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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: 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, 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.

My 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 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.

What My Clients Say

We used Nicole LaMotte from Compass for the purchase of our home in Santa Barbara. Nicole was incredibly responsive and always kept us in the loop, both in email and phone calls, which made a huge difference to us. One of the biggest attributes about working with Nicole was the immediate feeling of sense of trust. She genuinely had our best interests at heart and guided us in the right direction. Even th...

— Susie A. & Ian B.

What My Clients Say

Thanks to you, we are actually thriving and doing well. Your love, care, and professionalism in creating the plan have been a gift to us. And we are so grateful.

— David & Anne

What My Clients Say

I am a Westside speculative home builder and have worked with many agents throughout my career. Jennifer and Kale are the most competent agents I have ever had the pleasure of working with. They kept in constant communication during the negotiation and escrow of our various deals and made sure I was comfortable at each step as we moved forward. I also found their 'off-market' knowledge and relationships ...

— Steve

What My Clients Say

Jennifer helped me buy my house in a very desirable Westside neighborhood last summer. Jennifer was referred to me by a trusted friend, and I am very glad I took the recommendation. Jennifer is incredibly knowledgeable, diligent, responsive, and patient. She was very organized and resourceful during the search process and always went the extra mile to accommodate my schedule. When we found the right hous...

— Nitin C.

What My Clients Say

We have found the realtor that we will use for the rest of our lives! Jennifer is simply amazing. We worked with Jennifer for over a year when looking to purchase a home in West LA. Due to the low supply and high demand, we had to make over 15 offers before finally getting an offer approved. Jennifer was patient and never pressured us into situations that we were uncomfortable with. During the escrow pro...

— Anais & Arsen

What My Clients Say

Jennifer is a pleasure to work with from start to finish. Of course, she is knowledgeable about her field, but she's also someone whom we really enjoy being around, which means a lot as the process of buying or selling a home can take some time and make even the calmest people anxious. Jennifer is strategic, responsive, and thoughtful about all aspects of her job. It's no wonder we've bought and sold wit...

— John & Allison L.

What My Clients Say

Jennifer Pinckert is a true professional. From start to finish, Jennifer was attentive, prompt, organized, and knowledgeable about all parts of the sale of our home. Further impressive were her negotiating skills, which concluded with the sale of our home far above its asking price. In my mind, nobody knows this area and the real estate market better than Jennifer!

— Erin

What My Clients Say

Jennifer is ethical, dedicated, and passionate about her work. She was an exceptional advocate for us at each phase of the process. Warm and friendly, she always had time to address our questions and concerns. Her laser-like focus on each detail made us rest easy that our process would be as smooth and transparent as she could make it. It was a privilege to work with someone of this caliber, and I’ve rec...

— Camille

What My Clients Say

We were so grateful to find Jennifer. She worked with us for over a year with nothing but patience and kindness, as we hemmed and hawed until we found the exact house we were looking for. In this competitive market, she expertly advised us on the best tactics and practices to bid on the home, and once our offer was accepted, helped us navigate the tricky back and forth between the owner and seller until ...

— Allison

What My Clients Say

I just wanted to take a few minutes to let you, Jennifer Pinckert, know what an amazing real estate broker you are. I have been so impressed by your work on this deal, and I know that the treatment Carol and I are receiving is the same thing you do for all of your other clients. I can just tell. You are totally professional, and yet also warm and personable. You have always looked to protect Carol and me...

— David

What My Clients Say

We wanted to thank you again for all your help with selling our condo and buying our new home. You made the process as easy and painless as it could be, and we truly appreciate it. We do feel we found the house that we’re meant to be in and are so excited to make it our own.

— Brooke, Danny & Jack

What My Clients Say

Jennifer Pinckert is, without a doubt, one of the best Real Estate agents I have ever used! Not only is she sweet, attentive to detail, knowledgeable, and accommodating, but she also conducts herself at every level as a true professional! She goes above and beyond the call of duty in her desire to help her clients. I would highly recommend her!

— Barbara D.

What My Clients Say

Team Pinckert is absolutely amazing. I sold my place two weeks before getting married, and thanks to them, the process was fast and easy. Thanks again!

— James

What My Clients Say

We absolutely loved working with Team Pinckert. They have so much expertise, and we felt so comfortable throughout the process of selling our condo. We would refer them to anyone we know and look forward to working with them on our home purchase!

— Daniel & Brooke

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Because a home isn’t just an investment—it’s a place to build a life. Markets fluctuate, but our commitment to service, loyalty, and excellence remains steady.