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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. 

What Clients Say

Testimonials

"We are so thankful to have Kiki as our listing agent. Her professionalism and thoughtfulness are worthy of our trust. Kiki is creative in staging and showcasing our home. She and her team worked very fast and managed to stage and ready our house for an open house in about a week. As a result, we received very strong multiple offers and sold after just one open house weekend. She took the initiative to get to know the buyers' background and needs during the open house. Consequently, she was able to recommend wisely in selecting and negotiating with the buyers. The end result was the home sold at a very good price to a solid buyer who closed in about three weeks."
"We are so thankful to have Kiki as our listing agent. Her professionalism and thoughtfulness are worthy of our trust. Kiki is creative in staging and showcasing our home. She and her team worked very fast and managed to stage and ready our house for an open house in about a week. As a result, we received very strong multiple offers and sold after just one open house weekend. She took the initiative to get to know the buyers' background and needs during the open house. Consequently, she was able to recommend wisely in selecting and negotiating with the buyers. The end result was the home sold at a very good price to a solid buyer who closed in about three weeks."
Bassanio L.
"I had the pleasure of working with Kiki as my buyer's agent, and I couldn't be happier with the experience. Thanks to her dedication and expertise, we found the perfect home, and the entire buying process was seamless. From the very beginning, Kiki demonstrated exceptional communication skills, keeping us informed every step of the way and effectively communicating with the seller. Kiki took the time to understand our needs and never pressured us into making quick decisions. Instead, she offered valuable insights and advice, ensuring that we felt confident and well-informed throughout the process. Once we decided to make an offer, she acted quickly and efficiently, making sure everything went smoothly. I highly recommend Kiki to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and patient real estate agent who truly goes above and beyond for her clients."
"I had the pleasure of working with Kiki as my buyer's agent, and I couldn't be happier with the experience. Thanks to her dedication and expertise, we found the perfect home, and the entire buying process was seamless. From the very beginning, Kiki demonstrated exceptional communication skills, keeping us informed every step of the way and effectively communicating with the seller. Kiki took the time to understand our needs and never pressured us into making quick decisions. Instead, she offered valuable insights and advice, ensuring that we felt confident and well-informed throughout the process. Once we decided to make an offer, she acted quickly and efficiently, making sure everything went smoothly. I highly recommend Kiki to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and patient real estate agent who truly goes above and beyond for her clients."
Jennifer
"We are deeply grateful to Kiki for her professional expertise in helping us select the perfect home during our house-hunting process. She also helped us secure a great deal on the house we truly wanted. After entering the contract, Kiki worked diligently with us to come up with various strategies, ensuring we were able to close and get the keys in just 21 days. Kiki is truly an angel sent by the Lord Jesus to guide us through this journey, turning the impossible into reality. We sincerely thank Kiki from the bottom of our hearts."
"We are deeply grateful to Kiki for her professional expertise in helping us select the perfect home during our house-hunting process. She also helped us secure a great deal on the house we truly wanted. After entering the contract, Kiki worked diligently with us to come up with various strategies, ensuring we were able to close and get the keys in just 21 days. Kiki is truly an angel sent by the Lord Jesus to guide us through this journey, turning the impossible into reality. We sincerely thank Kiki from the bottom of our hearts."
Grace S.
"As first time buyers, Kiki was a great agent to have since she knew the Bay Area market, offers process and pricing. She made very accurate price estimates, which turned out close to the winning bids. That's great if you're a first time buyer with unrealistic ideas of the market. She was always upfront about pros and cons of various houses we shortlisted. As newbies, we wanted to offer on a house that had an issue with location that'd have made resale very difficult in future. However, she rightly pointed that out to us. Some of the homes needed work and Kiki provided us estimates of how much that'd cost. Using her rapport with buyers' agents, Kiki would get us the critical pieces of information about prospective houses. Bay area is known for no-contingent offers, but she was able to negotiate some contingency on our offer that gave us an extra peace of mind. At every step of offer and escrow closing, she reminded us of critical dates and called up third parties : title company, loan agent to move things in a timely fashion. She was very responsive any time of the day via text or email. In California, getting home insurance is not easy. Kiki got us in touch with a great insurance agent who wrote a policy for our house at great price. Her services did not stop after the escrow close, but she continued helping us through our move. Even now, I'm confident to ask her for any help related to the house."
"As first time buyers, Kiki was a great agent to have since she knew the Bay Area market, offers process and pricing. She made very accurate price estimates, which turned out close to the winning bids. That's great if you're a first time buyer with unrealistic ideas of the market. She was always upfront about pros and cons of various houses we shortlisted. As newbies, we wanted to offer on a house that had an issue with location that'd have made resale very difficult in future. However, she rightly pointed that out to us. Some of the homes needed work and Kiki provided us estimates of how much that'd cost. Using her rapport with buyers' agents, Kiki would get us the critical pieces of information about prospective houses. Bay area is known for no-contingent offers, but she was able to negotiate some contingency on our offer that gave us an extra peace of mind. At every step of offer and escrow closing, she reminded us of critical dates and called up third parties : title company, loan agent to move things in a timely fashion. She was very responsive any time of the day via text or email. In California, getting home insurance is not easy. Kiki got us in touch with a great insurance agent who wrote a policy for our house at great price. Her services did not stop after the escrow close, but she continued helping us through our move. Even now, I'm confident to ask her for any help related to the house."
