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Step-By-Step Process

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 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. 

Why Clients Love Working With Anna

"If you are looking for a realtor to go over and above and sell your house really, really fast and professionally, then Annamarie is the realtor for you! Thank you Annamarie for all you did for us and looking out for us!"
"If you are looking for a realtor to go over and above and sell your house really, really fast and professionally, then Annamarie is the realtor for you! Thank you Annamarie for all you did for us and looking out for us!"
D. M.
"We were first time buyers and Anna was incredibly patient and helpful every step of the way. Always felt like she had our best interests in mind."
"We were first time buyers and Anna was incredibly patient and helpful every step of the way. Always felt like she had our best interests in mind."
Jared H.
"Anna was a fantastic realtor for us from start to finish! We loved working with her and would happily recommend her to our family and friends. She made the process as smooth as possible for us as first time home buyers. She is extremely dependable and was so responsive to our many questions, and was honest with us about our options, and made sure we were comfortable moving forward at every step. Thanks, Anna, for helping us find our dream home in only a few months!"
"Anna was a fantastic realtor for us from start to finish! We loved working with her and would happily recommend her to our family and friends. She made the process as smooth as possible for us as first time home buyers. She is extremely dependable and was so responsive to our many questions, and was honest with us about our options, and made sure we were comfortable moving forward at every step. Thanks, Anna, for helping us find our dream home in only a few months!"
Keeley S.
"Anna helped my husband and I get our first house, she was professional and always available or had a member of her team available on last minute notice to see a home. Would highly recommend!"
"Anna helped my husband and I get our first house, she was professional and always available or had a member of her team available on last minute notice to see a home. Would highly recommend!"
Stephanie K.
"Anna was wonderful to work with! This lady is on top of her game!"
"Anna was wonderful to work with! This lady is on top of her game!"
Amy C.
"It was a pleasure working with Anna. She goes above and beyond for her clients. She has a variety of resources which helps her clients have a smooth transition while selling or buying a home. We appreciated her hard work and availability to get things done."
"It was a pleasure working with Anna. She goes above and beyond for her clients. She has a variety of resources which helps her clients have a smooth transition while selling or buying a home. We appreciated her hard work and availability to get things done."
Cami B.
"What a great sale! We received multiple offers in the first two days of the showing. The accepted offer was for over asking price. The entire transaction went smoothly and we closed within a few weeks."
"What a great sale! We received multiple offers in the first two days of the showing. The accepted offer was for over asking price. The entire transaction went smoothly and we closed within a few weeks."
Steve C.
"Amazing experience working with Anna and I would highly recommend her to anyone in search of a realtor. Anna went above and beyond when helping us find our first home, from the beginning of our search all the way to our closing date and beyond. Being first time home buyers, Anna made the entire experience simple and easy. She’s an extensive wealth of knowledge and took the time to help us understand every obstacle we faced along the way that helped us better understand our options and our purchase. Not only that but Anna has an abundance of connections and resources which truly made working with her an all in one package to make closing on our home as seamless as it could be. Thanks again Anna and a review can’t say enough!"
"Amazing experience working with Anna and I would highly recommend her to anyone in search of a realtor. Anna went above and beyond when helping us find our first home, from the beginning of our search all the way to our closing date and beyond. Being first time home buyers, Anna made the entire experience simple and easy. She’s an extensive wealth of knowledge and took the time to help us understand every obstacle we faced along the way that helped us better understand our options and our purchase. Not only that but Anna has an abundance of connections and resources which truly made working with her an all in one package to make closing on our home as seamless as it could be. Thanks again Anna and a review can’t say enough!"
Steven K.
"We met Anna at an open house earlier this year and instantly knew we wanted her to be our buyers agent. Being first time home buyers, we greatly appreciated how thorough Anna was in explaining every step and process. Her rapid responses and comprehensive answers to our questions were incredibly helpful. She toured numerous houses with us, always working with our schedules, until we found the one we loved. Her determination, deep market knowledge, and positive attitude were instrumental in securing our home amidst multiple offers. Her network of referrals, from lenders to attorneys to inspectors, ensured a seamless home-buying journey for us. I wholeheartedly recommend her to everyone I know. She goes above and beyond and I wish I could give her more than 5 stars! We are so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her."
