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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: 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. I may be able to steer you away from certain homes or neighborhoods, suggest hidden gems, or give you pointers that will help you find your dream home for the right price.

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Step 2: 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 3: 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 4: 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 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: 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 9: 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.

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Step 10: Close on the Home

Close on the home of your dreams!

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.

Our goal is to provide you with the most personalized service that is designed to help you buy your dream home.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I could not have been happier with my experience working with Jolynn. Not only was knowledgeable and thoughtful, she was there every step of the way to make the selling process as seamless as possible. I've worked with Jolynn previously when I purchased my second home and I was so happy with the work she did that I would never consider working with anyone else. The Denver market can be a bit tricky so it...

— Michael

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

This was our first home we bought, and Mindy made it all seem so easy. She provided us great advice from Day 1 and a comprehensive feel of Denver and the surrounding area. Once our offer was accepted, she was meticulous and made sure we did not miss any dates. We were not in CO for close, so Mindy also was there for us during inspection and helped translate everything into "new home buyer speech." She is...

— Emma

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I would highly recommend Whitney as a real estate agent. She was very knowledgeable about the area where me and my wife were looking. She is a very hard-working and polite agent as well. I couldn't have asked for a better person to help us find our wonderful new condo here in Denver. She went to bat for us when the seller was being difficult and trusted me and my wife to make our own decisions as well. D...

— Anthony

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We loved working with Jolynn. She is an amazing person to work with. This was our first home and Jolynn made everything from showing to closing as comfortable as she could. Buying your first home is a super stressful process, but she had our back and was there whenever we needed her to talk to. Thank you so much! And even though I hope we stay in our new house forever, if we change our minds, Jolynn will...

— Kallie

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Jolynn Crownover did an excellent job helping me find a new home and was very easy to work with in the process. Great negotiator and very helpful in showing me the home loan process. knew her way around the area and I feel safe and happy in my new home.

— Ahmed

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Jolynn could not have been more helpful and accommodating during the buying process. I am incredibly grateful to have had Jolynn in my corner. We found an amazing fit for me in the right area for the right price in a short time!

— David

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

My buying experience couldn't have been better. I highly recommend Jolynn! She is very quick to respond and is also very knowledgeable. She made the entire process feel easy and seamless.

— Amber

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