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Buyer's Guide

A Step-By-Step 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. 

Success Stories

Testimonials

Read what past clients have to say about working with me.

"Shannon is the best real estate professional you could ask for. Extremely responsive, always friendly and helpful. She gave me all the tips for my first home-buying transactions from lenders to lawyers referrals. She knows every corner of the region and will for sure help your family to find the dream home. I extremely recommend her."
"Shannon is the best real estate professional you could ask for. Extremely responsive, always friendly and helpful. She gave me all the tips for my first home-buying transactions from lenders to lawyers referrals. She knows every corner of the region and will for sure help your family to find the dream home. I extremely recommend her."
Gustavo C.
"Working with Shannon was amazing. She helped me sell my house, rent an apartment and now buy a condo. She was with me every step of the way. She was always available to meet me at my convenience or answer my many questions. She went over and above to help and support me during this stressful time. I trusted her advice and she was spot on ! I now think of Shannon as a friend -I highly recommend working with her. She is the best realtor ever!"
"Working with Shannon was amazing. She helped me sell my house, rent an apartment and now buy a condo. She was with me every step of the way. She was always available to meet me at my convenience or answer my many questions. She went over and above to help and support me during this stressful time. I trusted her advice and she was spot on ! I now think of Shannon as a friend -I highly recommend working with her. She is the best realtor ever!"
Isaac G.
"A great realtor and a very nice person. Shannon was very thoughtful, approachable, knowledgeable and a patient agent throughout our home buying process. Our case was one of a kind but Shannon held her nerve and was always available with her honest and prompt replies that helped us throughout. Never at any point did I feel that she was pushing us to close the deal by compromising on any facts about the house. Shannon has great deal of market knowledge and knows the home buying process and all its related aspects very thoroughly. Now that it’s over, I can’t think of seeing this through with any other agent other than Shannon."
"A great realtor and a very nice person. Shannon was very thoughtful, approachable, knowledgeable and a patient agent throughout our home buying process. Our case was one of a kind but Shannon held her nerve and was always available with her honest and prompt replies that helped us throughout. Never at any point did I feel that she was pushing us to close the deal by compromising on any facts about the house. Shannon has great deal of market knowledge and knows the home buying process and all its related aspects very thoroughly. Now that it’s over, I can’t think of seeing this through with any other agent other than Shannon."
Shashank K.
"Shannon is an absolute gem. She helped me find the perfect property for my daughter and I and was an absolute pleasure to work with. She is a straight shooter and and a genuinely nice person."
"Shannon is an absolute gem. She helped me find the perfect property for my daughter and I and was an absolute pleasure to work with. She is a straight shooter and and a genuinely nice person."
Liz R.
"Shannon was really easy to deal with and very good at getting back to me with quick responses about about any properties are questions that I had. I would highly recommend working with Shannon if you are looking for rentals in Millburn or Shorthill’s area."
"Shannon was really easy to deal with and very good at getting back to me with quick responses about about any properties are questions that I had. I would highly recommend working with Shannon if you are looking for rentals in Millburn or Shorthill’s area."
Shaun M.
"Shannon was a calming and knowledgeable presence during the crazy process of buying a home. She was incredibly knowledgeable about each town and house, and worked with us for months through our search process to find the perfect home and town for our family. Once we finally had an offer accepted, Shannon was amazing at making the deal happen quickly and bringing the house to a successful close. We cannot recommend Shannon enough!"
"Shannon was a calming and knowledgeable presence during the crazy process of buying a home. She was incredibly knowledgeable about each town and house, and worked with us for months through our search process to find the perfect home and town for our family. Once we finally had an offer accepted, Shannon was amazing at making the deal happen quickly and bringing the house to a successful close. We cannot recommend Shannon enough!"
Anna B.
"Shannon knows very well the neighbors and real estate market. She is very patient and listen all the needs and concerns, while providing professional guidance based on her great experience and knowledge of real estate. The buying process was very efficient thanks to her engagement and support."
"Shannon knows very well the neighbors and real estate market. She is very patient and listen all the needs and concerns, while providing professional guidance based on her great experience and knowledge of real estate. The buying process was very efficient thanks to her engagement and support."
Kate L.
"I had an exceptional experience working with Shannon as my buyer's agent. From the initial consultation to the final closing, she was knowledgeable, responsive, and advocated tirelessly on my behalf. She took the time to understand my specific needs and preferences, and worked diligently to find my dream home. Their expertise and guidance throughout the process were invaluable, and their negotiation skills secured me an excellent deal."
"I had an exceptional experience working with Shannon as my buyer's agent. From the initial consultation to the final closing, she was knowledgeable, responsive, and advocated tirelessly on my behalf. She took the time to understand my specific needs and preferences, and worked diligently to find my dream home. Their expertise and guidance throughout the process were invaluable, and their negotiation skills secured me an excellent deal."
Buyer
"Shannon was an outstanding agent to work with. She found us our dream home and was knowledgeable on the finishes and features and was instrumental in helping us negotiate a fair price. She also put us in touch with a fabulous attorney and mortgage broker and the entire team coordinated together to make the buying and selling process seamless. I would highly recommend Shannon and I will be working with her again whenever I have real estate needs."
"Shannon was an outstanding agent to work with. She found us our dream home and was knowledgeable on the finishes and features and was instrumental in helping us negotiate a fair price. She also put us in touch with a fabulous attorney and mortgage broker and the entire team coordinated together to make the buying and selling process seamless. I would highly recommend Shannon and I will be working with her again whenever I have real estate needs."
Cecilia C.
"Shannon was great to work with and helped us find the house we had been looking for! She was very knowledgeable about the area which was helpful since we weren’t too familiar with It. She sent us options as soon as she saw anything that matched what we were looking for and checked in with us throughout the process. Highly recommend her to anyone looking!"
"Shannon was great to work with and helped us find the house we had been looking for! She was very knowledgeable about the area which was helpful since we weren’t too familiar with It. She sent us options as soon as she saw anything that matched what we were looking for and checked in with us throughout the process. Highly recommend her to anyone looking!"
Rachel A.

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