Search

Leave a Message

Thank you for your message. We will be in touch with you shortly.

Explore Our Properties

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.

Default Image

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.

Default Image

Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Notice we 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.

Default Image

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.

Default Image

Step 4: Choose Real Estate Experts

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without real estate experts? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for agents like us to take much of the stress off your shoulders? 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 can 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.

Passion & Expertise

Our goal is to provide you with the most personalized service possible, meticulously designed to help you navigate the process of buying your dream home. We are dedicated to understanding your unique needs and preferences, ensuring that every step of the journey is tailored to achieve your ultimate home-buying aspirations.

Default Image

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 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.

Default Image

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. We 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.

Default Image

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. We 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.

Default Image

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.

Default Image

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.

Default Image

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. 

See Why Our Clients Say

Testimonials

"The Holzl team did an amazing job selling our house! From start to finish, the entire team communicated both effectively and timely. Carie really knows the market and helped us to best price our home given market conditions and our need to sell quickly. Katie did an amazing job staging our house! It looked like a model home, and I'm sure that's what helped our home sell in 3 days! Lori pulled everything together, making sure that we had all the information we needed along the way and keeping us informed of important dates and progress toward closing. I really cannot recommend this team enough! Thank you!"
"The Holzl team did an amazing job selling our house! From start to finish, the entire team communicated both effectively and timely. Carie really knows the market and helped us to best price our home given market conditions and our need to sell quickly. Katie did an amazing job staging our house! It looked like a model home, and I'm sure that's what helped our home sell in 3 days! Lori pulled everything together, making sure that we had all the information we needed along the way and keeping us informed of important dates and progress toward closing. I really cannot recommend this team enough! Thank you!"
Leah K.
"We cannot recommend using Holzl Homes enough. We had a wonderful buying experience using Carie and her team. They were responsive, informative, and always made sure our best interests were at heart. Carie really knows what she is doing and it is apparent in her work. Even during this incredibly crazy housing market, they were quick to respond, and Carie and Lori always made sure all of our questions were answered and we knew what was going on in the process. We would gladly use them again if we ever buy or sell another home."
"We cannot recommend using Holzl Homes enough. We had a wonderful buying experience using Carie and her team. They were responsive, informative, and always made sure our best interests were at heart. Carie really knows what she is doing and it is apparent in her work. Even during this incredibly crazy housing market, they were quick to respond, and Carie and Lori always made sure all of our questions were answered and we knew what was going on in the process. We would gladly use them again if we ever buy or sell another home."
Emily K.
"We purchased a home without seeing it until closing, which of course is a risk. However, Carie and her team made this process extremely simple and stress-free. They were professional, and responsive, and were able to recommend multiple excellent service providers to complete the home purchase while we were remote. We highly recommend Carie and her team for anyone looking for a stress-free purchase process."
"We purchased a home without seeing it until closing, which of course is a risk. However, Carie and her team made this process extremely simple and stress-free. They were professional, and responsive, and were able to recommend multiple excellent service providers to complete the home purchase while we were remote. We highly recommend Carie and her team for anyone looking for a stress-free purchase process."
Allison M.
"Outstanding, professional, and friendly service! The entire team was helpful with our needs and very responsive and friendly. They provided the guidance needed in a trusting and empathetic way. Highly recommended!"
"Outstanding, professional, and friendly service! The entire team was helpful with our needs and very responsive and friendly. They provided the guidance needed in a trusting and empathetic way. Highly recommended!"
Michael D.
"Carie and her entire team are excellent! They are always available, answer the phone, and respond quickly. Carie's knowledge of the market and guidance is top-notch. Everything from the proper price point to a perfect stager is perfection. Highly recommended!"
"Carie and her entire team are excellent! They are always available, answer the phone, and respond quickly. Carie's knowledge of the market and guidance is top-notch. Everything from the proper price point to a perfect stager is perfection. Highly recommended!"
Seller
"Carie and her team are the best of the best. Their service model sets them far above anyone we have worked with before. They are proactive and quick to respond. We put them on a tight timeline and they executed without a hitch. We will recommend them to anyone we know!"
"Carie and her team are the best of the best. Their service model sets them far above anyone we have worked with before. They are proactive and quick to respond. We put them on a tight timeline and they executed without a hitch. We will recommend them to anyone we know!"
Seller
"This team works like a well-oiled machine! Katie staged our house to make it look amazing bringing in her furniture and accessories. Lori and Siri coordinated weekly email status updates to keep us informed throughout the sale process. Christa worked the open house and brought good qualified offers to us. We closed with a local attorney that Holzl uses on the house sale at our kitchen table which was very convenient for us!"
"This team works like a well-oiled machine! Katie staged our house to make it look amazing bringing in her furniture and accessories. Lori and Siri coordinated weekly email status updates to keep us informed throughout the sale process. Christa worked the open house and brought good qualified offers to us. We closed with a local attorney that Holzl uses on the house sale at our kitchen table which was very convenient for us!"
Buyer & Seller
"This was my first time selling a property. Carie and her team did a great job. They know the market and trends so well. They made great recommendations for some inexpensive updates to modernize my dated condo. They staged it very nicely and made it look great and it sold in under 2 weeks for close to the asking price. I was out of town for most of the process, and to call it painless would be an understatement. I highly recommend the Holzl team!"
"This was my first time selling a property. Carie and her team did a great job. They know the market and trends so well. They made great recommendations for some inexpensive updates to modernize my dated condo. They staged it very nicely and made it look great and it sold in under 2 weeks for close to the asking price. I was out of town for most of the process, and to call it painless would be an understatement. I highly recommend the Holzl team!"
Seller
"Carie and her team helped us sell two townhomes & purchase a house all in Geneva. They’re the absolute best. Everyone communicates so incredibly well, they do excellent staging to help speed the sale of your home & they provide support in all areas of the sale/purchase process. I always recommend Holzl Homes to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home!"
"Carie and her team helped us sell two townhomes & purchase a house all in Geneva. They’re the absolute best. Everyone communicates so incredibly well, they do excellent staging to help speed the sale of your home & they provide support in all areas of the sale/purchase process. I always recommend Holzl Homes to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home!"
Buyer & Seller
"Carie Holzl and Team is the Best! The team was thorough, professional, and great to work with. They care about their clients and, at the highest level, educate and empower us to make the very best opportunities in selling our homes. The Holzl Team was always available for questions and did a great job communicating at every step of the process, creating an experience I will soon not forget. I would highly recommend the Holzl Team to anyone who wants to experience seeing excellence in motion."
"Carie Holzl and Team is the Best! The team was thorough, professional, and great to work with. They care about their clients and, at the highest level, educate and empower us to make the very best opportunities in selling our homes. The Holzl Team was always available for questions and did a great job communicating at every step of the process, creating an experience I will soon not forget. I would highly recommend the Holzl Team to anyone who wants to experience seeing excellence in motion."
Todd G.

Follow Us On Instagram