would be sure to point out potential concerns to us. Once we found a home, she was knowledgeable and went above and beyond to be sure everything was completed in a timely manner. We can't say enough good things about our experience and would recommend her to our family and friends."
Julie O.

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