"We met Anna at an open house earlier this year and instantly knew we wanted her to be our buyers agent. Being first time home buyers, we greatly appreciated how thorough Anna was in explaining every step and process. Her rapid responses and comprehensive answers to our questions were incredibly helpful. She toured numerous houses with us, always working with our schedules, until we found the one we loved. Her determination, deep market knowledge, and positive attitude were instrumental in securing our home amidst multiple offers. Her network of referrals, from lenders to attorneys to inspectors, ensured a seamless home-buying journey for us. I wholeheartedly recommend her to everyone I know. She goes above and beyond and I wish I could give her more than 5 stars! We are so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her."
Mallory P.
"I have worked with Anna on several real estate deals. She is a very responsive hard working Realtor. I noticed she is a perfectionist and really cares about making sure her clients are kept up to date from start to finish. This service speaks for itself with all of her 5 star ratings!"
"I have worked with Anna on several real estate deals. She is a very responsive hard working Realtor. I noticed she is a perfectionist and really cares about making sure her clients are kept up to date from start to finish. This service speaks for itself with all of her 5 star ratings!"
Bianca S.
"Anna goes above and beyond! Truly enjoyed working with her!"
"Anna goes above and beyond! Truly enjoyed working with her!"
Pam C.
"Anna was amazing to work with, extremely knowledgeable, had a solution for any question, very professional and always available to help. I highly recommend everyone to work with her. She deserves more than 5 stars!"
"Anna was amazing to work with, extremely knowledgeable, had a solution for any question, very professional and always available to help. I highly recommend everyone to work with her. She deserves more than 5 stars!"
Katie G.
"I met Anna at an open house 3 years ago and admired her knowledge of the market and perspective. I decided immediately that I wanted her to be my buyer's agent. I just closed on a wonderful home in the neighborhood I had been targeting thanks to Anna and her support, and I could not be happier. Anna is extremely responsive, knowledgeable, personable, diligent, and resourceful. I am lucky to have found her, and would strongly recommend her services to anyone I know."
"I met Anna at an open house 3 years ago and admired her knowledge of the market and perspective. I decided immediately that I wanted her to be my buyer's agent. I just closed on a wonderful home in the neighborhood I had been targeting thanks to Anna and her support, and I could not be happier. Anna is extremely responsive, knowledgeable, personable, diligent, and resourceful. I am lucky to have found her, and would strongly recommend her services to anyone I know."
Denise C.
"Chose Annamarie to represent my sale after interviewing several candidates. She immediately listed my property and we received a quick offer. Despite a few bumps on the road to closing, she helped navigate through every issue. Her professionalism, availability and depth of knowledge about the process were invaluable to a successful final transaction."
"Chose Annamarie to represent my sale after interviewing several candidates. She immediately listed my property and we received a quick offer. Despite a few bumps on the road to closing, she helped navigate through every issue. Her professionalism, availability and depth of knowledge about the process were invaluable to a successful final transaction."
Randy O.
"Anna is a professional at the top of her game. I have utilized her talents with buying and selling. Anna is positive from beginning to end. Where's there is doubt she would bring you out. I will highly recommend her. Like I've said many times before Anna, you are awesome! And might I add very knowledgeable in her line of work and never too busy to take a text/call, she will make the time. The best!"
"Anna is a professional at the top of her game. I have utilized her talents with buying and selling. Anna is positive from beginning to end. Where's there is doubt she would bring you out. I will highly recommend her. Like I've said many times before Anna, you are awesome! And might I add very knowledgeable in her line of work and never too busy to take a text/call, she will make the time. The best!"
Jill H.
