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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. 

See What My Clients Say

Testimonials

"Kyla Jenson has been our realtor in the purchase of several homes throughout the years. We have found her to be very thorough, respectful, wise, meticulous and conscientious. We have many health concerns and she has always pre-screened homes for things that might be problematic for us. Kyla has been a real pleasure to work with and is a consummate professional. We can think of no better realtor with whom to work. "
"Kyla Jenson has been our realtor in the purchase of several homes throughout the years. We have found her to be very thorough, respectful, wise, meticulous and conscientious. We have many health concerns and she has always pre-screened homes for things that might be problematic for us. Kyla has been a real pleasure to work with and is a consummate professional. We can think of no better realtor with whom to work. "
Jeff & Wanda
"Kyla has been our realtor several times in the past; both in buying and selling. She sold our home almost ten years ago during a down market and recently sold my parents' home after their passing. We've met no one who knows the real estate market better. We've worked with very good realtors in the past, but no one has come close to the complete service Kyla has provided for us. Not only is she hard working and honest, but she is the most compassionate person in the business. She reduced all of our stress by taking care of issues before we even knew they existed. She works with the best and most fair contractors (staging, cleaning, painting, updating, repairs, etc) to get your home perfectly ready for the market. We would never consider anyone else! Kyla is simply the best!"
"Kyla has been our realtor several times in the past; both in buying and selling. She sold our home almost ten years ago during a down market and recently sold my parents' home after their passing. We've met no one who knows the real estate market better. We've worked with very good realtors in the past, but no one has come close to the complete service Kyla has provided for us. Not only is she hard working and honest, but she is the most compassionate person in the business. She reduced all of our stress by taking care of issues before we even knew they existed. She works with the best and most fair contractors (staging, cleaning, painting, updating, repairs, etc) to get your home perfectly ready for the market. We would never consider anyone else! Kyla is simply the best!"
Dave & Wendy
"Kyla Jenson has been our trusted realtor for several years, both for our business and personal real estate needs. Her dedication and commitment consistently exceed expectations. She's incredibly thorough, proactive, and always goes the extra mile to ensure a smooth and successful transaction. We highly recommend her services."
"Kyla Jenson has been our trusted realtor for several years, both for our business and personal real estate needs. Her dedication and commitment consistently exceed expectations. She's incredibly thorough, proactive, and always goes the extra mile to ensure a smooth and successful transaction. We highly recommend her services."
Joe & Tonia
"Working with Kyla has always been such a pleasure! Her expertise has helped us in many facets from personal to business ventures, and we have always trusted and valued her attention to detail. She goes above and beyond to address any questions that we may have."
"Working with Kyla has always been such a pleasure! Her expertise has helped us in many facets from personal to business ventures, and we have always trusted and valued her attention to detail. She goes above and beyond to address any questions that we may have."
Brent & Kelsey
"Kyla is amazing! I had a few other relators in the past and none were even close to as great as her. Kyla recently sold our last home and helped us buy our forever home. To sum it up, her knowledge, experience, kindness, responsiveness made selling and buying our home seamless. She listened to our needs and worked very hard to meet them all. She was able to sell our home for more than we hoped and was able to help buy our new home for a reasonable price. Honestly, buying and selling can be stressful but she made the experience stress-free and dare I say fun. What we appreciated the most though was how responsive she was. She always got back to us right away. I highly recommend Kyla as your real estate agent! I Promise you wouldn't be disappointed!"
"Kyla is amazing! I had a few other relators in the past and none were even close to as great as her. Kyla recently sold our last home and helped us buy our forever home. To sum it up, her knowledge, experience, kindness, responsiveness made selling and buying our home seamless. She listened to our needs and worked very hard to meet them all. She was able to sell our home for more than we hoped and was able to help buy our new home for a reasonable price. Honestly, buying and selling can be stressful but she made the experience stress-free and dare I say fun. What we appreciated the most though was how responsive she was. She always got back to us right away. I highly recommend Kyla as your real estate agent! I Promise you wouldn't be disappointed!"
James & Michelle
"We could not have asked for a better real estate agent than what we found in Kyla Jensen. She quickly learned what was important to us and was totally on top of notifying us as new listings came up that met our criteria. Her knowledge of the market trends as well as what lenders and inspectors are looking for guided us through the process with ease. She is a hard working, dedicated, knowledgeable professional who consistently goes above and beyond to make sure you end up with a home that you love. I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. You will not find another agent who will work harder for you."
"We could not have asked for a better real estate agent than what we found in Kyla Jensen. She quickly learned what was important to us and was totally on top of notifying us as new listings came up that met our criteria. Her knowledge of the market trends as well as what lenders and inspectors are looking for guided us through the process with ease. She is a hard working, dedicated, knowledgeable professional who consistently goes above and beyond to make sure you end up with a home that you love. I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. You will not find another agent who will work harder for you."
Tom & Trish
"Kyla is awesome! She went above and beyond in all respects to expertly guide us through the home selling process. She proactively took that extra step to make sure we were taken care of. She never hesitated with assistance or offering to help us out in even the smallest way as we dealt with two very busy schedules, closing on our new home and handling our two-year-old. Personable, friendly, upbeat and caring, she is a gem and now a friend. Bottom line, we sold our house for considerably more than market value. We highly recommend Kyla as a partner in your real estate needs."
"Kyla is awesome! She went above and beyond in all respects to expertly guide us through the home selling process. She proactively took that extra step to make sure we were taken care of. She never hesitated with assistance or offering to help us out in even the smallest way as we dealt with two very busy schedules, closing on our new home and handling our two-year-old. Personable, friendly, upbeat and caring, she is a gem and now a friend. Bottom line, we sold our house for considerably more than market value. We highly recommend Kyla as a partner in your real estate needs."
Jeff & Amy
"Kyla is the best! She is so amazing in every way! She always communicated and made us feel so important, no matter what. I recommend her to everyone I know who needs of real estate, whether that is residential or commercial. I previously worked in real estate and can tell you, she is the best! Don't hire anyone else for your real estate needs."
"Kyla is the best! She is so amazing in every way! She always communicated and made us feel so important, no matter what. I recommend her to everyone I know who needs of real estate, whether that is residential or commercial. I previously worked in real estate and can tell you, she is the best! Don't hire anyone else for your real estate needs."
Anny T.
"Kyla went above and beyond what we hoped for when she helped us buy our first house together. The selling agent was very non-responsive and Kyla worked very hard and came up with great strategies to counter the mess dealing with a relocation agent seller. Highly recommended! Would call her if we ever need to buy or sell."
"Kyla went above and beyond what we hoped for when she helped us buy our first house together. The selling agent was very non-responsive and Kyla worked very hard and came up with great strategies to counter the mess dealing with a relocation agent seller. Highly recommended! Would call her if we ever need to buy or sell."
Buyer
"Kyla Jenson is very ethical, organized, and professional. Kyla is also a great communicator, and helped us relax and enjoy our entire home buying experience. If we ever decide to sell our home, we will definitely ask Kyla Jenson to be our real estate agent, again. I highly recommend Kyla Jenson if you’re looking to buy or sell your home!"
"Kyla Jenson is very ethical, organized, and professional. Kyla is also a great communicator, and helped us relax and enjoy our entire home buying experience. If we ever decide to sell our home, we will definitely ask Kyla Jenson to be our real estate agent, again. I highly recommend Kyla Jenson if you’re looking to buy or sell your home!"
Kevin

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