Kapil C.
"Kiki was great support for us as we 1st time to swap house (buying and selling). She was all the time illustrating steps and details for each milestone with great advises. Kiki is professional with great knowledge and communication was excellent. She was always there day or night and weekends too via phone, text and email. It's awesome that she helped us to purchase new house and sell old house in 4 months. She is a beautiful person and willing to go above and beyond. Highly recommend people if you need a professional agent."
"Kiki was great support for us as we 1st time to swap house (buying and selling). She was all the time illustrating steps and details for each milestone with great advises. Kiki is professional with great knowledge and communication was excellent. She was always there day or night and weekends too via phone, text and email. It's awesome that she helped us to purchase new house and sell old house in 4 months. She is a beautiful person and willing to go above and beyond. Highly recommend people if you need a professional agent."
Liana W.
"Kiki is an incredibly professional and efficient real estate agent. From the initial preparation to the final sale, she provided valuable advice and support every step of the way. Her communication was prompt and transparent, making the entire process smooth and worry-free. I am truly grateful for her help and highly recommend her to anyone in need of real estate services!"
"Kiki is an incredibly professional and efficient real estate agent. From the initial preparation to the final sale, she provided valuable advice and support every step of the way. Her communication was prompt and transparent, making the entire process smooth and worry-free. I am truly grateful for her help and highly recommend her to anyone in need of real estate services!"
Yuan S.
"I had the pleasure of working with Kiki to sell my property, and I cannot recommend her enough. From the very beginning, she worked closely with us to develop a comprehensive selling strategy, helping us set the right price and determine the best approach for marketing. What truly set Kiki apart was her proactive approach during negotiations. She skillfully negotiated with the buyer’s agent, consistently working to secure the best possible terms for us and maximizing our profit. Throughout the entire process, Kiki was professional, responsive, and genuinely invested in our success."
"I had the pleasure of working with Kiki to sell my property, and I cannot recommend her enough. From the very beginning, she worked closely with us to develop a comprehensive selling strategy, helping us set the right price and determine the best approach for marketing. What truly set Kiki apart was her proactive approach during negotiations. She skillfully negotiated with the buyer’s agent, consistently working to secure the best possible terms for us and maximizing our profit. Throughout the entire process, Kiki was professional, responsive, and genuinely invested in our success."
Chen C.
"Kiki represented us on both buying our new home and selling our old one. She helped us navigate though the process with her knowledge, connections and negotiation skill. Highly recommend and really appreciate her work!"
"Kiki represented us on both buying our new home and selling our old one. She helped us navigate though the process with her knowledge, connections and negotiation skill. Highly recommend and really appreciate her work!"
Patrick Y.
"Do yourself a favor and hire Kiki as your listing agent. My tenants moved out on October 31st, and within a month, Kiki helped me close the deal at a price that exceeded my expectations. Throughout the process, Kiki took care of everything, and I hardly had to do anything myself. I’m based in Europe, yet Kiki was always extremely responsive to my messages despite the time zone difference. I can’t recommend Kiki enough! Thank you, Kiki!"
"Do yourself a favor and hire Kiki as your listing agent. My tenants moved out on October 31st, and within a month, Kiki helped me close the deal at a price that exceeded my expectations. Throughout the process, Kiki took care of everything, and I hardly had to do anything myself. I’m based in Europe, yet Kiki was always extremely responsive to my messages despite the time zone difference. I can’t recommend Kiki enough! Thank you, Kiki!"
Luna Z.
"If you were to ask me the value that a listing agent brings before we sold our condo with Kiki, I would not have said much. I used to think listing agents had very little value other than staging and paperwork. After working with Kiki, I can honestly say the value of a great listing agent is really just having the "it" factor. Whether it's figuring out the best listing price, communicating with the seller on what is necessary to sell the house (repairs, staging), or the general strategy on how to deal with and navigate complicated buyer, broker and seller relationships. Kiki was there every step of the way and delivered above expectations at each stage. We are truly blessed to have had Kiki help sell our condo. She will be our go-to realtor for both future buying and selling in the bay."
"If you were to ask me the value that a listing agent brings before we sold our condo with Kiki, I would not have said much. I used to think listing agents had very little value other than staging and paperwork. After working with Kiki, I can honestly say the value of a great listing agent is really just having the "it" factor. Whether it's figuring out the best listing price, communicating with the seller on what is necessary to sell the house (repairs, staging), or the general strategy on how to deal with and navigate complicated buyer, broker and seller relationships. Kiki was there every step of the way and delivered above expectations at each stage. We are truly blessed to have had Kiki help sell our condo. She will be our go-to realtor for both future buying and selling in the bay."
Kang K.
"Kiki was monumental in helping us sell our home in Fremont. She answered and most important explained to us every step in the process, good advisor and support, fast and prompt communicator. Easy to talk to and a good listener which makes it easy for us to share our thoughts with her. Due to her diligence and commitment as a listing agent, the house was sold fast and at the right price. On behalf of my family and I, we say, THANK YOU KIKI!"
"Kiki was monumental in helping us sell our home in Fremont. She answered and most important explained to us every step in the process, good advisor and support, fast and prompt communicator. Easy to talk to and a good listener which makes it easy for us to share our thoughts with her. Due to her diligence and commitment as a listing agent, the house was sold fast and at the right price. On behalf of my family and I, we say, THANK YOU KIKI!"
Nader Shehayed

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