"Annamarie was our agent on the sale of our house in Butterfield subdivision in Lombard. She did a fantastic job, and we highly recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell a house. From the initial consultation, she guided us through the process, listened closely to our wants and needs, and provided us suggestions on small improvements to increase the appeal of the house.My husband was at the first few minutes of the Open House that Anna set up, and was truly impressed on how she related to potential buyers about the quality schools, parks, and the wonderful neighborhood. She clearly knows her business and the neighborhoods she sells/buys in. Additionally, I was really pleased with her responsiveness to phone calls and texts any time or day of the week, including weekends. It was always a pleasure to talk to her. I felt like she was our friend. As a seller always stressing about the process, she was able to give clear answers and address our concerns."
"Annamarie was our agent on the sale of our house in Butterfield subdivision in Lombard. She did a fantastic job, and we highly recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell a house. From the initial consultation, she guided us through the process, listened closely to our wants and needs, and provided us suggestions on small improvements to increase the appeal of the house.My husband was at the first few minutes of the Open House that Anna set up, and was truly impressed on how she related to potential buyers about the quality schools, parks, and the wonderful neighborhood. She clearly knows her business and the neighborhoods she sells/buys in. Additionally, I was really pleased with her responsiveness to phone calls and texts any time or day of the week, including weekends. It was always a pleasure to talk to her. I felt like she was our friend. As a seller always stressing about the process, she was able to give clear answers and address our concerns."
Mary S.
"Annamarie worked with us to find a home to purchase during spring of 2023 while the market was definitely in favor of sellers. She worked tirelessly to show us houses in our price range and handle offers. She was so quick to respond to all our questions and concerns. She has an extensive understanding of not just real estate in general, but also had the experience to expertly handle the nuances and inside knowledge needed in a tricky real estate market. She also connected us to a lender that was just as hardworking, professional, and responsive as Annamarie. I will recommend Annamarie to all of my friends and family looking for a home to buy in the Chicago metro area. My husband and I were so impressed with her depth of knowledge on the real estate market and hard work getting us into our beautiful new home!"
"Annamarie worked with us to find a home to purchase during spring of 2023 while the market was definitely in favor of sellers. She worked tirelessly to show us houses in our price range and handle offers. She was so quick to respond to all our questions and concerns. She has an extensive understanding of not just real estate in general, but also had the experience to expertly handle the nuances and inside knowledge needed in a tricky real estate market. She also connected us to a lender that was just as hardworking, professional, and responsive as Annamarie. I will recommend Annamarie to all of my friends and family looking for a home to buy in the Chicago metro area. My husband and I were so impressed with her depth of knowledge on the real estate market and hard work getting us into our beautiful new home!"
Jessica H.
"Not sure where to start, but to say my family and I are extremely happy with our new home Anna helped us with! We met Anna at an Open House on a whim. We're just left looking at a home in a neighboring town and figured we would stop in just to look. At this point, we were discouraged after working with another realtor and feeling like we're doing more work on our own than they were. We decided to take a break from our first realtor, and glad we did. As soon as we met Anna, it was like a breath of fresh air. Positive attitude, attention to detail, and willingness to put the work in. We decided to work with Anna, and we are glad we did. Not only did we buy our new home with Anna, we also sold our home it were in with Anna, and in record time too! We will recommend Anna to anyone who asks! Realtors need to take note, and be more like Anna!"
"Not sure where to start, but to say my family and I are extremely happy with our new home Anna helped us with! We met Anna at an Open House on a whim. We're just left looking at a home in a neighboring town and figured we would stop in just to look. At this point, we were discouraged after working with another realtor and feeling like we're doing more work on our own than they were. We decided to take a break from our first realtor, and glad we did. As soon as we met Anna, it was like a breath of fresh air. Positive attitude, attention to detail, and willingness to put the work in. We decided to work with Anna, and we are glad we did. Not only did we buy our new home with Anna, we also sold our home it were in with Anna, and in record time too! We will recommend Anna to anyone who asks! Realtors need to take note, and be more like Anna!"
