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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. 

Testimonials

"Lauren did a fantastic job while guiding me through the process of selling my first home! She was very responsive, attentive and was a great resource for questions that came up. Her expertise and knowledge of the Atlanta real estate market helped me sell my home at the price point I wanted. I would highly recommend Lauren to anyone who is looking for a real estate agent!"
"Lauren did a fantastic job while guiding me through the process of selling my first home! She was very responsive, attentive and was a great resource for questions that came up. Her expertise and knowledge of the Atlanta real estate market helped me sell my home at the price point I wanted. I would highly recommend Lauren to anyone who is looking for a real estate agent!"
S. W.
"Working with Lauren was great! She was patient and not pushy as we navigated through looking for condos for our son. Very knowledgeable, and what she didn't know she found out for us pronto."
"Working with Lauren was great! She was patient and not pushy as we navigated through looking for condos for our son. Very knowledgeable, and what she didn't know she found out for us pronto."
L. P.
"Lauren was great to work with. She was always organized, punctual, and she was proactive about communicating every step of the way. During the inspection and diligence process, Lauren was super accommodating and always available. After we closed, she was at the ready with a full list of resources such as contractors, handymen, etc. I highly recommend her for any real estate transaction!"
"Lauren was great to work with. She was always organized, punctual, and she was proactive about communicating every step of the way. During the inspection and diligence process, Lauren was super accommodating and always available. After we closed, she was at the ready with a full list of resources such as contractors, handymen, etc. I highly recommend her for any real estate transaction!"
T. L.
"Thank you for sticking by me while I was unwilling to compromise what I wanted, and then when the going got so tough to closing, you also hung in there. Whether it was picking me up, going back extra times, discovering that the car would not fit, and the list goes on. I am very pleased with the house I bought, and know that it wouldn’t have happened without you."
"Thank you for sticking by me while I was unwilling to compromise what I wanted, and then when the going got so tough to closing, you also hung in there. Whether it was picking me up, going back extra times, discovering that the car would not fit, and the list goes on. I am very pleased with the house I bought, and know that it wouldn’t have happened without you."
M. W.
"Lauren Bowling was amazing to work with. I feel fortunate to have had her as my real estate agent. She always had my best interest in mind and was committed to getting me detailed answers to even the smallest of concerns. It was a pleasure working with her and I highly recommend. I am very happy with my new home and grateful to Lauren for making the process a pleasant experience."
"Lauren Bowling was amazing to work with. I feel fortunate to have had her as my real estate agent. She always had my best interest in mind and was committed to getting me detailed answers to even the smallest of concerns. It was a pleasure working with her and I highly recommend. I am very happy with my new home and grateful to Lauren for making the process a pleasant experience."
S. A.
"I worked closely with Lauren in search of a home that took 7 months of searching! She was what every agent should be and exactly what I needed - responsive, easy to reach, honest, caring, a problem solver, knowledgeable, reliable, and flexible. I absolutely loved working with Lauren, and it's important to have someone who does their job well when making such a big financial purchase. I highly recommended her as an agent when searching for or selling your next home."
"I worked closely with Lauren in search of a home that took 7 months of searching! She was what every agent should be and exactly what I needed - responsive, easy to reach, honest, caring, a problem solver, knowledgeable, reliable, and flexible. I absolutely loved working with Lauren, and it's important to have someone who does their job well when making such a big financial purchase. I highly recommended her as an agent when searching for or selling your next home."
R. E.
"Lauren was an absolute gem during my home search and closing process. She went out of her way to contact the appropriate parties when minor setbacks arose. I highly recommend utilizing Lauren and her drive to provide the best client service when searching for your next home!"
"Lauren was an absolute gem during my home search and closing process. She went out of her way to contact the appropriate parties when minor setbacks arose. I highly recommend utilizing Lauren and her drive to provide the best client service when searching for your next home!"
C. R.
"Lauren has the patience of a saint."
"Lauren has the patience of a saint."
M. T.
"Lauren recently helped me sell a condo. This was my first time being on the sale side of a real estate transaction, and she went above and beyond helping me navigate the process, negotiate, whether the back and forth with multiple buyers, staging, improvements, etc. – highly recommend Lauren for her responsiveness and professionalism."
"Lauren recently helped me sell a condo. This was my first time being on the sale side of a real estate transaction, and she went above and beyond helping me navigate the process, negotiate, whether the back and forth with multiple buyers, staging, improvements, etc. – highly recommend Lauren for her responsiveness and professionalism."
D. M.
"From the very first meeting, Lauren's vibrant personality and infectious enthusiasm made the home-buying process genuinely fun! I couldn't have imagined a better partner for this process. In several multiple offer scenarios, her strategic approach was invaluable, and she guided me toward crafting offers that stood out in a super competitive spring market but stayed within my budget. Because she knows a variety of intown neighborhoods so well, it was Lauren's "out-of-the-box" thinking and that led me to purchase a home in a neighborhood I'd never considered but am absolutely in love with!"
"From the very first meeting, Lauren's vibrant personality and infectious enthusiasm made the home-buying process genuinely fun! I couldn't have imagined a better partner for this process. In several multiple offer scenarios, her strategic approach was invaluable, and she guided me toward crafting offers that stood out in a super competitive spring market but stayed within my budget. Because she knows a variety of intown neighborhoods so well, it was Lauren's "out-of-the-box" thinking and that led me to purchase a home in a neighborhood I'd never considered but am absolutely in love with!"
D. S.

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