Buyer's Guide

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.

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.

My Testimonials

See why my clients love working with me.

The Engleman Family

After the passing of our parents, we three siblings chose to prepare our family home of 57 years to be sold. During our initial meeting with Ben, it quickly became evident that Ben was not the everyday broker looking for his ne...

Thomas H.

Ben listed our house Just before the COVID crisis. Our listing was amazing, as he guided the process with what buyers were looking for at the forefront. When the market stalled he calmed us down and helped us feel confident wit...

Andrew & Irina I.

Ben was the perfect realtor for us and our house. We had heard that Ben was an expert when it came to historic homes in LA, and his reputation did not disappoint. Ben knew exactly what made our historic home special and what wo...

The Siegfriedts

Vanessa is incredible! We have used her to help us buy a home and are now using her to sell our home. On both accounts, she is absolutely the best! Vanessa has a keen eye for finding a house with good bones and good energy. Whe...

The Ahearns

Vanessa was just the best. She found our family the perfect home in terms of price, neighborhood, and style without even meeting us. Even though we purchased the house sight unseen, we knew we could absolutely trust her. She is...

Garcia Family

We seriously don’t know where we’d be without Vanessa. Selling our house with her as our agent never ever felt like a business transaction, it felt like we were family. She is amazingly competent and well-versed in her knowledg...

Gerry

Three years ago I engaged Eddie as my realtor for a purchase of a condo in Pasadena. Before that transaction closed (which was quite smooth) Eddie became a dear friend that I continued to rely on throughout the 3 years that I l...

James & Michelle

Eddie Ramirez of The Loeffler Team has truly been above and beyond with his service and advice. We bought in a highly competitive market, with many cash offers, flippers, and multiple offers the norm. Eddie really listened to o...

Taylor & Andrew

My boyfriend, Andrew, and I were looking to purchase our first home and were recommended to Eddie. He was so incredibly helpful from the get-go. From our first meeting with, him he helped us narrow down what ly wanted in our fu...

Minh P.

Jack is an excellent realtor, hard-working, thorough, and sharp. If you're in negotiations, you want this guy on your side! He's always 2 steps ahead and extremely honest. I respect him for his integrity. when my husband and I ...

Jin P.

I know Jack personally, and he is a man of integrity. I would use his services any day, and so should you.

Randy A.

Jack's attention to detail and desire to provide excellent service in meeting the needs of his clients have propelled him to be considered a top producer in our firm in a very short time. Excellent negotiation skills, knowledge...

Mehran

Barry, I enjoyed working with you and appreciate everything you did for me. You went above and beyond what could be expected of any Realtor® in helping me sell my house.

P. & C.S.

If you are looking for the “concierge” of Realtors®, then look no further than Lisa Paperno. As first-time homebuyers, we required a lot of guidance and Lisa was there every step of the way. With valuable insight, knowledge, an...

Kevin G.

Thank you, Barry, I never thought anyone would have to work so hard to get a deal done and you really did the job, and i'm very grateful for the way you conducted all aspects of this transaction.

Jon S. & Emily A.

Last summer, when my wife and I were looking for our first home, we were lucky enough to have had Barry recommended to us. He isn't only a hard-working, knowledgeable, and dedicated real estate agent, but he is also one of the ...

R.J.L.

Lisa has represented my company on each of our new construction projects dating back to 2005. She also listed my home and successfully sold it over asking. Lisa is efficient, detailed oriented and an excellent negotiator, and a...

Melodie H.

I cannot recommend Barry highly enough! He was my agent when I sold my home. Clearly selling one's own home is not easy. Barry's expertise in homes of architectural interest, as well as his caring for his clients, made the proc...

Fitz & Su S.

Su and I are writing to express what a pleasure it is to have Barry Grey as our real estate agent. Barry has represented us in both the sale and purchase of our homes. Su and I both credit Barry with “getting” what we were look...

Orit & Kevin E.

Barry Gray helped us sell our home in an extremely difficult market. He guided us through the process with professionalism and confidence and got it sold for a higher price than anything else in the neighborhood. It was always ...

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