Andy M.
"I just wanted to let you know of the excellent service our family received from Anna Moise in selling our home on Hampton Lane in Lombard. She was very professional, knowledgeable, friendly, and supporting during a difficult time for us. My father had called Anna a couple of years ago to ask about selling the family home. He was not ready to sell at the time but wanted information. Anna was very patient, respectful, and kind to my father during his last years with dementia. He was difficult to communicate with most times, and Anna handled this situation with grace and professionalism. My father recently passed away, and I called Anna about listing our family home. I had other realtors to consider, including family members in the real estate business, but I decided to give the listing to Anna. I felt she was the best person for the job based on her perseverance, integrity, knowledge, and her kindness towards my father when he was alive. Working with Anna was a wonderful experience. She went above and beyond to help us avoid any problematic pitfalls in selling the home, and referred us to services for the clean-out. Based on her excellent knowledge of the business, she sold our home within a week. We were so pleased with her ethical work conduct and her kindness. She made the difficult task of selling our family home easy and even Enjoyable."
"I just wanted to let you know of the excellent service our family received from Anna Moise in selling our home on Hampton Lane in Lombard. She was very professional, knowledgeable, friendly, and supporting during a difficult time for us. My father had called Anna a couple of years ago to ask about selling the family home. He was not ready to sell at the time but wanted information. Anna was very patient, respectful, and kind to my father during his last years with dementia. He was difficult to communicate with most times, and Anna handled this situation with grace and professionalism. My father recently passed away, and I called Anna about listing our family home. I had other realtors to consider, including family members in the real estate business, but I decided to give the listing to Anna. I felt she was the best person for the job based on her perseverance, integrity, knowledge, and her kindness towards my father when he was alive. Working with Anna was a wonderful experience. She went above and beyond to help us avoid any problematic pitfalls in selling the home, and referred us to services for the clean-out. Based on her excellent knowledge of the business, she sold our home within a week. We were so pleased with her ethical work conduct and her kindness. She made the difficult task of selling our family home easy and even Enjoyable."
Val K.
"Best realtor ever! After searching for a home and getting outbid for over 2 years in this crazy market, we found Anna by “accident” and we are forever grateful! Not only did she help us find our home within a couple of months, but her work ethic and experience are unmatched! As a working mom of 2 she understood my availability was limited and was always accommodating- would even offer to keep an eye on my little ones while I toured homes - which I appreciate more than she’ll ever know! She is reputable with many connections and went above and beyond to make sure we got the house we wanted in the area we wanted. She knows how to put together a competitive offer yet was very open about not wanting us to overpay despite it being a hot market. Anna was always very honest, and never pressuring, and we felt she had our best interests at heart. Even after going under the contract, she made the process easy by keeping in constant communication with the lender, seller's agent, attorneys, insurance agents, etc. which meant there was less I had to do on my end. I’m so happy with how it all tied together. I would choose Anna all over again and recommend her to anyone - especially in the Lombard, Villa Park, Glen Ellyn area!"
"Best realtor ever! After searching for a home and getting outbid for over 2 years in this crazy market, we found Anna by “accident” and we are forever grateful! Not only did she help us find our home within a couple of months, but her work ethic and experience are unmatched! As a working mom of 2 she understood my availability was limited and was always accommodating- would even offer to keep an eye on my little ones while I toured homes - which I appreciate more than she’ll ever know! She is reputable with many connections and went above and beyond to make sure we got the house we wanted in the area we wanted. She knows how to put together a competitive offer yet was very open about not wanting us to overpay despite it being a hot market. Anna was always very honest, and never pressuring, and we felt she had our best interests at heart. Even after going under the contract, she made the process easy by keeping in constant communication with the lender, seller's agent, attorneys, insurance agents, etc. which meant there was less I had to do on my end. I’m so happy with how it all tied together. I would choose Anna all over again and recommend her to anyone - especially in the Lombard, Villa Park, Glen Ellyn area!"
Jeanine C.

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