Complete Guide for Atlanta Home Buyers

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Success Stories

See why my clients love working with me.

Julie P.

From the very beginning, Tracy was above the bar in her thorough and dedicated search for my perfect home. I could tell she had really spent time preparing for each of our meetings - which had not been my prior experience with ...

Thomas P.

Tracy has been a star from the first moment she began working with me on finding a place to live. She listened intently to my desires for a home and then worked tirelessly to find just the right fit. Working from a distance ori...

Jessica S. & Jason S.

We could not have found our home without Tracy. We met her randomly at an open house she was hosting 12 months ago. The house was not our fit, but I right away felt that she would fit us as our buyer's agent. Tracy is very pati...

Starr Family

We can not express enough how simple you made purchasing our forever home. Thank you for sticking with us a little longer than most to find our house. We never had to worry about missing or not understanding any steps through t...

Cynthia W.

I was referred to Tracy for relocation help through my work, and she has since become a truly amazing resource and friend! Although I wasn't ready to buy at the time, she went above and beyond in helping me find my rental apart...

Karen S.

Tracy worked tirelessly with me for over a year to find the perfect home. She was patient, driven, thorough, and positive throughout the entire process. She gave me sound advice and researched constantly on my behalf. If it was...

Kelvin N.

Sometimes words are simply not enough – this is one of those times! Janice and I want to thank you for the phenomenal client service that you provided to us as we searched for the perfect home for us at this time. You listened ...

Paul M. & Eva M.

Tracy prepared an excellent selection of properties and homes based on our selection criteria. We especially appreciated her approach of rearranging the tour to show us more of the OTP suburban communities and properties. She d...

Jeffrey N.

Tracy provided me with an excellent overview of the Atlanta housing market. She was Incredibly thorough and addressed exactly what I needed to know. She showed me several wonderful properties, two of which I would still conside...

Danielle L.

As first-time home buyers, Tracy has been very helpful in easing my husband and me into the process of buying a home. She was patient with us, although we moved through the process quite quickly. She volunteered information on ...

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Buyer's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Buyer's Guide