New Hampshire Home Buyers 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.

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.

Find Your Dream Home

Browse Homes

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.

My Testimonials

Shannon M.

Angela helped and guided us every step of the way in finding our home, especially in this challenging market. She’s a wealth of information, and quick to answer any questions or meet to see a property. It’s been such a pleasure...

Diane B.

Angela was great to work with. She has grit and determination with a very pleasant demeanor. We are very thankful for all of her efforts!

Edmund G.

Angela went above and beyond even though it was for a smaller amount.

Mary Lee S.

Angela was a pleasure to work with. She is professional, organized, and friendly. She gave us good advice from the beginning to the end of selling the home we have lived in for over 20 years. She was flexible about our needs, d...

Edward E.

It was great working with Angela! She was there for us, always.

Kelsey D.

Angela was amazing! She went above and beyond in my buying experience. She even went to a showing for me while I was out of town so I could attend virtually. She was very responsive when needed and I'm so happy with my new home!

Mitchell S.

Angela was phenomenal to work with, I felt very comfortable dealing with her right from the start. She was very thorough in every aspect and truly seemed to have my best interests in mind at all times. She was able to figure ou...

Jerry T.

Wow, what a gal. I was sitting at home trying to find a realtor and hit the Verani button and look who popped up. Boy did I get lucky? We were not ready at the time and she was willing to wait for us to say go. And she kept us ...

Devin & William B.

We absolutely loved working with Angela to find our new home! She went above and beyond to make sure everything went smoothly. Our previous home was not exactly close to where we were looking to buy which made it hard to see ea...

Brad & Izzy R.

We had the absolute pleasure of working with Angela to purchase our first home, and we couldn't be more grateful for her guidance. From the very beginning, Angela was incredibly patient, taking the time to listen to all of our ...

Brian A.

Angela was great to work with since day 1. She was extremely helpful, patient, and knowledgeable from the beginning. She was always available and willing to help us through the unknowns. This was my wife and my first home and i...

Catherine M.

Angela did an awesome job. She had our house sold in record time, and there was never a hitch throughout the entire process. Angela is also personable and kind. She made you feel as though she really cared.

Sue F.

Angela’s professionalism, dedication and commitment to the selling of our home was outstanding. Our landscape and driveway proved to be a bit of a deterrent but with her determination, along with her willingness to have multipl...

Travis and Deidre R.

I don't think we could have picked a better realtor to sell our house. Angela took on the job in a time when the market wasn't easy for sellers. Interest rates were through the roof. She went above and beyond. She had quite a f...

Bruce E.

Angela is the consummate professional. Very intelligent and precise in presenting information. Great listener. Great personality. We couldn’t have asked for a better agent. Thank you Angela! It was a pleasure!!

Kevin T.

Angela is fantastic!! As a first-time home buyer, she walked me through the process and helped me learn and understand all the steps involved in purchasing a house. She provided valuable advice and guidance on finding suitable ...

Michele M.

Angela is fantastic!! As a first-time home buyer, she walked me through the process and helped me learn and understand all the steps involved in purchasing a house. She provided valuable advice and guidance on finding suitable ...

David N.

Angela went above and beyond to get my house sold quickly. The personal attention to the many details throughout the entire process, from the listing to the closing made this an extremely easy transaction, and were done in a pr...

Mike A.

As a first time homebuyer I was more than a bit nervous when I started my search, but Angela immediately set me at ease and quickly made sure that I had nothing to be nervous about! She was thoroughly helpful and professional a...

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Ready to take the next step in your real estate journey? Contact Angela D. Keef today for a personalized consultation!

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Buyer's Guide