Buyer's 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 our team 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? Do you know what style of home you want (condo, townhome, single-family home, etc)? Do you know which features you like and dislike? 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, your local real estate professional can help give insight on those properties that may not be available to the general public. 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 we said to decide on your budget—not how large of a loan you qualify for. In many cases, a mortgage company will be able to 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. Don't forget expenses like garbage, water, or HOA fees that you may not currently have.

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Step 3: CHOOSE A REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL

Not only will we help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but we also have knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home does not have to be a daunting task, this is where our expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let us show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you!

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Step 4: GET PREAPPROVED

Just because you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree to lend you that much. Just as they may approve you for an amount above your monthly budget, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or help you build a strategy for building your creditworthiness until they can approve you. 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 preapproved for a loan! This is why having a local lender that is trustworthy and understands the market is essential to creating a competitive offer! Let us connect you with a team of professionals that can provide value far beyond the interest rate! 

Our 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!). We will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that fit the criteria we developed in steps 1 & 2. 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 as a whole! It may be beneficial to visit the neighborhood during daylight and after dark, 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 real estate professional to craft a competitive offer! Tip: a competitive offer is not simply the highest sales prices, there are many other terms of a sale that we can help you navigate! Understanding the market, crafting the offer, and potentially negotiating counter offers are complex strategies that our real estate professionals are highly-skilled in. We are here to educate you on how we can take all the opportunities and turn them into your dream home! Once we all come to an agreement on the price and terms of the offer, everyone signs and we're officially "ratified" or "under contract!" 

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Step 7: Have the Home Inspected

Depending on your unique situation and the unique home you are buying, your offer may be contingent on receiving one or more inspections before finalizing the sale. 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. To make this process as stress-free for you as possible, our team takes on the responsibility of scheduling the inspections and talking you through the results! If there are no major issues, the contract continues on as originally agreed. If there are, we will begin another negotiation period based on what needs to be fixed. Each home and situation is unique, so we'll take the time to explain your options, and help ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible! 

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Step 8: Get an appraisal

Depending on the details of your loan, your purchase will likely require an appraisal. This is the process of determining your home's value, to ensure the amount being lended to you is supported by the home's value. 
 
This appraisal may also include an inspection of some miscellaneous items. This is not a full home inspection, but if they find something that needs to be addressed, we will let the seller know what those items are so they can have those items taken care of prior to closing. 
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Step 9: Final Walkthrough & Preparing to Move

About a week prior to closing, we will work with you to schedule your final walkthrough! This is our opportunity to ensure the home is in the same condition (or better) as when you first fell in love and decided to make the offer! 

This is also the time to call the utility companies and notify them that you will be the new owner of the home, confirm that your moving arrangements are scheduled, and other miscellaneous items! 

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Step 10: It's Closing day! Congratulations!

The final step is to sign all the paperwork and officially "close" on the purchase of your new home! Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you are the legal owner of your new home! Congratulations!  

Testimonials

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  • Mac is absolutely amazing. He goes above and beyond to help us find the perfect home. Anytime we asked him for any ideas, he gave us the best advice. Can’t say enough good things about Mac! If you looking or selling a house he is the one. Thank you, Mac!
    — Vincent C.
  • Love these two so much! Mac and Matyson have such a heart for customer service and they are 100% dedicated to helping you find the right home. I don't know many people who can do it like them.
    — Zach S.
  • Mac Westland and the team are top-notch. They take time to understand family needs and ensure they are fulfilled through hassle hassle-free processes. I highly recommend Mac Westland Real Estate Group!
    — Dayal B.
  • Mac is excellent to work with! He has helped me purchase and sell at this point, and both experiences were fantastic. Always professional, up front, no games or gimmicks, fights to get you be best deal possible no matter which side of the deal you’re on, makes time for you, and very knowledgeable. I would recommend him to anyone and would definitely use him again in the future.
    — Brian A.
  • I want to take this time to say how impressed I am with the real estate agent who found my new home for me. Tony Lowe found the perfect location in a short amount of time. He made the whole process of buying a home, so much easier and I am grateful for all that he did. I highly recommend Tony and the Mac Westland Real Estate Group.
    — Sheila M.
  • I recently had the pleasure of working with Mac Westland and Matysan Kestner from Mac Westland Real Estate Group to purchase my first investment property, and I cannot express how grateful I am for the exceptional service I received. From our initial meeting to multiple property viewings and finally a successful closing, Mac and Matysan demonstrated professionalism, expertise, and dedication that set them apart. One of the standout qualities was their in-depth knowledge of the local real estate market. Mac provided valuable insights, helping me make informed decisions throughout the entire process. Mac and Matysan’s prompt and clear communication wa...
    — Taylor
  • Mac, Matysan, and the rest of his team are amazing. Mac got me my dream home at a great price, and I even started out with equity in it. He is a straight shooter with no "salesman" attitude, and it's obvious he cares about his clients. Mac also has a full network of top-tier professionals for all your real estate and housework needs.
    — Jason W.
  • We came to town for a job interview with no realtor and no intention of buying a home that week. But when our dream home was listed the day we arrived in town, we reached out as a shot in the dark and met Mac at the property the same day. He coached us through a strategy of making the most competitive offer we could. To our surprise, our offer was chosen and we just closed on our property. It was the smoothest real estate transaction we’ve ever made, and also the most fun because Mac treated us as instant friends. He went above and beyond to give us his best, which was more than I could’ve asked for with my last-minute request for a showing!
    — Lindsay L.
  • I highly recommend Mac, especially if you are Military! He is extremely knowledgeable and he helped make the process of buying our first home go smoothly. Mac and his team are absolutely great to work with!
    — Kristina B.
  • I would recommend Mac Westland Real Estate Group to anyone and everyone—my fiancé and I had a wonderful experience with this team! As first-time home-buyers, it meant so much to work with someone we could trust and learn from. Mac and Matysan were so helpful and made us feel so supported throughout the entire process—and thanks to them, we now have a home we love!
    — Kellie H.
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Mac Westland Real Estate Group

Phone

540.312.9202

Email

[email protected]

Address

19384 MAIN ST BUCHANAN VA 24066

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