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Buyer's Guide

A Step-by-Step Home Buyer's Guide

Whether your family is experiencing relocation, you are investing in a rental property or this is your first home purchase, I will listen to you and work tirelessly on your behalf. I treat my clients like family and take a strategic, yet personal approach to the home buying process. This guide will give you an introduction to the path to homeownership.

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Step 1: Choose a Realtor®

Your Realtor® is your guide, advocate and strategist and is the most partner in your homebuying journey. They are the “coach and the quarterback” that will help you find the right homes; advise you on pricing, contracts, and the process; negotiate on your behalf; and manage all the other players to make the entire experience as smooth as posible. Start with a personalized consultation to discuss your goals, timeline and preferences.  This is also your opportunity to interview them. Look for someone with deep industry knowledge, hyper-local expertise, a strong network of industry professionals to help you build “your team” and a personality and communication style that clicks with yours. Ask them to walk you through the home-buying process, share current market insights and provide a detailed roadmap on what to expect from the start to keys-in-hand. Be sure to review your representation options and understand the role of a Buyer Broker Agreement.

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Step 2: Get Pre-Approved and Know Your Budget

Notice I said your budget, not just what the bank says you can afford. Lenders often approve buyers for more than they're truly comfortable spending. Before you talk numbers with a lender, decide what monthly payment feels right for your lifestyle. Then, meet with a lender (or a few) to explore loan options, interest rates, and the true costs of buying —including closing costs and cash needed up front. A great lender will also help you understand your buying power and how it aligns with your goals. Once you’ve found the right fit, secure your pre-approval letter. You'll need it in hand to make a strong offer when the time comes.

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Step 3: Find Your Dream Home

This is the fun part! However, it’s more than just falling in love with a kitchen island. Your dream home should match your lifestyle, priorities, and long-term goals. As you tour homes, focus on what really matters: location, layout, must-haves vs. nice-to-haves, and how each space makes you feel. Your Realtor® will help you spot red flags, compare options, and stay grounded in your budget and goals. Be open-minded. Sometimes the right home isn’t the one you expected. And when the right one shows up, you’ll know. Together, we’ll make sure you’re ready to move confidently and quickly when it does.

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 4: Make an Offer and Negotiate

Once you have selected the perfect home, you will work with your agent to structure a compelling offer based on hyper-local market conditions, while considering your needs and comfort level. You will choose all of your terms including price, contingencies and timing. There may be some negotiation depending on the circumstances. Once all parties agree and sign, your offer becomes a binding contract. At that point, the home officially goes into escrow and is reserved for you while we move into the next phase.

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Step 5: 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 6: 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 7: 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 8: 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. 

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Whether you are thinking of transitioning to a new home now or in five years, it is never too early to come up with a game plan. Let's meet to determine how I can best support you on your journey.

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Contact Details
Jamie Mathieu

(503) 310-0922

[email protected]

 

Address

ELEETE Real Estate
449 3rd St
Lake Oswego OR 97034