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A Step-by-Step Guide to Buying a Home

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, 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.

Jessica A.
Ralph
Mike P.
Charles S.
Donna P.
Aaron S.
Nick E.
Melanie L.
Mary O.
Sharon L.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Love working with Roberta! She always listens and makes the buying and selling process as painless as possible. Highly recommend!

— Jessica A.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Roberta did a fantastic job of selling our home and helping with our new home in Hudson. Also, she helped my son get his condo in Hudson. She is just a wonderful person to deal with. She worked so hard to make our purchase so easy. I have told my other children that if they want to sell their homes, we will call Roberta.

— Ralph

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Selling our house to downsize was exciting but scary at the same time. Likely, we meet Roberta Fox at Re/Max. She was able to walk us through the process and was there for us every step of the way. Having someone to guide you through the sale process is invaluable.

— Mike P.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Roberta was tremendously helpful throughout the whole process of selling our home in NH. Her advice concerning pricing and marketing made the entire experience efficient and easy to understand. Her insight was extremely valuable to us.

— Charles S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Roberta Fox sold one house and bought another for us. She also helped my son buy his condo. She worked very hard on all three situations. She walked us through the whole process, exhibiting professionalism and patience throughout the whole process. Was easily available for any questions or problems that may have come up. I highly recommend her for any Real Estate transactions.

— Donna P.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We received a nice little pot of gold with Roberta Fox’s card around St. Patrick’s dad 3 years ago! She made herself instantly available and was ready to help us with our future home. We only spent a couple of weeks, during which she was always available, looking at listings. We had chosen a certain mileage from work, but couldn’t find anything. She opened use to the time of commute vs mileage, and we fo...

— Aaron S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Roberta was amazing to work with! Super helpful, there every step of the way. I couldn’t imagine going through the home-buying process without her. Thanks for everything, Roberta!

— Nick E.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Roberta is professional and so good at her job. She took her time and found us exactly what we needed. She knows what she is doing and walks you through the process with ease. She has many contacts and can connect you with whatever you need in the area. Highly recommend.

— Melanie L.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Roberta helped get my senior father's home sold before the winter season. She worked with us all to help get the house closed. Our father is a challenge, but some seniors are. She was kind and worked with him to get the home sold. It took a little longer to get the home sold, but not by any means was it on Roberta. She worked with him all the way and kept us updated as we were in other states. Sometimes,...

— Mary O.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We had the pleasure of working with Roberta Fox from Re/Max to both buy our new home in Londonderry, NH, and sell our previous home in Methuen, MA, and we couldn't be more satisfied with the experience. Roberta was incredibly attentive to our needs, consistently going above and beyond to make sure we were informed, comfortable, and confident every step of the way. Her deep knowledge of the market and str...

— Sharon L.

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Get assistance in determining current property value, crafting a competitive offer, writing and negotiating a contract, and much more. Contact me today to start your home searching journey!

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Roberta Fox

(603) 321-3568

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Office Address
30 Main St Ste 5
Londonderry, NH 03053