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 team 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. Let The Flashberger Real Estate Group help you. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, our team will take note of any changes in asking prices and the market. 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 we 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.  Our team has the expertise to assist you every step of the way.

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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, let us put you in contact with 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 The Flashberger Real Estate Group help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, we also have a knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Our team 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.  You deserve an expert!

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

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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 The Flashberger Group 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. 

Our Testimonials

JONATHAN K. & MARISA D.

JONATHAN K. & MARISA D.

Fantastic experience! Overall home sale process could not have gone smoother. From initial prep to photos, staging, and negotiations, all steps along the way were handled with care and professionalism. Highly recommend The Flas...
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ALLEN R.

ALLEN R.

Sue was awesome when we sold our house in Grey eagle. She really knows the neighborhood well and is connected with many of the residents. She was very organized preparing the house for sale and did an awesome job even with us b...
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ROHIT J. & DHIRA G.

ROHIT J. & DHIRA G.

Sue helped us sell our first home and got us a new home. Sue worked diligently to get our home on the market. Her knowledge of contractors was very helpful. She guided us through the process of closing the deal very carefully a...
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HANS & GABBY K.

HANS & GABBY K.

Dave was on top of everything along the way; nothing to worry about for us. Easy to work with, always willing to "make us happy" and make the process simpler for us. The team did an excellent job creating the marketing material...
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BRIAN & ARLENA C.

BRIAN & ARLENA C.

Simply the best. If you want a Real Estate agent that'll put your interests ahead of their own, then Sue Flashberger is the one to call. Sue recently helped my wife and me not only purchase a new home but coached us on how to k...
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MARLEE T.

MARLEE T.

Sue helped me purchase my first home and I couldn't be more grateful for her assistance throughout the whole process. Since it was my first home, I had no idea what I was doing or what to expect. She was there for me every step...
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JON & CEL T.

JON & CEL T.

Sue not only helped us sell our previous home in record time. Two weeks from the time we decided to sell, staged, listed, and sold. She also helped us decide which offer, of the multiple, would best help us expedite the purchas...
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BILL W.

BILL W.

My wife and I had the good fortune to work with Sue Flashberger and her team on the sale of our home last year. We engaged with Sue following a great recommendation from an extended family member. In less than 2 months our 2 st...
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GENE & AMY S.

GENE & AMY S.

After raising our children, we were ready to sell our family house of 20 years. Sue Flashberger exceeded our expectations at every step of the process, and she did it with integrity and grace! Sue helped with staging, finding a...
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JAMES & KIM W.

JAMES & KIM W.

Sue and the team went above and beyond for our family. We sold our home and purchased a new one through Sue. Not only does she have the neighborhood expertise to help you make informed decisions, but she also was instrumental i...
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VAN T.

VAN T.

Sue helped us sell our Pleasanton home recently, we were very happy with the overall experience and outcome. When Sue met with my wife and me for the first time, she was meticulously prepared and her experience was obvious. Thr...
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BILLY & SUZANNE D.

BILLY & SUZANNE D.

Sue and Dave helped us sell our existing home and buy us a forever home. My family was ready for an upgrade to a larger home with a bigger yard within the same town. With so many real estate agents out there, how do you choose?...
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MATTHEW J. & OLIVIA L.

MATTHEW J. & OLIVIA L.

What an amazing experience! Sue was recommended by a dear friend. Right upon meeting sue, my wife and I got a sense that we were going to be taken care of. She immediately went into action to help us sell our home. Sue was a on...
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JYAN & ELIZABETH O.

JYAN & ELIZABETH O.

We worked with Sue to buy our first home last year. Sue is just the best. So sweet, helpful, available, diligent, resourceful, and caring. I just can't say enough about her. I grew up in a neighborhood where Sue heavily represe...
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To us, every client engagement is an exclusive partnership. We learn what ‘success’ means to each person and we internalize their unique goals and priorities. Whether they’re first-time buyers, experienced sellers, or anyone in between, we apply that understanding to everything we do.

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