Buyer's Guide

Buying a home is one of the most exciting milestones of your life

A Step-by-Step Guide

For Buyers

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.

Begin RESEARCH

STEP 1:

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.

DECIDE ON YOUR BUDGET

STEP 2:

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.

GET PREQUALIFIED

STEP 3:

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.

CHOOSE A REAL ESTATE AGENT

STEP 4:

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. I may be able to steer you away from certain homes or neighborhoods, suggest hidden gems, or give you pointers that will help you find your dream home for the right price.

My goal is to provide you with the most personalized service that is designed to help you buy your dream home.

Schedule A Consultation

FIND THE
RIGHT HOME

STEP 5:

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.

MAKE AN OFFER

STEP 6:

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.

HAVE THE HOME INSPECTED

STEP 7:

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.

SELECT YOUR LOAN

STEP 8:

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.

GET A HOME APPRAISAL

STEP 9:

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.

FINISH PAPERWORK

STEP 10:

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.

What Our Clients Say

See why our clients love working with us.

Buyer & Seller

Liz Hogan is by far and away from the best Realtor® I've ever worked with. Her ability to find opportunities where no one else could is truly remarkable. She consistently delivers the best home and properties that I'm looking f...

Tomas C.

Liz is an amazing real estate agent. She is very knowledgeable about the real estate market and has superb negotiating skills. I first worked with Liz in Aug 2016 when I was looking to rent an apartment in Brickell. She was abl...

Krystle S.

We highly recommend Liz! When we first met her at an open house we were impressed with how knowledgeable she was about the area we were interested in buying in that we immediately began working with her. She is very attentive, ...

Buyer

Without question the best experience I have ever had with a broker. For this transaction seller’s side was unresponsive, rude, and uncooperative. Ana went above and beyond to turn the apparent nightmare into a close that went t...

Tatiana B.

Mr. Krotov is a highly professional, experienced, and very knowledgeable agent. In September 2018 he helped me sell my place in Hallandale FL. Mr. Krotov provided highly professional advice on my property valuation, market cond...

Alejandra P.

Highly recommend Liz! We first worked with Liz in 2014 when we were buying our first home - she was able to help us find our dream home very fast, guided us through the buying process and we felt very confident working with her...

Buyer

Ana Guillen is honestly the most professional, welcoming, and understanding real state professional I've met. She helped me choose the apartment of my dreams in New York, she carefully understood my needs, the type of location ...

Laura R.

Ana is currently helping me find an apartment in Miami as I just relocated from New York! She goes above and beyond and fully understands the market and my needs. It was really helpful that she was familiar with both markets an...

Buyer

I worked with a number of agents in Miami before Liz and she is the best by far. She knows the market comprehensively, is an excellent negotiator, and has deep relationships with other brokers which allows her to get special ac...

Buyer | Seller

Professional, knowledgeable, and hard-working. The Agent you want on your side whether buying or selling. I have worked with Liz for many years and continue to work with her in all real estate needs for the company I work with ...

Madeline V.

Worked with Liz on my recent purchase and will refer to her on all my future real estate need. Not only is she knowledgeable and a great negotiator, but she listens. She really listens to your wants and needs until she finds yo...

Seller

Liz Hogan is a phenomenal Realtor®. She helped us out so much when we bought our first house in Miami. Her extensive knowledge about the market enabled us to purchase our house in a wonderful area and then upsize (in the same a...

Seller

Liz was extremely professional and helpful. She really knows the local market and I would highly recommend her. She really took her time and walked us through the whole process. I definitely would call upon her again.

Lika S.

Ana is very persuasive, hardworking and reliable and also a very nice person. It is a privilege to work with her. She is always on time. She is keen on details. She knows exactly what you are looking for.

Kiko G.

Ana did a great job in providing me a list of options available for me. She also did great in getting everything in time for a timely move. Overall it was a great experience and I highly recommend her.

Buyer

With Karen's help, we purchased a condo in Brickell. Excellent transaction, very professional, super fast communication, immediate response on all the questions I had. Will do business again.

Buyer

I just started my MBA in UM and Ana helped me find an apartment, gave me the insights on where to go and what to do in Miami. She is resourceful and smart. I will definitely recommend her.

Charlotte

Ana is an excellent resource not only to sell your property but also to provide market knowledge. My husband and I were extremely happy with her! We will definitely be using Ana again.

Alex B.

I enjoyed working with Karen on the sale of 2 adjacent properties. Karen and his team were always responsive and priced the properties right. Negotiated 5 contracts on our behalf.

Angela V.

Best Realtor® in Miami! I used her professional services to sell my 2 condos near downtown Miami. Liz is very knowledgeable of the Miami market. Highly recommended!

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Bringing together a team with the passion, dedication, and resources to help our clients reach their buying and selling goals. With you every step of the way.

Buyer's Guide

A Step-by-Step Guide

For Buyers

Begin RESEARCH

STEP 1:

DECIDE ON YOUR BUDGET

STEP 2:

GET PREQUALIFIED

STEP 3:

CHOOSE A REAL ESTATE AGENT

STEP 4:

My goal is to provide you with the most personalized service that is designed to help you buy your dream home.

FIND THE RIGHT HOME

STEP 5:

MAKE AN OFFER

STEP 6:

HAVE THE HOME INSPECTED

STEP 7:

SELECT YOUR LOAN

STEP 8:

GET A HOME APPRAISAL

STEP 9:

FINISH PAPERWORK

STEP 10:

Congratulations!

What Our Clients Say

Buyer & Seller

Tomas C.

Krystle S.

Buyer

Tatiana B.

Alejandra P.

Buyer

Laura R.

Buyer

Buyer | Seller

Madeline V.

Seller

Seller

Lika S.

Kiko G.

Buyer

Buyer

Charlotte

Alex B.

Angela V.

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FIND THE
RIGHT HOME