Complete Guide for Atlanta Home Buyers

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 us will help reduce the stress of buying a home and help you enjoy the journey as much as possible.

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 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.

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: Connect with us

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 we 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.

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 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, we will work 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Pellegrinos

Katie and Kelly were truly a joy to work with, they listed our home of 22 yrs. They were professional and so friendly, with an extraordinary attention to detail. They wanted to make everything just perfect, from the photos to t...

Mike H.

Katie and Kelly have done a great job for us multiple times. From renovations to new construction their guidance in the market has been spot on! Thanks for another closing!!

Chris W.

My wife and I recently worked with Katie on the purchase of a new home and sale of our old home. After sending an intro e-mail, we met for a showing within an hour. She was proactive in helping us search for, negotiate, and eve...

Shelly J.

We were thrilled with Katie’s remarkable ability to effectively utilize her existing contacts and to market our luxurious home on social media platforms. By doing so, she successfully attracted potential buyers who were specifi...

JoLee V.

The Katie and Kelly team was a great experience. I felt like they listened to everything we wanted from initial introductions all the way through inspection. The current slowdown in real estate is starting to show the sins of m...

Sarah I.

I am incredibly grateful for the outstanding service provided by Kelly Ruddell throughout the process of purchasing two investor homes. She patiently explained every step of the process, ensured I was well-informed and confiden...

Ronald N.

We were introduced to Kelly through a mutual friend and our friend couldn't have given a better reference. Kelly first helped us find a rental house to get settled in Atlanta. Throughout our rental period she continue to check ...

Karen D.

Thank you to Katie and Kelly for helping us through downsizing from the home we built 25 years ago into the perfect space for us. Katie and Kelly are like family! Young friends and lovely trusted experts! Their attention to det...

Benjie S.

Katie and her team sold our home for 5 years and exceeded our expectations. She’s the real deal Holyfield! Katie met with us, toured our home, saw the potential and the obstacles, and came back with a solid plan. Once we agreed...

James W.

Katie and her team are consummate professionals dedicated to getting first-class transactions done in a first-class way. She acts as a trusted advisor; her level of market insight, her ability to listen to her client’s needs, a...

Andrew W.

Katie and Kelly were a pleasure to work with. Very honest, organized, and communicative, and really kept us on track throughout negotiations and beyond. It was clear that they had our best interest at heart and genuinely wanted...

Nina N.

Kelly is an exceptional agent. Her knowledge of the market, attention to detail, and excellent communication made the selling process so smooth and easy. She helped us negotiate effectively, always prioritized our needs, and ha...

The Wright Family

In a dismal market period, the “K and K team” found the right fit for our family home sale. Their expertise and commitment from beginning to end is exemplary to the comprehensive process. We are grateful!

The Shepherds

Katie was an excellent and fun Realtor to work with on our first home purchase. She was very consultative and responsive and understood exactly what we were looking for. She offered great insight into different neighborhoods an...

The Lawsons

I am convinced that the reason we were able to sell our home and lock up our next house in a matter of days, is because of Katie’s expertise, her connections in the city of Atlanta, and her overall drive to make it work! We had...

Caroline H.

Katie is an absolute delight to work with in every possible way! She possesses all of the qualities one could hope for in an agent she is knowledgeable, dependable, communicative, understanding, thorough, friendly, and so much ...

Greg B.

From the moment I met Katie, it was clear to me that she was the person I needed to sell my home. She was professional, service-oriented, knowledgeable, experienced, open, and honest throughout the selling (and buying) process....

Jeff B.

Katie is a phenomenal Realtor. Not only did Katie have a buyer on hand for our existing home, but also knew of our dream home that had not even hit the market yet. Katie’s knowledge, work ethic, and caring personality make her ...

Paul and Virginia

Katie and Kelly were an incredible help for our home search journey. They were patient when we needed them to be and they had all the resources at hand when we needed to move quickly. Our Journey took several years and several ...

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Buyer's Guide